How Long Does It Take to Grow Hydroponic Vegetables? Complete Guide

If you want an easy way to grow delicious vegetables and if you don’t have a lot of space to work with you can get a hydroponic kit. They can produce a massive amount of product and there is no need for soil or digging so it’s quite easy to accomplish. But the question is how long does it take to grow hydroponic vegetables?

It’s not as tricky as it seems to grow hydroponic vegetables and there are systems that are available now that lend themselves to smaller spaces like patios and balconies up to a full-scale production garden.

Just about anything can be grown hydroponically, you can expect leafy greens to be ready for harvest in just 3 weeks. And vegetables can be available for harvest and ready for picking in just 6 weeks.

Even though the overall size of the hydroponic systems changes, the basics pretty much stay the same. A pump that is small in size constantly circulates a solution that is full of nutrients from the reservoir directly across a bed of media that is growing which is where you plant the seedlings. To learn more about growing hydroponic vegetables keep reading below.

Do Hydroponic Vegetables grow faster?

The reason hydroponic vegetables grow so well is that they have a continuous supply of nutrients, therefore you never have to worry about them lacking the vital nutrients they need to grow.

In fact, hydroponic vegetables do grow much faster than their soil-grown cousins. And it should be noted that some plants that are grown hydroponically can be ready for harvesting 30%-50% faster than plants grown in soil.

How Are Hydroponic Vegetables Different?

Hydroponic vegetables and plants often grow to be much larger than plants that are typically grown in soil whether in a garden or in a pot. This is all due to the fact that they receive so many nutrients from the solution they grow in, and it can speed up their maturation process.

I mean isn’t that what every plant wants? To be able to mature into the flowering stage where it can properly propagate itself by then going to seed.

 

What Vegetables Grow the Fastest In Hydroponics?

There are a lot of different vegetables that you can most certainly expect to grow fast and harvest even faster. And the vegetables that can grow the fastest include the following:

• Lettuce: Just about any kind of lettuce will grow rather quickly in a hydroponic system. Some of the types you can try to grow include Romaine, bibb, and butter crunch.

• Herbs: They are generally easy to grow in a hydroponic system and they can grow 25% faster than using conventional methods to grow them. Some herbs you can try to grow include mints, peppermint, spearmint, basil, marjoram, oregano, chive, and thyme.

• Greens: There are also other types of greens you can expect to grow quickly in a hydroponic system which includes Arugula, Mustard Greens, Swiss chard, spinach, watercress, and kale.

What is Required to Grow Vegetables Hydroponically?

There are many advantages of growing hydroponically. There is no use for soil, you never have to worry about weeds. And you don’t have to spend any time on your knees digging in the dirt to plant your vegetables.

Related: How Do Hydroponic Towers Work? Complete Guide

Therefore you also don’t have to worry about soil-borne diseases and not to mention there’s no need to rotate your crops. All that’s really required after the initial setup is that you monitor the overall nutrient level of the water inside of the hydroponic system every week.

And the tanks that are used to grow the plants and vegetables can easily be raised to a more comfortable level which can produce a massive amount of produce from a significantly smaller floor space.

Why Is Growing Vegetables With A Hydroponic System Better?

Hydroponic gardens are a great solution for anyone who lives where there is poor soil. And for those who are low on space to grow a big garden or maybe don’t have the space in a backyard but they have a balcony they can put their hydroponic system on.

As well as for those who can’t keep up with daily watering or garden maintenance is just too much. It’s so much faster to grow vegetables with a hydroponic system than growing using conventional methods as I mentioned before. Also if you want to go away for a week or so you can because you don’t need to worry about watering your plants or vegetables.

Related: How Much Can I Earn From Hydroponic Farming?

 

What Vegetables Cannot Be Grown Hydroponically?

You may not be aware of this but there actually are some vegetables that cannot be grown hydroponically. Some of the vegetables that cannot be grown using hydroponics include the following:

• Corn: Corn can’t be grown hydroponically because its roots grow up to 60 inches deep. And it needs a lot of sunlight and when you grow using hydroponics, typically you will use a LED which is a Light Emitting Diode which wouldn’t have the same effect as the sun.

• Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes: Potatoes no matter what kind they are need extra space to grow in. And they are very starchy vegetables which means they need extra nutrients than other vegetables. And with the lack of soil, potatoes won’t be able to absorb enough nutrients.

• Large Root Vegetables: Some examples of root vegetables include: carrots, turnips, and beets. These vegetables specifically need loose soil so they can spread out their roots. Therefore it cannot be grown hydroponically because its roots wouldn’t have enough space to grow.

• Vine Crops: Vine crops need extra support like a trellis to keep them from just falling over and if you tried to plant it in a hydroponic system it wouldn’t have enough room to grow and would never have enough support that it needs.

• Cabbage: Since cabbage is a head crop it technically needs room for the head to develop. Basically, when you grow cabbage in the ground the head is above ground and the roots are below the ground but if you used a hydroponic system to try and grow cabbage the head and roots would be at the same level. Which wouldn’t allow it to develop fully.

In Summary

Typically if you try to grow vegetables or other plants by utilizing a hydroponic system you can expect to grow vegetables much faster than using conventional methods. And you can expect larger crops. Let’s be honest, who’s going to complain about veggies that are nice, big, and plump? I think I’ve answered the question of how it takes to grow hydroponic vegetables, and I hope you enjoy growing in this way!