Hydroponics
Hydroponic Lettuce in our outdoor system
Hydroponics is a type of farming where plants are grown directly in water without soil. At Apple Ridge we use a type of hydroponics called nutrient film technique where a thin film of water flows through gutter shaped troughs that contain the plants. The water carries a nutrient solution that feeds the plants.
We got into hydroponics because our farm is small and we didn't want to push the carrying capacity of the land. Even though it isn't organic/CNG we see our hydroponics falling between conventional agriculture and organic agriculture. It allows us to grow a lot of produce in a small space without burning out the soil, wasting water, or using chemical pesticides or herbicides.
We grow the following produce hydroponically:
Lettuce ~ Tomatoes ~ European Burpless Cucumbers
We got into hydroponics because our farm is small and we didn't want to push the carrying capacity of the land. Even though it isn't organic/CNG we see our hydroponics falling between conventional agriculture and organic agriculture. It allows us to grow a lot of produce in a small space without burning out the soil, wasting water, or using chemical pesticides or herbicides.
We grow the following produce hydroponically:
Lettuce ~ Tomatoes ~ European Burpless Cucumbers