5 plants that are almost impossible to kill in hydroponics
The single biggest predictor of whether someone sticks with hydroponics is whether their first plant lived. So do not start with the interesting crop. Start with the one that wants to survive.
These five will tolerate a pH you forgot to check, a nutrient mix that was slightly wrong, and a week where you did not look at them.
1. Mint
Mint is a weed with good PR. It grows in almost any conditions, recovers from neglect that would finish other herbs, and roots readily from a supermarket cutting, so you can start it for nothing. Give it its own container, because it will crowd out anything it shares with.
Harvest: 3 to 4 weeks. Kills it: genuinely very little.
2. Leaf lettuce
Loose-leaf varieties like Black Seeded Simpson grow so fast you can see the difference between Monday and Wednesday, which matters more than people expect when you are learning. Cut the outer leaves and the centre keeps producing for weeks.
Harvest: 3 to 5 weeks. Kills it: heat above 75F (24C), which makes it bolt and turn bitter.
3. Basil
Our standard recommendation for a first plant. It grows quickly, smells wonderful every time you brush past it, and bounces back from early errors. Pinch the growing tips from about six inches tall and it turns into a bush rather than a stick.
Harvest: 2 to 4 weeks. Kills it: cold. Below about 50F (10C) it sulks and blackens.
4. Watercress
Watercress grows in streams. Putting it in a hydroponic system is closer to its natural habitat than a garden bed would be, and it behaves accordingly. Rarely troubled by anything, and peppery enough to make a plain salad interesting.
Harvest: 3 to 4 weeks. Kills it: letting the reservoir run dry.
5. Kale
The slowest on this list and the most durable. Kale shrugs off cold, tolerates a wide pH range, and once established a single plant produces leaves for months rather than weeks.
Harvest: 5 to 7 weeks. Kills it: very little, though aphids will find it if it lives outdoors.
See also: the full beginner plant rankings