Growing guides: what to grow and how to grow it

Plant-by-plant guides written for hydroponics specifically. Timings, varieties, pH targets, and the quirks that catch people out.

An overhead arrangement of hydroponically grown produce in rows: lettuces with roots attached, spinach, kale, basil, mint, chives, cherry tomatoes, small peppers and strawberries. — Nearly anything will grow in water. What differs is how much light, feed and patience it asks for.

Hydroponic growing advice is not the same as garden advice. Timings are shorter, pH matters more, and some crops that are easy in soil are genuinely awkward without it. These guides cover what actually changes.

Crop	Harvest in	pH	Difficulty	Best system
Lettuce and leafy greens	3 to 5 weeks	5.5 to 6.5	Very easy	Kratky, DWC, NFT
Herbs	2 to 4 weeks	5.5 to 6.5	Very easy	Kratky, DWC
Strawberries	8 to 12 weeks	5.5 to 6.2	Moderate	NFT, drip
Tomatoes and peppers	8 to 14 weeks	5.8 to 6.3	Moderate to hard	DWC, drip, ebb and flow

Best plants for beginners

The 12 easiest crops to grow hydroponically, ranked by how forgiving they are of beginner mistakes.

See the rankings

Lettuce and leafy greens

Seed to salad in 30 days. Varieties, spacing, cut-and-come-again harvesting, and stopping bolt.

Grow lettuce

Herbs

Basil, mint, cilantro, and parsley. What each one needs and how to keep them producing for months.

Grow herbs

Tomatoes and peppers

The step up to fruiting crops: support, pollination, feeding changes, and realistic timelines.

Grow fruiting crops

Strawberries

Everbearing varieties, chill requirements, and why runners are both a bonus and a nuisance.

Grow strawberries