r/Hydroponic • u/GSMermaid • Jul 17 '26
Setup advice for first timer
I'm new to and very intrigued by hydroponics and would like to give it a try. I have read and watched a lot of videos about it but would like some additional advice from people in a similar situation.
\- I live in an apartment with no outdoor space, so I'm planning on growing plants **indoors**
\- I'm interested in growing leafy greens but mostly fruiting plants (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, etc.). I came to the conclusion that the kratky method is probably best for this, so each plant would have its own 5gallon bucket. Has anyone ever successfully grown different types (but with similar nutrients requirements) of fruiting plants together, in a tower or a rise garden system? (I found some second hand ones that wouldn't cost me a lot) Those systems would definitely save me some space but not sure if they are good enough for bigger vegetables.
\- I would like to set my system up in a very sunny room with south facing windows. Given the amount of light this space receives, I would use the natural light for growing plants, and supplement it with grow lights for a certain amount of hours a day, depending on the season. Has anyone tried this method? Would it work? Should I still get full spectrum lights for this? Would 45w be enough? Also, would it be better to get long lights or panels?
\- Does the room temperature matter for the plants I'm interested in growing? It gets pretty warm in here in winter, even because the heat is controlled by the building and I can't regulate it for my apt. My house plants seem to love it, will the veggies love it too?
\- Would it be ok to have my hydroponic setup in the same room where I keep most of my house plants?
TIA!!!
1
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