Did you hear the story of a farmer who started growing strawberries? Yes? But, do you know he gave into growing them hydroponically in his farm of 3000 square feet? Oh yes! And, guess what, he also managed to get over seventy percent return from the fruit. So, can you profit from hydroponics? Oh, heck yes!
If you do a basic internet check, and you will find dozens of success stories of many farmers that grew their crops hydroponically. So you can grow hydroponically and make better money than growing in soil.
Can You Profit From Hydroponics?
Things to know:
The production of hydroponics crops is quite profitable compared to the conventional method of farming because the hydroponics system has multiple advantages. These advantages include a soil-less condition for growth, pesticide-free production, no or minimal pest entry, and efficient utilization of resources besides a controlled environment.
Here is a list of crops/plants you can grow with a hydroponics system of farming. This list is in no way all exclusive. You need to look at what sells the best at a rather high price in your area. Firstly, herbs are always in demand and people will pay a premium for freshly grown over the crappy dried stuff in stores.
Here are some examples of food stuffs that grow well in hydroponics that you can profit from:
Cilantro
For growers with limited funds, cilantro can be one of the plants you can start your hydroponics system with. The leaves of the coriander plant are used in countless dishes.
Your customers can easily distinguish hydroponically grown cilantro from the ones grown traditionally. Also, the taste and quality of the leaves are going to be matchless. Thus, you can also charge higher in the market. Farm-fresh coriander leaves can price anywhere between 40-60 per 100 grams, and you may go out of stock in minutes.
Spinach and/or Swiss Chard
Spinach, just like lettuce, grows exceedingly well in hydroponics conditions. It grows fast and is prolific if you keep on harvesting.
I call Swiss chard “the gift that keeps on giving”. Once it’s established, you can harvest the larger, exterior leaves for at least six months. This incredibly green leafy veggie is healthy and is popular for the antioxidant properties it possesses. Within 7-21 days, you can see the spinach sprouting. Hydroponics spinach or Swiss chard is greener and loaded with nutrients. You can quickly sell the leafy green at a competitive price.
Basil
Who does not love basil for the lovely fragrance and the great taste it adds to dishes? Most of you, right? Well, what if we said that you can grow your basil hydroponically.
You can in fact, choose to grow a lot of other basil varieties that include lemon basil, sweet basil, Thai basil, Italian and Purple basil. For any market grower, herbs are going to be the best bet. For me, these are the best herbs to grow because often it’s not available in the stores and the taste is so much better than dried. It will keep growing if carefully pruned.
Purple and Italian basil are the basil types are only grown commercially and widely. Try some of the different varieties. You can always expect multi-cuisine restaurants to buy all your harvest. Thus with 10-12 hours of light, grow your hydroponics basil and make big bucks.
Peppers and Tomatoes
Peppers and tomatoes grow in similar conditions similar to that of the tomatoes in a hydroponics system. However, there are certain things you need to take care of when growing them. You may have to raise the night-time temperatures and bringing down the day-time temperatures.
Such adjustments enhance the production of fruits after plants reach a mature height. Your hydroponics peppers and tomatoes are going to have aromatic flavors and several nutrients that enhance the flavor. You can quickly sell the harvested peppers by storing them at temperatures close to 7-8 degrees Celsius.
Lettuce
Everyone has a craving for leafy exotic veggies like the various types lettuce. Don’t you love your healthy salads with a delicious salad dressing and lettuce in them? Of course, you do. This reason is why the purchasing power of consumers is increasing and improving for lettuce. However, the “normal” varieties can be found in the stores easily. Pick an unusual type that most people don’t grow in your region and the customers will flock to it.
Spring Onion
Spring onions are replete with vitamin K and C that are essential for the growth of healthy bones. They also have natural properties that make them the perfect food for treating viral infections like colds and flu. The best part? You can grow them hydroponically.
Spring onions are harvested even before the white bulb gets to grow and swell. The ones that grow in the hydroponics system are succulent, juicy, and loaded with nutrients. You can quickly sell your organic spring onions and have great salability.
Cucumber
Cucumbers slow down the aging process and also regulate metabolism. They are loaded with microelements like zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, and iron. They clean your body from bad cholesterol and make for an excellent choice for your hydroponics garden. This water-loving fruit will definitely have many takers. Cucumbers grow abundantly; hence you do not have to fret about the fruit not growing well.
Microgreens
Microgreens are extremely popular amongst all health conscious people for the high content of nutrition they have. They are called microgreens because they are smaller than the matured plant. When you grow microgreens commercially, you can easily price them higher. Since you also require comparatively smaller spaces for cultivating microgreens, you can harvest them in about 1-2 weeks. See my article on making money with microgreens.
Find the nearest Farmers Market so that you can make a REAL profit on Hydroponics
This list of mine includes veggies, herbs, and fruits that I think grow fabulously with Hydroponics. In fact, it is the reason for you to celebrate that you can grow hundreds of different veggies, fruits, and plants easily. Once you have your produce, head to the nearest farmers market to sell them big!
Sell at Restaurants so you can Profit from Hydroponics
Individuals and families won’t be the only ones that will be clambering for your produce. Restaurant chefs are always on the lookout for the freshest and tastiest produce. It may take some knocking at doors but soon you will have a great customer base from restaurants that NEED your services regularly.
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