The nature of a hydroponic system limits the varieties of plants that can be grown. Hydroponic systems are not only limited by the size, but growing in a classroom can have its own challenges. But if you choose your plants well, you can have success growing in your classroom.
The Easiest Plants to Grow in Your Classroom
The easiest plants to grow in a hydroponic system are lettuces and herbs. This is because they don’t flower and fruit. I tell teachers to start with black seeded simpson. Looseleaf blend is another good variety. This lettuce sprouts easily, grows to maturity in about 6 weeks, and is a light, tasty lettuce for kids to try. Bok choy, arugula, and basil are easy crops to grow as well.
Fruiting plants are more difficult because they require pollination and a different light spectrum than non-fruiting plants. The full-size plants, like a beefsteak tomato or a Diva Cucumber, can also easily outgrow your system.
Look for bush-type varieties that grow well in containers. The horticulture world labels these ‘determinate’ plants since they grow to a determined size then set fruit. An ‘indeterminate’ variety will continue to grow throughout the full life-cycle of the plant.
Varieties I’ve Grown Myself in Hydroponic Systems
Kitchen Mini Quick Snack Cucumber is a good choice because it won’t grow very big and the flowers don’t need pollination to produce fruit.
Micro Tom Tomato is a good choice because they remain bushy. To pollinate the flowers, shake the plant daily once the flowers form.
Lunch Box Mini Snacking is a good pepper to grow. Like the Micro Tom Tomato, your kids will need to shake the plants to pollinate once the flowers are formed.
Most varieties of cucumber need cross-pollinated between flowers making them more difficult to grow, but this can be a great science experiment for junior high school students.
A wide variety of flowers can be grown, but again, choose the variety wisely.
I’ve grown Junior Sunflowers in LetPot, Tower Garden, and Harvest Wall hydroponic systems. The Junior variety is only about 2 feet tall and flowers easily. If timed correctly, they could be sent home with students for Mother’s Day or the cut flowers sold as a fundraiser.
Marigolds are another flower that grows well. The important thing about flowers is to look for varieties that only get a couple of feet tall.
Propagation Tower Garden
I was working with a group of parents in a local elementary school, helping them get Tower Gardens up and running. A parent asked if we could do a propagation Tower Garden. I hadn’t thought about trying to start houseplants in a Tower Garden. We gave it a try and had philodendron, spider plants, and other houseplants growing in a Tower Garden.
Choose wisely the variety of plants you grow and you’ll enjoy much more success.
If you have questions or just need help with what to grow, feel free to contact me.
Related Information
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