Big Plump Tomatoes the Hydroponic Way
If you are old enough, you remember how wonderfully delicious tomatoes used to taste. Sweet and yummy. Today, the tomatoes from the grocers are just not the same. Many are sour and mealy.
Tomatoes are one of the most favored produce for home gardeners and they are really easy to grow in your home garden. Think about growing tomatoes and your other vegetables using Hydroponic.
Hydroponics have a lot of advantages over soil gardening. First of all, you don't have to worry about the quality of your soil. I live in an area where the soil is clay and turns practically into rock in the summer. It takes a whole lot of conditioning to grow anything in that soil. Hydroponics takes less water. The nutrients fed to your tomatoes and other vegetables can be controlled. The yield can be a bit better and quicker. Plus, if you move your hydroponics inside, there really isn't a growing season, you can grow your tomatoes all year long.
Growing your own tomatoes and vegetables using hydroponics will yield you good tasting, nutritious, wholesome tomatoes, vegetables and herbs all year long!
So . . . What Exactly IS Hydroponics
Just think about it. The plants pull nutrients directly from the solution which can be adjusted to provide sufficient nutrients for what part of the growth cycle the plant is in. So if the plant is just sprouting, the solution will be weaker than when the plant is flowering or producing fruit. This is not so easy to do and control using soil.
Plants thrive using hydroponics. They sprout faster, they grow faster, they have a longer growing season, and they produce more. They can generally be grown closer together because they have smaller roots. The smaller roots have the added benefit that the energy provided by the nutrition is used to growing the plant instead of the roots. The roots are smaller because they don't have to search so far to find the nutrition they need.
I'd say, it's a fabulous system of growing food.
Hydroponic Tomatoes Are Safe
Since hydroponic tomatoes are not grown in soil, there is no contact with organisms that exist in the soil and even fertilizers such as composted manure.
Commercial growers are growing tomatoes and other produce in climate-controlled greenhouses with well-regulated nutrients, light, and heat, which result in delicious, nutritious, and safe crops.
Great Books on Hydroponics
Hydroponic Tomatoes: For the Home Gardener
Amazon Price: $13.50 (as of 10/11/2008)
List Price: $15.00
How-To Hydroponics, Fourth Edition
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 10/11/2008)
List Price: $24.95
Beginning Hydroponics Revised Ed
Amazon Price: $8.76 (as of 10/11/2008)
List Price: $10.95
Hydroponics for the Home Gardener: An easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide for growing healthy vegetables, herbs and house plants without soil. (Gardening)
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 10/11/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Hydroponic Home Food Gardens
Amazon Price: $13.45 (as of 10/11/2008)
List Price: $14.95
Plump Tomato Gazpacho
A delicious summer treat - nice and cool!
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
1/2 small onion, peeled and sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water, iced
Add ingredients into blender and blend on high speed for for 5 to 10 second. Chill before serving. Season to taste.
Deep Dish Meat-Crust Pizza
Replaces a bread crust with a low-carb meat crust
3 lbs lean ground beef
1 c Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
3 large eggs
1 med onion, finely chopped, or 1/2 cup dried minced onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, or substitute 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 T salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp fennel seed
Sauce
2-1/4 c plum tomatoes, chopped and drained, or 2 (8 oz) cans of tomato sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper seed
1 tsp dried oregano, or 1 T fresh
2 T fresh basil, or 2 tsp dry
salt & pepper to taste
Topping
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded, or Provolone
sausage or pepperoni (optional)
oregano
3 T Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
Preheat oven to 375°F
1. Mix all crust ingredients. Separate into 2 sections and flatten them onto cookie sheets. Each should be approx. 1/2" thick when finished.
2. Bake for 20 minutes Drain off accumulated liquids. Return to oven for 10 additional mins, drain again if necessary.
3. Meanwhile, blend sauce ingredients. Spread over both crusts.
4. Spread toppings evenly and place back in the oven for about 15 min, or until cheese is lightly browned.
Remove and let sit about a minute, slice and serve.
Hydroponics is Good for the Environment
Let Me Count the Ways
1. You can save up to 75% of water used. This is because water is recycled and re-circulated. This is great for areas of the world where there is a water shortage.
2. By recycling water, the fertilizers that are used are not leached into the ground and potentially into your drinking water.
3. Hydroponic crops suffer far less from pest and diseases; thus there is far less need for pesticides. This lessens exposure of pesticides to the environment.
These are all good things!
New Guestbook
Hydroponics are the way to go. We are actually growing a few tomatoes our self on web cam using our very own LED grow light. Check us out at www.superled.net
Posted March 03, 2008
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Thejobcoach
Great site. I love the recipe! Posted January 25, 2008 |
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What Else Can You Grow Hydroponically?
Here is a list of just some of the possibilities:
Vegetables
* Lettuce
* Beans
* Spinach
* Peppers
Fruit
* Strawberries
Herbs
* Basil
* Dill
* Chives
* Mint
* Thyme
* Cilantro
Flowers
* Orchids
You can grow just about anything that isn't a tree or planted in the ground, like potatoes and garlic.
The nutrient needs of each type of plant varies and garden shops that specialize in hydroponics carry a large selection, suited for different plants at different stages of their growing cycle.
