DIY! HYDROPONIC GARDEN

FRESH VEGETABLES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

I used to think hydroponic gardening was a complex science that was out of my reach. But it's just PVC parts, a pump and some water. Building a hydroponic garden is faster and easier than preparing a soil garden bed. Plus, it produces faster-growing vegetables with a fraction of the water.

We made a system compact enough to sit on a table in a small house or apartment, but still large enough for nightly salads. It can even be moved outdoors for the summer and inside for the winter.

MEET THE EXPERTS

KARUNA EBERL AND STEVE ALBERTS ARE ON THE FINAL STRETCH OF RENOVATING AN ABANDONED HOUSE IN A NEARGHOST TOWN IN RURAL COLORADO.

1 CUT YOUR FENCE POSTS 

Cut the 6-ft. PVC fence post into two 36-in. pieces. Cut the ends as straight as possible so the end caps seal properly. Also cut two 22-in pieces of 1-in. Schedule 40 pipe.

2 DRILL THE CONNECTION HOLES 

Drill the connection holes in your 4-in. PVC fence post sections. Three of the holes are 134 in. diameter and one hole is 1/4 in. diameter. (See Figure A for hole locations.) These holes will face each other on the inside vertical faces and are used to connect the two rails.

3 LAY OUT THE CUP PATTERN

Use a permanent marker to indicate the center for each hole. Leave at least 3 in. of space at each end so you don't interfere with the fittings to be installed later.

4 DRILL THE CUP HOLES 

Drill cup holes on the top faces of the rails. Drill 1/2-in holes for small cups and 2¹/2-in holes for large cups. After drilling the holes, use sandpaper to smooth the edges of the holes.

PRO TIP