new member likes hydroponics and Kratky

greetings all!
 Joined to find others who are or have been adventuring in hydroponics, particularly using the Kratsky method,  Several years ago I used a 30 gal trash can to grow cucumbers a got a bumper crop with really little maintenance, so I set it up again this week.  Also , went to walmart and bought two tomato plants, put one in Kratsky and one in soil.  Same with June bearing strawberries, only split plant into 3 and put them all in Kratsky.  Living in texas south coast, I was unable to grow most vegetables to completion because of heat.  Today (2/21/26) 1PM  temp is 77F, wont be long before its over 80 and burning sunlight.  I love it, but not an outdoor garden.  Too  costly to make greenhouse, condition it, deal with buying good soil (mine is very acidic beach sand and oyster shells) and would take a lot of amendments to grow anything.  So I set up a small system in my home office, currently building shelving and hanging lights.
Biggest expense was buying Bluelab truncheon and PH tester . Here I learned lesson 1, which was to remove any batteries in stored equipment, like my first Bluelab truncheon that wouldn't work because terminals were corroded, so had to buy a new one.  Actually know better, just messed up.  I found Folgers coffee containers to be a good way to start plants, or keep smaller crop in it, like lettuce.  The plastic covers are easy to cut with a scissors for the net pots, and airlines and they block sunlight.  Comes in 3 sizes and they are free if you drink Folgers coffee.  Started cucumber, tomato, and Bibb lettuce from seed, using paper towel method. Bought all these seeds over the internet and not one seed sprouted, so went to Home Depot and bought seeds and they ALL sprouted.  Using R/O water ($3.00 for 5 gal at local store) but setting up rainwater catchment system.  I caught some recent rain and PH was 7, so i hope to use  the rain, and adjust ph with up/down solution.  Trying to keep this as inexpensive as possible.  If this season is successful, I will set up a much larger system in a small house on my property.  I am 80 and don't want to play outside in the summer anymore.  Will submit some pics when setup is complete. All questions/comments welcome.  Is there a specific hydro forum, or where can i find similar conversations?

Hello Thomas - welcome.  Lots of good ideas to be found here.
Here's one I remembered from a while ago - similar approach to yours. . .
https://permies.com/t/280860/Growing-large-veggie-plants-sq
If you have time explore the "Growies" section down the right hand edge of the forums homepage.

Welcome to the forum!

I like the Kratky method though I have only experimented with that.

I learned about that method here on the forum so I know there are folks using that method.

Way to go Thomas! Sounds like you are well on your way.

I've dabbled with aquaponics, but am no expert. I would encourage you not to give up on your outdoor space either though. 80 degrees is not that hot for most vegetables. I grow veg in much hotter temperatures; it's just a matter of selecting varieties. If necessary, a cheap arbor to provide partial shade could be made for much less than a greenhouse. As for soil, just start composting your kitchen waste and grabbing your neighbors' bags of leaves ;-) Between the two you can have great soil.

I've often wondered if there couldn't be a garden-aquaculture hybrid system where the aquaculture makes fertilizer liquid for the garden. If, for example, a pile of leaves were mixed with a little soil and watered with water from the fist barrel every day, then you would get soil. It would be a matter of balancing the fish with the added use of nutrient. It would essentially allow for more fish. Just an idea...

Thanks for the welcome and the input.  Once I have proved myself capable of bringing this hydro project together, I do have plans to go further into Aquaponics, utilizing tilapia or preferably catfish.  Once helped a friend to build an outside catfish pond, but that's my limited "fish" experience., but if I move this experiment into the small house I mentioned, there will be room for all of this, in a true temp controlled environment.  
 As far as outside gardening, I put the 30 gal cucumber on my back porch which receives full sun all day, but has overhead roofing and unit sits so it gets a cooling breeze.  Started early enough that it should be good for one crop before temps get too high.  also have a kratsky tomato next to it, and a 5 gal bucket each of carrot and beets in soil.  Waiting on a potato to grow eyes and plant two plants in a 30 gal tote with soil.  with buckets I can move the plants to better shade or just bring them in.  Only success I've had outside in soil ( which was viable  because I put it in my wife's flower garden that has years of mulch as soil) was a tomato plant I started in a mild January.  EVERYTHING else failed no matter what.  77 degrees one day, 90 the next.  Pretty sure I will be moving the Kratsky tomato inside pretty soon.  For some reason I have wild blackberry vines growing the last few years outside, but the soil is so poor and alkaline it won't fruit, and amending/building up soil is too time consuming/difficult.  I may look at transplanting the roots to the kratsky system, ala my strawberry plants if this works out.  Salt encrusted beach sand and oyster shell mix just too difficult to overcome.  So I really need this system to work.  I will try to document this project and provide pics , as I believe people are interested in this Kratsky method, and I will tell you the problems encountered and solutions, and any errors on my part.  I live in Galveston Island TX, an island that was raised (yes, raised) about 30 ft using offshore beach sand pumped onto the island, so that is our soil, to help the group understand.  So far, everything is very happy and growing well.  

I have grown in Kratky for some time, and I follow the creator of the system on Youtube.

I highly recommend this channel on youtube, as he is very creative with Kratky combining hybrid systems with dirt / without to grow plants.




I have moved more toward the hybrid systems as I have from my own experience found that there are elements in the soil that the nutrients I have tried just don't provide for the plant.

Love Kratky, and love the results it provides.

What fertilizers do you use in your systems if I may ask?

Also,   I also do aquaponics, often use the water from my aquaponic systems in my hydroponic systems.

I've been wondering about building a no-plastic Kratky (or other hydroponic) system fueled by home-brew nutrient solutions like worm or compost tea instead of using products of far-away industry and aimed at incorporating microbes. I need to do some research.