What are the best winter #hydroponic crops?

As we head into winter, a lot of growers are thinking about the best hydroponics crops to put in a garden. What do you want to cultivate during the cold winter season when practically nothing is growing outside? Here are some of the most common and popular hydroponic crops that growers are choosing for winter months.

Lettuce

Lettuce is a super popular hydroponic crop and it's often one that growers want to grow in the winter. Part of this is because of how the lettuce plant and other ‘greens’ plants grow. But part of it is also because fresh lettuce is so scarce on the market. Because it's hard to grow plants like this in the dead of winter, hydroponics has much more of a corner on the market. By comparison, growing hydroponic lettuces in summer doesn't bring growers nearly as much reward, because there's so much fresh lettuce available from soil-based gardens.

Check out this article about a Long Island farm that produces 3000 heads of lettuce per week. By producing year-round, farmer Carl Gabrielsen says he's getting a leg up on the competition, and he says hydroponics doesn't have to be super expensive

“They can put together a great setup for less than the cost of a new tractor.” Gabrielsen says.

In addition, hydroponics provides a system where lettuce and other greens can be grown without pesticides, which makes them a lot more valuable and safer for consumption.

Other Salad Foods

Hydroponic growers also like to grow things like tomatoes and cucumbers in the winter for the same reason. They command a higher price and are much more desirable on the winter market. People don't stop eating salads and sandwiches in the wintertime – but outdoor farms stop producing these goods. So hydroponics farmers can make a bundle by offering juicy fresh tomatoes and crisp cucumbers during months like January and February, or even March and April.

Herbs

Herbs are another category of plant hydroponics growers love to grow in the winter. People get used to having their own little herb gardens on the back porch in summer, but when the weather turns cold, they look elsewhere for safely grown, fresh green herbs. Herbs like rosemary, oregano, parsley, cilantro, thyme and chives bring flavor to a lot of the foods we eat, and they can command a good price on hydroponics markets.

For more about what to grow and how to grow it, check out Dealzer’s website where we offer a comprehensive source of information for beginners or anyone else interested in hydroponics gardens.