Yes, it’s possible to build a thriving hydroponic garden in your tiny apartment.

For better or worse, the last few years have been bumper years for hobbies. Less access to travel and social activities, along with more time spent at home, have sent creative Australians flocking to everything from baking sourdough to cross-stitch.

People have also taken to gardening, which can not only provide herbs and vegies for the kitchen, but also a range of sustainability and wellbeing benefits. One method – hydroponic gardening – offers lots of advantages. Here’s how it works.

What is hydroponic gardening?
Hydroponic gardening is different from regular gardening in one big way: plants are grown not in soil but in a water-based nutrient solution, sometimes coupled with a porous medium, or substrate, such as rock wool, clay balls, or perlite.

Supplying nutrients directly to the roots through water allows plants to put more of their energy into growing the leaves, branches and flowers we see above ground.

Why take up hydroponic gardening?
Hydroponics can take up less space than regular gardening. There’s no need for all that bulky soil, and because plants don’t have to compete for nutrients, they can be grown closer together. This can make hydroponic gardening a good option for people with limited space.

“You can have a hydroponic system that’s stacked onto your balcony, fence or balustrades,” says Martin Pfeffer, a horticulturalist at Canna, which produces nutrients and growing mediums. As a result, a hydroponic system can as much as triple or quadruple your yield, Pfeffer says.

This style of gardening also means your plants are less susceptible to soil-borne diseases and therefore generally don’t require nasty herbicide and pesticide treatments, for which you’ll be especially thankful if you’re growing edible plants.

Culinary benefits aside, gardening can have a huge beneficial impact on our overall wellbeing. Because it generally requires our focus for a chunk of time, gardening is an incredibly mindful practice – it keeps us in the moment and gives our minds temporary reprieve from our worries. As a result, many gardeners experience reduced feelings of stress and anxiety.

It’s also an excellent way to bond with family and friends, and to share in the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from serving a meal made from your home-grown ingredients, or gifting a bouquet of flowers you grew yourself.

How do I get started?
Choose your system

Setting up your hydroponic garden requires a little bit of knowhow, Pfeffer says. “Once you’ve got everything in place, it is really, really easy. It’s just a matter of maintaining your water and keeping your eye out for bugs!”

A number of different hydroponic systems are available, each delivering nutrients to the plants in a slightly different way. Pfeffer says it’s best to start with either a run-to-waste system or nutrient film technique (NFT).

The NFT system coats the lower part of your plants’ roots with a thin film of nutrients while leaving the upper part dry and exposed to oxygen. It only requires a length of pipe, a reservoir, a submersible pump and a drainage tube to operate. Water is recirculated and must run constantly.

In run-to-waste systems, on the other hand, nutrients are delivered as water passes through a potting mix-type product – a bit like in a regular balcony garden set-up but potentially more efficient.

“So long as you keep the reservoir with some water in it, you don’t have to do any [plant] maintenance – you just need to fill it up with some water and nutrient once a week [or] once every two weeks,” Pfeffer says.

Choose your plants

Once your system is sorted, you’ll need to decide what kind of garden you’d like to grow – maybe start with a herb, vegetable or flower garden and grow (sorry) from there. Pfeffer recommends beginners start with “easy” plants such as cucumber and leafy greens, or herbs such as basil and coriander, which have similar requirements from a cultivation and care perspective.

Depending on the type of garden you choose, you’ll need a plant-appropriate nutrient solution that contains specialised fertiliser combinations designed for the various growth cycles of herbs, vegetables or non-edible plants.


The right nutrients used at the right time can result in more flowers, brighter colours, and bigger and more flavourful fruits, Pfeffer says.

Tips of the trade
“The most important thing when you’re dealing with the water systems is keeping your water clean and keeping the nutrient up,” Pfeffer says.
There are lots of water and nutrient testers on the market, but so long as you’re using the right nutrients at the right time, you shouldn’t really have a need to check the pH (a measure of acidity) or electrical conductivity, AKA the nutrient levels in your water.
Sunlight is best for any type of garden, including hydroponics. If you’re growing indoors, placing your plants near a natural light source such as a window for about six hours per day should do the job. But if you’re in low light, either indoors or outdoors (such as on a south-facing balcony), consider coupling your hydroponic set-up with a specially designed grow lamp.
“My biggest tip would be to talk to somebody and get advice about the best type of system for your conditions, the amount of time you’ve got, how kind of big you want it, and what sort of plants you want to grow,” Pfeffer says.