Hydroponic gardening can be a fascinating hobby, but taking one's first steps can be difficult because of the amazing amount of information available. One of the difficulties with the flood of information is that a lot of it is provided by purveyors of equipment and supplies. Another problem with the plethora of information is that there are gaps - sort of like steps missing in a recipe.
Before you go and spend hundreds of dollars on equipment you don't necessarily understand, I would like to show you a very simple setup that you can start out with, not too expensive. You will be amazed how much you can learn just by assembling the components. I will not overload you with technical detail, because one of the things I have discovered is that perfection is not required. For technical detail there are plenty of other websites.
I will take it step by step, because that's how you do it. I will try to be explicit and clear and will be grateful for comments where I have failed in this regard.
I use my system for culinary herbs, so most of the information I have will be applicable to the specific herbs I am growing, but much of it will be applicable to other plants as well.
As a preview, I will tell you that I will be putting together a 5 gallon bucket raft system. Don't go out and buy a 5 gallon bucket yet. There's more you will want to know before you spend a penny.
