What I’m Planting for Winter in My Hydroponic Garden

I love an August tomato, but what I really want is an August tomato in say, February. This year I have a plan: I intend to get those tomatoes and eat them with fresh basil—and I’m going to do it all with my indoor hydroponic growing towers. I have a few that I’m using: an Aerogarden Harvest and LetPot for tender herbs; an Aerogarden Farm 24 for midsize hothouse vegetables like peppers and eggplant; and my Rise Roma for tomatoes. Here’s what I’m planting. 

Access to fresh herbs all winter will change your cooking

Even if it’s just to sprinkle fresh dill on top of your potatoes or chop fresh parsley into your rice, fresh herbs make a huge difference—and if you have access to fresh herbs and don’t have to buy them, you’ll use them. In addition to planting tons of dill (because it bolts easily), I’m planting flat and curly parsley and slow-bolting cilantro. Obviously, I’m going to plant basil, but I’m specifically planting a lettuce leaf basil, with giant leaves to maximize the small space, as well as a few other varieties, so I can see what does best and to diversify what’s available.

Those are all the obvious herbs. In addition, I’m planting chervil, tarragon, and Thai basil. If you don’t have a hardy thyme growing outdoors, consider growing some as well.  Both the Aerogarden harvest and the Let Pot allow you to plant your own seeds, and I’ve decided to do that instead of growing pre-bought pods. This will allow me to save some money—pods are expensive—but also grow precisely what I want. I source my herb seeds from multiple seed shops, but the best seed shop is the one closest to you; you don’t have to be picky about herbs as you might vegetable varieties. 

Can I grow snack peppers to avoid paying for store bought

I resent paying for bell peppers: They’re wildly expensive, and they’re usually too big. So this year I’m growing the varieties I want, in my Aerogarden Farm 24.  Now, the 24 will allow you to grow 24 pods, but they’d be very crowded, so I’m going to cut that in half, and grow nine to 12 different plants. 

•  2-3 different Sweetie snack peppers

• 1 Round of Hungary pepper: These are cheese-type peppers, and are perfect for stuffing. 

• 1 Sweet Red Cherry pepper: I prefer these for cocktails or pickling; they also stuff well. 

• 2 Patio Baby eggplant: bred for hydroponic setups

• 2 Finger Fruit eggplant: a long Japanese variety, but small and compact

• 1 Diva cucumber: Though I have doubts that a cucumber is well suited for hydroponics, this one is compact and requires no pollination. 

Trailing plants aren’t generally well-suited for hydroponic setups—they trail out of the light setup and can crowd out other plants—but I want to try anyway. (Rise just advertised mini pumpkins for their setup, so anything is possible!) By focusing on the same kind of plants in Aerogarden Farm 24, I can adjust the PH to benefit these nightshades. 

An enviable tomato in winter

I was blown away by the plethora of tiny, perfect cherry tomatoes that grew on eight-inch tall tomato plants in my Aerogarden Harvest last spring (although I take a lot of credit for my automated pollination techniques). Cherry tomatoes are fine and all, but this year I want slicers. And I think I can do it: I grew Roma tomatoes in the Rise all summer; the system is big enough to handle the height, and with enough support, seems to handle tomatoes well. I’ll put in additional trellis supports. And there are no pests inside, eliminating one of the major issues with tomato growing. I can control how much light there is on these tomatoes (I grow them in my bedroom so I’m really only limited by how much I like sleeping in), and I can test for nutrients all the time so I know precisely what to add, meaning no blossom end rot. My major challenge is pollination, and as above, I’ve got that handled.

My Rise Roma has 16 slots, but I will only be growing three tomato plants so they have room to spread out.

• 1 Cherokee Purple tomato: the most reliable performer in my slicing tomato bed, every summer

• 1 Red Brandywine tomato: Brandywines always deliver for me.

• 1 Yellow German tomato: a beautiful, sweet, lower-acid yellow-and-red mottled tomato that is going to look fantastic on my Instagram grid

Now, none of these are bred for hydroponics, but one of the appeals of the Rise Roma garden is that they want you to grow full-size tomatoes (albeit Romas). I think with the right trellising, which I’ll cover as the time approaches, this is worth the effort. 

Remember, you can grow all your own seeds in most systems—you can purchase the parts or use the pods it comes with. Germination is much easier in hydroponic systems, so it’s worth giving it a try.