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How to Grow Fruits, Vegetables & Houseplants Without Soil: The Secrets of Hydroponic Gardening Revealed

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Helweg, Richard, 1956-

How to grow fruits, vegetables & houseplants without soil : the secrets of hydroponic gardening revealed / by Rick Helweg.

pages cm

Other title: Secrets of hydroponic gardening revealed

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60138-600-7 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 1-60138-600-1 (alk. paper) 1. Hydroponics. I. Title. II. Title: Secrets of hydroponic gardening revealed.

SB126.5.H45 2014

631.5’85--dc23

2013045471

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A few years back we lost our beloved pet dog Bear, who was not only our best and dearest friend but also the “Vice President of Sunshine” here at Atlantic Publishing. He did not receive a salary but worked tirelessly 24 hours a day to please his parents.

Bear was a rescue dog who turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (well, maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

We wanted you to know a portion of the profits of this book will be donated in Bear’s memory to local animal shelters, parks, conservation organizations, and other individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of assistance.

– Douglas and Sherri Brown

PS: We have since adopted two more rescue dogs: first Scout, and the following year, Ginger. They were both mixed golden retrievers who needed a home.

This book is dedicated to Karen,
the real gardener in the family.

When one thinks about a garden and the activity of gardening, it is quite natural to think of digging into the dirt, pulling weeds, fertilizing, and composting. This book, How to Grow Fruits, Vegetables & Houseplants Without Soil: The Secrets of Hydroponic Gardening Revealed, will offer an alternative to the traditional notion that one requires a good plot of land with rich soil in a sunny location to be a successful gardener with a bountiful garden.

Hydroponic gardening is a dirt-free, low-cost, space saving, low in pesticides, and environmentally friendly way of growing plants without any soil. Once you understand the fundamentals of hydroponic gardening, you too will be able to reap the benefits of this easy-to-do horticultural alternative.

Hydroponic gardening does not require you be a professional horticulturalist. The purpose of this book is to help you to learn how to grow soil-free in your own home. This book will help you understand the fundamentals of soil-free growing. It will take you from understanding exactly what defines hydroponic gardening, to learning about the life-cycle of a plant, and what it takes to begin, nurture, and harvest plants of various types. You also will learn how to sustain your garden at the lowest cost possible by harvesting, not only the fruits of your labor, but also by gathering and saving seeds for new plants.

This book will serve as your is your step-by-step guide to learning how to set up your own hydroponic garden right in your backyard, greenhouse, or windowsill. You will learn about a wide variety of hydroponic gardening systems and how to determine which system may be right for you. You will learn about the range of equipment you might need for the system(s) you choose to employ. In some cases, you will be able to build your own equipment while in other cases, you will need to purchase equipment. This book will offer you resources no matter how you choose to proceed.

For those new to the practice of hydroponic gardening, this book will offer the simplest means possible to get started without designing, building, and/or purchasing equipment. The simple start practice will allow the beginner to get his/her feet wet to see if hydroponics is right for them. Alternatively, the book will describe a variety of hydroponic gardening methods and systems that may be of interest to those with some basic experience. Hopefully, the view of alternative hydroponic methods will spur the experienced gardener to experiment with new and different systems they had not considered before.

This is one of the few books on the subject of hydroponic gardening written for individuals that are absolute beginners. It is meant to be a step-by-step guide to the practice of hydroponic gardening. As such, it is suggested that the reader, especially the beginning gardener, start at the beginning and work through the book in the systematic step-by-step manner. The book is designed to offer an overview of hydroponics, including a short history of the practice, and then delve into the specifics that the gardener needs to understand. Each chapter builds upon the previous chapter in terms of understanding the practice of hydroponic gardening. The reader that takes this guide in a step-by-step manner will benefit the most in the understanding of what hydroponic gardening is and how it works.

Also included in this book are case studies that will introduce you to individuals who will offer inspiration and advice regarding hydroponic gardening. These individuals are professional growers and home gardeners just like the readers that have adopted hydroponic gardening. The case studies will discuss best practices, offer tips, and encouragement to the reader.

The goal of this book is to give you everything you need to know to get started growing the healthiest of foods and flowers in your own home hydroponic garden.

If you have children, get them involved in hydroponics. Hydroponics is a great way to help kids to understand the life cycles of a wide variety of living things. Besides the health benefits gardening can offer everyone, it can be a wonderful learning opportunity. Working with children in a garden provides a great opportunity to experience the wonder of the cycle of life. It is also just great family fun that you can eat and appreciate!

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