If fresh herbs are an integral part of your meal, you are one of us, foodies. Our love of divine herbal aromas encouraged us to take up hydroponic gardening. Growing herbs hydroponically allowed us to enjoy fresh and delicious herbs all year round without too much work.
And we are ready to share all the gained wisdom with you. Introducing the 7 best hydroponic herbs.
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Why do we grow our own herbs?
Since we started the herb garden, we have loved it so much and never looked back. Why?
First, fresh herbs from your own garden are so much fresher and more delicious that you just don’t want to go for less and buy them at the supermarket.
Then, growing herbs woke the explorers in us.
We are growing herbs we haven’t tried before and discovering new flavors and new dishes.
And last but not least, we even save money because we don’t need to buy herbs anymore.
Why do we choose a hydroponic system?
It was not a tough choice for us.
Hydroponic systems allow a hydroponic herb garden indoors. That was a critical condition for us, as we live in a climate with four distinct seasons, and we wanted to grow herbs all year round.
As we all know, hydroponic systems are compact and don’t require any soil. Hydroponic herbs grow in a nutrient solution diffused in water.
One more significant factor: in hydroponic systems, plants can be harvested significantly sooner because of superb nutrition and special conditions designed specifically to stimulate growth.
And we shouldn’t forget about the lack of diseases. No soil — no harmful bacteria or fungi.
Now, after we pitched hydroponic systems properly, let’s talk about herbs.
Our champions
You can grow most herbs in a hydroponic system, but we noticed that some of them are real champions and are quick to provide us with their crops. And lucky us — those happen to be our favorites.
We are going to tell you about the best herbs to grow hydroponically.
Oregano
One of the pillars of Mediterranean cuisine is one of the best hydroponic options.
Despite its southern origin, oregano isn’t demanding in terms of temperature. It prefers cool 60-70 °F, but lots of light. You’ll have to arrange a 14:10 ratio for the herbs to grow fast.
After a herb seedling is planted, you’ll have to wait for about 15 weeks until the harvest.
If you are involved in hydroponic growing, you know that sustaining a certain pH level is essential for growing herbs hydroponically. So, the pH level in the hydroponic system for oregano should be a little higher than standard — 6-7.
Tip: if you don’t want your oregano to finish the cycle, interrupt the blooming stage by clipping the flowers.
Basil
If you grow herbs hydroponically, 9 chances out of 10 are — basil is an honorable member of your hydroponic system. This beautiful and delicious plant is so good for hydroponic growing.
It thrives in warm weather conditions (70-90 °F) and good lighting. Give it 12 hours per day under the LED lamps, and it will be happy. When it’s grown, you’ll have a stable supply of fragrant goodness. As for the pH level, make sure that the nutrient solution has a pH of at least 5.5, but try not to exceed 6.5.
Tip: as soon as your basil has reached 6-8 inches in height, it’s time to prune it. Pruning is a great growth stimulant.
Mint
Growing herbs hydroponically means that your Mojito will have the freshest and most fragrant mint possible. That’s one of our favorite herbs to grow hydroponically (and not only because of Mojito).
Hydroponically grown herbs always have the slightest, gentlest aroma floating in the air. And mint is one of the best herbs in this respect. It prefers a mildly warm environment of around 67 °F and lots of light. We recommend exceeding the periods of grow lights up to 16 hours per day.
You can actually germinate mint from herb seedlings. It will take a couple of weeks. And this herb really needs its hydration. Every day and sometimes even more often. If you provide hydroponic nutrient solutions with a pH of around 7, your mint will be healthy and happy.
Tip: the type of mint with the strongest taste is peppermint. If you like your mint flavor more potent, this type is your choice.
Dill
Dill grown hydroponically doesn’t usually cause any problems. This healthy aromatic plant is one of the easiest herbs to grow.
Dill hydroponic growing involves sustaining warm temperatures of 65-75 °F and turning on grow lights for 14 hours out of 24. The pH for these growing plants shouldn’t exceed 6.5. Keep it at 5.5 or a little higher.
Tip: dill grows rapidly and should be regularly thinned out.
Parsley
If you have a hydroponic system and are growing herbs hydroponically, you most certainly have parsley. It’s one of the easiest herbs to grow, too. The ideal conditions for parsley are 70 °F and 10 hours of LED lights.
It typically takes 3-4 weeks after the transplant for the herbs to grow enough for you to harvest them. The best pH level for growing herbs will be around 6.5.
Tip: parsley thrives in the sun. If you can arrange its exposure to the sun, it will grow faster.
Thyme
Thyme is another great herb for hydroponic growth. After transplanting it into the system, you’ll just have to wait about a month or a month and a half, and — voilà, another Mediterranean herb with a strong and delicious aroma is ready for you to harvest.
Hydroponic thyme, like its regular sibling, loves the light. If you can’t provide it with 8 hours of natural lighting per day, go for LED lights and set them to 12 hours out of 24. Keep the pH around 6.0-7.0, and the herb will thrive. As a Mediterranean herb, thyme prefers warm temperatures, but not too hot. The ideal range will be 65-75 °F.
Thyme is a great option for hydroponics.
Tip: when harvesting hydroponic thyme for the first time, don’t cut all the stalks. Leave 2/3 of the stalks intact, and the herb will be very quick in regrowing them.
Rosemary
This beautiful herb with a unique tart taste is more typical of French cuisine but as popular as the other herbs we’ve already mentioned.
Rosemary grows well in hydroponics and doesn’t require too much care.
As with most of the herbs we talked about, hydroponic rosemary needs a lot of light. You can provide it easily with LED lights set for 11 hours of lighting per day. As for the other conditions, rosemary will appreciate if the temperature doesn’t get out of the 75-85 °F range, and the pH level is about 6.0.
It will take a couple of months after the rosemary transplant to get the first harvest. But after that, your herb supply will be sustainable.
Tip: prune rosemary at least once a week by cutting a couple of inches from the stalks. It will encourage rosemary to grow.
And more…
We told you about the herbs we grow hydroponically. Growing hydroponic herbs is a delight, but it’s not possible to grow them all. The growing plants we mentioned are our selection. But others are great for hydroponic gardens too. Maybe you’ll find your favorites among them: sage, cilantro, chives, and fennel. Give them a chance, too.
Hydroponic system recommendations
There are several hydroponic systems you can choose from. We’ll give our recommendations depending on the experience of the gardener who is going to grow hydroponic herbs.
For inexperienced gardeners
If you got excited about the idea and decided to grow herbs hydroponically, we’d recommend 2 hydroponic systems to select from.
- Deep Water Culture. The system is perfect forgrowing herbshydroponically and is easy to install and maintain. The plants are growing in pots filled with pebbles and oxygenated water enriched with hydroponic nutrients. A pump constantly provides the oxygen supply.
- Wick system. This smart but uncomplicated system uses a wick made of fabric to deliver nutrients from the growing medium to the herbs. The growing medium is placed in a tank and diffused with water. A great solution for amateurs growing herbs hydroponically.
For hydroponic experts
When you know your way around hydroponic herbs or other plants, you may use a more sophisticated hydroponic system like one of the following.
- Nutrient Film Technique. In this system, the nutrition solution dissolved in water is delivered to the herbs in the form of a very fine film that covers the roots of the herbs at all times, being constantly poured over them.
- Ebb and Flow system. A very efficient system when growing herbs hydroponically. It’s based on alternating covering the herbal roots with nutrients dissolved in water by removing the liquid and letting the herbs oxygenate. A timer usually regulates the process.
- Aeroponic System. If you use this system, you provide comprehensive oxygenation for your herbs while at the same time nourishing them with the growing media. The herb roots are positioned up in the air and sprinkled with nutritional solutions dissolved in water.One of the system’s significant advantages is its space efficiency. You can grow a good amount of herbs on a tiny plot.
Sharing the experience
Let us supply you with a few tips that we’ve gained throughout the years, so you don’t have to invent the wheel again.
- Growing media: our primary choices are Rockwool and oasis cubes, but we tried coco peats and coco coir, and they work fine too.
- Make sure you use clean water. You need to keep your hydroponic system free of any contaminants.
- Maintain your system regularly, keeping it in pristine condition.
- Maintain appropriate temperature and artificial lighting regimes when growing herbs hydroponically.
To recap
If you are considering growing herbs hydroponically, you have our full and unequivocal support. It’s an exciting and rewarding experience.
Harvesting the plants that you’ve grown yourself is gratifying, and not only that.
As a result of the challenge (which is not the hardest one, to tell the truth), you’ll be rewarded with an abundance of delicious and aromatic goodness becoming a part of your daily menu.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best herbs to grow in a hydroponic garden?
What is the best herb hydroponics?
Is hydroponic herb garden worth it?
It makes a lot of sense, especially if you live in a mild climate and can’t use your outdoor garden all year round.
What herbs are easy hydroponic?
Read More: 8 Easy Herbs to Grow in Hydroponics
