The Hydroponic Garden

Every child knows successful gardening requires soil, water, plants and sunlight, and that if you are missing any of those ingredients, your efforts are doomed to failure. Every child is wrong. It may not be possible to replace all of those four options as yet, but along with artificial lighting as a replacement for the sun, soil is one more element of gardening we are learning can be successfully omitted under the right circumstances.
Today, hydroponics is used in a variety of settings. Wherever soil is unavailable, hydroponic gardening seems to appear. Wildcatters on offshore oilrigs grow their own tomatoes. Cooks on nuclear submarines hydroponically grow vegetables to use in there crew's meals. Right now, plants are growing on orbiting space stations without a single grain of soil. ContentsIntroductionChapter 1 - A Different Kind of Garden including Why Do We Use Dirt In The First Place? - The Organic QuestionChapter 2 - Crystal Clear Advantages to Hydroponic Gardening including Size - Climate - Control - Growth - Conservation - NutritionChapter 3 - Essential Hydroponic System Components including Plants - Advice and Information on Acquiring Plants for Hydroponic Gardens - Water Quality "Hardness" - Oxygen in the Mix for Healthy RootsChapter 4 - 6 Basic Hydroponic Systems including Water Culture - Ebb and Flow - NFT - Drip System - Wick System - AeroponicsChapter 5 - More on Nutrients Solutions including Basics - Diagnosing Problems with Solutions - Other Considerations When Adding MicronutrientsChapter 6 - Light Overview including Types of Lights - Understanding How Different Lights are Rated - Elements of Effective LightingChapter 7 - Building Your Own Hydroponic Garden including Water Culture Directions - Building a NFT SystemChapter 8 - Troubleshooting Your Garden including Blossom Drop - Blossom Set - Blossom End Rot on Tomatoes - Bolting of Lettuce - Bolting of Radishes - Damping Off - Droopy Leaves - Misshapen/Deformed Tomatoes - Insects - Patchy Growth - Salt and Mineral Build-up - Spindly Growth - Tip BurnChapter 9 - ConclusionChapter 10 - Going a step fartherAppendix - The Bigger Picture including Hydroponics Could Increase the World's Fresh Water Supply - Hydroponics Could Lessen Pesticide Use - Hydroponics Could Fight Global Hunger