Hydroponic growing as an income source
With a bit of free space, time, and know-how you can easily add from a few hundred dollars to a couple grand to your bank account every month by providing your community with hydroponicly grown vegetables. You aren’t going to make millions from your backyard hydroponic garden, but hydroponic growing can be both fun and profitable.
The first step is market research, find out all the ways people obtain their produce in your area, and how much they pay. Drive to the local grocery stores with a notepad and write down produce prices, find out where the closest farmers market is and take a look at the competition and their prices as well.
Figure out which crops you are going to grow. Every crop requires different hydroponics setups, strawberries are grown most efficiently in nutrient feed technique systems, tomatoes grow best in deep water culture systems with low amounts of nitrogen in the nutrient solution, cucumbers grow well in DWC setups with high nitrogen.
Experiment. Start small and tweak your methods as you learn more. Which crops seem to sell best? How much do prices rise in the off season? Which crops can you produce most efficiently?
When you are comfortable with your level of hydroponic knowledge, start selling. The most common sales techniques are farmers markets and roadside selling. Get creative and find the best ways to convert the veggies into benjamins.
Most of all, have fun. Both hydroponic growing and providing healthy produce to your community are extremely rewarding experiences, hold your head high are know you are making a massively positive impact in your region.