Hydroponic Strawberries

[Mike]

Mine and my son's favorite fruit is strawberries. Last year we used half of an old round-up tote (counter-intuitive I know) to make a strawberry patch in the back yard. This year we moved all those plants into a much larger spot in the ground on the east side of a shed. There they'll get full morning sun and be shaded in the afternoons.

Also this year, though, we're going to build a small "test" hydroponic stand for the strawberries. The plan is to build one that will hold around 10 plants. We're going to do half Jewel strawberries, which are what we have in the ground, and half Albion (assuming we can find them) strawberries. The plan is to see which ones work best, if there is a noticeable difference. If it works, and if there is a noticeable difference, the next year we'll make a MUCH larger hydroponic stand (30+ plants) and only use whichever variety does the best.

If there isn't much of a noticeable difference, or if the Jewels perform best, the plan will be to source our strawberry plants each year from our little ground garden patch. If that happens to be the case, we'll pinch off all blooms from that patch, never letting it make fruit, and forcing all the energy from those plants into making runners and new plants to use the following year.

Either way, I'm really looking forward to this project, and mainly because my youngest son is so excited about it too! Of course I'll keep y'all posted on how it goes as we build the stand, and as the strawberries are growing, blooming and, hopefully, fruiting.

 

[Jukebox Actual]

I really want to get into hydroponics in some form, it's just... ehhh money.

 

[Mike]

I really want to get into hydroponics in some form, it's just... ehhh money.

I'm hoping our little stand is cheap to build but I'll let you know for sure when we get around to getting it built. I'm thinking under $75, not counting the fertilizer that'll be required to add to the reservoir.

 

[Mike]

So we bought all the material for this hydroponic strawberry stand yesterday. Again, it'll be a small stand, but it definitely will end up costing a LOT (up to 4x) more than what I originally thought. Primarily because I opted to buy new PVC rather than using some old, used, PVC.

The plan is to put it together tomorrow evening, so I'll post some pictures of the progress. I'm hoping to get the stand/table built and all the PVC connected together and test for leaks. I'll have to order the mesh pots and the pump online because we couldn't find what we needed yesterday (checked Home Depot, Lowes, and Sutherlands). As soon as I get the mesh pots in we'll measure the pots, then cut the holes in the pipe for the pots to go in. Also need to get some clay growing medium to use in the pots but they have that here in town. Then all that'll be left is finding the right kind of fertilizer mix to mix the water, get the strawberries in there, and let it roll.

Here's a list of what I purchased for the stand.

• 2x 4" x 10' SCH 40 PVC
• 4x 4" to 2" PVC adapters
• 4x 2" to 3/4" PVC adapters (2 of these are threaded)
• 1x 3/4" x 10' PVC
• 2x 3/4" PVC elbows (may need to get another one of these for the outlet, depending on whether we use hose or PVC to drop the water back into the container)
• 10' clear vinyl hose (for going from the pump to the inlet)
• 6x 2x4x10 boards (treated)

The plan is to build the stand, and piece together all the PVC, tomorrow. Of course I'll provide some photos once we get it done, and maybe a few during the build process.

 

[Meadowlark]

I really want to get into hydroponics in some form, it's just... ehhh money.

The main reason I garden is "taste"...and "taste" = "nutrition"

I've always heard it said that hydroponics results in less tasting food, hence less nutritious food, than nutrient dense soil raised produce. For that reason, I've never tried hydroponics.

It will be interesting to follow this thread and especially as it relates to the taste of the strawberries produced.

 

[Mike]

The main reason I garden is "taste"...and "taste" = "nutrition"

I've always heard it said that hydroponics results in less tasting food, hence less nutritious food, than nutrient dense soil raised produce. For that reason, I've never tried hydroponics.

It will be interesting to follow this thread and especially as it relates to the taste of the strawberries produced.

Interesting. That's not something I'd heard. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered. This is a project my son wanted to try so I probably would still do it even knowing that. We still also have our large ground strawberry patch too so we'll also be getting strawberries from that.

I'll definitely keep everyone posted on the progress and let y'all know about the taste. This will be a real bummer if they're not still juicy and sweet like the ones from the ground.

 

[Mike]

According to Google's AI, the nutritional value, and the taste, of hydroponic strawberries should be equal to, or better than, those of ground-grown strawberries. One of the sources is listed as the University of Nevada in Reno. Again, we'll definitely be able to make the taste determination ourselves because we'll have both, and I'm definitely curious now to find out.

 

[Mike]

We're expecting the mesh pots and the pump to come in today so, if we have enough time this evening, we'll be back at the shop working on the stand again today. We did decide to add another row to it so we won't be able to finish it until I'm able to find another 4" x 10' PVC pipe. I'm hoping to find one locally but I'm guessing I'll have to drive 45 miles for one. Either way, we will be doing something to it today and I'll be sure to get some photos of the stand while I'm in the shop today.

 

[Jukebox Actual]

Interesting. That's not something I'd heard. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered. This is a project my son wanted to try so I probably would still do it even knowing that. We still also have our large ground strawberry patch too so we'll also be getting strawberries from that.

I'll definitely keep everyone posted on the progress and let y'all know about the taste. This will be a real bummer if they're not still juicy and sweet like the ones from the ground.

I've not heard that either. Interesting. Though, I know nothing about hydroponics, nor have I researched it.

 

[Meadowlark]

Strawberries should be a good one to check the "taste" out.

 

[Mike]

Strawberries should be a good one to check the "taste" out.

I think so too. The ones we got last year were very sweet, especially compared to store-bought. I suspect the ground-grown ones, this year, will be just as good but now you've got me questioning this hydroponic stand.

I hope they're good cause, if not, this was a lot of wasted time, effort, and money. If it works, we're planning on adding some different veggies into it this fall when the strawberries are done.