Across the country, homeowners love working on landscaping projects. Not only do these outdoor tasks improve the look and feel of a property, landscaping can actually increase a home’s resale value by as much as 14%. One of the most popular forms of landscaping, for both small and major projects, has been gardening.


Though conventional soil farming can still yield great crops and home gardens, hydroponic gardening systems have shown to produce just as much, if not more, results for property owners. In fact, an individual can actually plant four times the amount of crops in the same space using hydroponic systems compared to traditional soil farming. Because of the convenience of this innovative form of gardening, as well as its trendy new feeling, property owners across the U.S. have started straying from soil gardening and focusing more on hydroponic gardening instead.


According to a Research and Markets, the global hydroponics technologies market; consisting of climate control systems, grow lights, farm management systems, material handling units, and other items, has been forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.89% from 2018 to 2022.


The report states that one major factor for the hydroponics market boost is the overall need for reduction in soil and water pollution. Because soil gardening involves fertilizers, pesticides, and insecticides, soil and water can be easily infected, which subsequently alters the microbial process.


Hydroponics makes it easier for homeowners to tend to vertical farms, maximizing crop efficiency.


According to Fast Company, it’s not just homeowners who are looking to hydroponic vertical farming. A former Baltimore steel mill has been converted into a large hydroponic greenhouse farm.


“This, at one point, was the largest steel-producing facility in the world,” said Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, the Brooklyn-based agriculture company constructing the new hydroponic vertical farmhouse. “It employed tens of thousands of people. Those jobs disappeared when the global steel industry changed… we’re coming in and helping to revitalize (the economy) and produce jobs that represent this innovative, technologically advanced way to produce food.”


In urban areas like Baltimore and similar communities across the country, vertical farming projects will become even more essential as their populations grow. Approximately 54% of the world’s population currently resides in urban areas, and that number is expected to increase to roughly 66% of the world’s population by 2050. Vertical hydroponic farming can produce a significant amount more crops in the same area as soil gardens, without all the negatives, as well as provide appearance boosts to a property’s landscape.

“It is safe to say that hydroponics is a very small part of the overall industry of agriculture, but it is growing, and I believe it will continue to grow,” said Elaine Lidholm, director of communications for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “This is just my opinion, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a real burst of new companies in the very near future. I think it has advantages for new farmers or urban farmers, although it can occur on farms, too. It is a good fit for urban agriculture, and the world is becoming more urbanized every year. I don’t think it’s going to feed the world by itself, but it can help, and we are going to have to explore every avenue for food production in order to feed the burgeoning world population.”


For homeowners hoping to grow small gardens to farm owners producing crops for entire communities, hydroponic vertical farming is a great way to grow more, using less, and for less money.


Still not convinced about the growing popularity of hydroponic vertical farming? Consider this, this high-tech crop producing farm method can actually grow healthy and strong crops all year-round. It’s time to hop on board with hydroponic gardening.