Urban Gardening

Hydroponics is a unique method of growing plants without soil. All of the nutrients that a plant needs are usually supplied through specially mixed aqueous solutions, with or without the use of neutral mediums like clay pellets, rice hulls, pumice, wool, and wood fiber. The etymology of hydroponics comes from the Greek words hydro (water) and ponos (labor). The term was coined in 1937 by William Frederick Gericke, a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley who pioneered the use of hydroponics for crop production. Gericke became known for growing tomato vines that were over twenty-five feet tall using water-based solutions mixed with organic nutrients instead of soil. His works were monumental in introducing hydroponics to the public view.