It’s Actually Surprisingly Easy Being Green! 55+ Plants You Can Grow in a Hydroponic Garden

Just add water for an immediate green thumb.

Whether you're new to the #PlantParent life or you've been growing an indoor houseplant jungle for a while now, it's time to graduate to the world of hydroponic gardening. Hydroponics refer to gardens in which the plants have grown in water instead of soil. No more killing succulents due to overwatering; no more trying to understand which plants need indirect versus direct light. Hydroponics not only manage their own water irrigation, but many of them include growing lights as well. Here are 55+ plants you can grow in a hydroponic garden—no trowel required.

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What is a hydroponic garden?

A hydroponic garden is when you grow "plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil."

According to the USDA, "Growing plants in water culture or sand culture without soil are procedures that have been used by physiologists studying plant nutrition and by other plant scientists for more than a century."

Can you grow any plant in a hydroponic garden?

While it's true that most plants do well growing hydroponically, some are easier to grow than others—just like with both indoor and outdoor plants. The UMass Extension Greenhouse Crops and Floriculture Program echoes that, adding that some of the most common ones include lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, celery, strawberry and watercress. A handful of herbs can also grow in a hydroponic garden.

Plenty of plants can also be propagated in water. Propagation simply means popping a plant into a jar of water where it can re-grow roots. After a few weeks, new roots will grow and you can either transfer the plant to soil or keep it in the water.

Related: How To Grow Your Own Herb Garden

Many plant parents choose to share or multiply their plants by propagating them to make infinite plants out of the original's stems.

Plants that easily propagate in water include Pothos, Philodendrons, Monsteras, and ZZ plants. While propagation technically uses hydroponics, propagated plants usually aren't meant to stay in water long-term and typically do better once moved to soil.

What plants cannot be grown hydroponically?

Despite the success of many hydroponic plants, not all plants or crops are meant to grow in water. Any crop that has an extensive root system underneath the soil is usually not a good fit for a hydroponic garden—corn, potatoes, garlic, and rutabaga. According to Brio Hydroponics, other crops to steer clear of include fruit trees and root vegetables like turnips, parsnips, onions, shallots, radishes, carrots and beets.

While cabbage is also usually not recommended for hydroponic growth due to the large amount of room it needs for its head to grow, it's still possible if you have the space.

What are three plants that are not recommended for hydroponics?

It's not a hard and fast rule, but the three main plants typically not recommended for hydroponic systems include corn, squash and melons. (However, some hydroponic farmers will tell you that melons like muskmelons, watermelons and cantaloupes are, in fact, possible to grow hydroponically—albeit more difficult.)

Between its large root system and how much sunlight it needs to grow, corn is too high-maintenance to work well for a hydroponic garden.

Related: Master the Art of the Vegetable Garden With These Helpful Tips

Similarly, melons and squash (pumpkins too!), don't work well for hydroponics because they grow too big for their water-based system to hold. Not only are these crops oversized, but they're also super viny and while tomatoes are a vine plant too, melons and squash tend to have a longer, vinier system. Ultimately, it just gets too complicated to support.

What is the easiest vegetable to grow hydroponically?

Perhaps one of the easiest vegetables to grow hydroponically is lettuce. And not just one type of lettuce, but all kinds of varieties! Think: spinach, kale and other leafy greens.

Despite their viny nature, plenty of tomato types do well growing on the vine while still growing hydroponically. A few of these varieties include dwarf cherry, grape, atomic grape, Oregon spring and plum regal. So long as your hydroponic tomatoes soak up enough sunlight, they should grow like a weed!

Related: What Is a Victory Garden? Plus, How to Plant One Yourself

Peppers, cucumbers and green beans are also great starter plants for hydroponic beginners.

Hydroponic garden systems available to buy

If you're ready to start your own hydroponic garden, there are plenty of options to choose from and thanks to advanced technology, there's very little effort required.

Making a hydroponic garden DIY-style would mean sourcing a container, connecting an air pump, adding a reservoir and growing your crops or plants from seeds. But nowadays, you can just buy a hydroponic garden system that's either ready to grow ASAP or one that requires very little setup.

Want to start small? Check out Back to the Roots Hydroponic Garden Kit, $60 on Amazon. When you've harvested all your plants, you can purchase a refill kit for less to start over again.

Back to the Roots Hydroponic Grow Kit, Indoor Garden (Matte White), Organic Seeds Included, Gardening Gift, Everything Included

If you want to think a little bit bigger for your hydroponic garden but don't want to start from scratch, check out The Farmstand, starting at $399 at Lettuce Grow or on Amazon. Lettuce Grow sends you advanced seedlings that have already been growing for three to four weeks. This cuts back on your grow time and allows you to get harvesting in no time!

Lettuce Grow Farmstand (No Seedlings Included) | 24-Plant Hydroponic Growing System | Outdoor Indoor Vertical Garden | Home Gardening w/ Self Watering Pump, BPA-Free Food Grade | 4’10” | Made in USA

If you really want to go big (or go home?) then the Gardyn Home Kit 3.0, $899 at MyGardyn.com or on Amazon is for you. It self-waters and suns the plants, but it's up to you to grow each plant from seedlings. The Gardyn takes hydroponic gardening to another level, using AI algorithms to optimize each plant's germination. It even has a "vacation mode" that makes taking care of your plants easy as pie while you're away!

Gardyn 3.0 Next Generation of Hydroponics Growing System, Indoor Garden & Vertical Garden Planter | Includes 30 Non-GMO Indoor Plants, Herbs & Vegetables for Your Home Indoor Gardening System

55+ Plants you can grow in a hydroponic garden

From veggies to fruit to flowers and more, these are 50+ of the best options available to you as you begin (or add to) your hydroponic garden.

Veggies that can grow in a hydroponic garden

1. Broccoli

2. Cauliflower

3. Celery

4. Cucumber

5. Eggplant: Including varieties like fairytale, mini and Thai.

6. Jalapenos

7. Microgreens

8. Patty Pan Squash

9. Peppers: Including varieties like Thai, lemon hot, banana, spicy serrano, Jalapeno, carmen sweet, lunchbox, yellow bell, red bell, green bell, shishito and Hungarian hot

10. Peas: Including varieties like snow peas, purple snow peas and sugar sprint peas.

11. Tomatoes: Including varieties like dwarf cherry, trape, atomic, Grape tomatoes, Oregon spring Tomatoes, plum regal Tomato and cherry tomatoes.

12. Zucchini

Fruits that can grow in a hydroponic garden

13. Alpine berries

14. Strawberries

15. Blueberries

16. Pineapples

17. Raspberries

18. Cranberries

19. Grapes

20. Citrus trees (not all but some of the smaller ones could potentially work).

Lettuce that can grow in a hydroponic garden

21. Amara Mustard Greens

22. Arugula

23. Bok choy

24. Butter lettuce

25. Collard greens

26. Crunchy leaf lettuce

27. Dazzling blue kale

28. Green oakleaf

29. Rainbow swiss chard

30. Romaine

31. Spinach

Herbs that can grow in a hydroponic garden

32. Basil: Including varieties like holy, lemon, purple and sweet Thai.

33. Catnip

34. Chamomile

35. Chives

36. Cilantro

37. Cutting celery

38. Dill

39. Fennel

40. Green bunching onion

41. Lemon balm

42. Oregano

43. Parsley

44. Rosemary

45. Sage

46. Stevia

47. Thyme

Flowers that can grow in a hydroponic garden

48. Calendula

49. Daffodil

50. Dianthus

51. Lavender

52. Marigold

53. Petunia

54. Snapdragon

55. Sunflower

56. Viola

Next up, tips for starting your container garden.