When first getting into hydroponics and urban gardening, I had no clue where to start. There wasn’t a really great source of information online…at least not one I could find. That’s part of the reason I created Epic Gardening in the first place.
Table of Contents
I turned to books to learn the bulk of my knowledge – and quickly found out that there are a ton of really great beginner resources for hydroponics…if you’re willing to go old school and flip through some pages.
After books, I hit YouTube channels, blogs, and even forums – anything I could find to answer the millions of questions I had about hydroponics.
The following is a list of all of the different resources that helped me out a ton when I was first starting. Enjoy!
Books
Hydroponic Food Production: A Definitive Guidebook for the Advanced Home Gardener and the Commercial Hydroponic Grower
- Used Book in Good ConditionHardcover BookResh, Howard M. (Author)
By: Howard Resh
Howard Resh is one of the original masters of hydroponics. He’s got such a great command of the discipline, and an even better ability to convey it to an absolute beginner. This book is a wonderful one if you’ve already got the basics down as it gets into more of the nitty gritty details on how to really scale up an operation or optimize production. If you’re a beginner, I’d recommend checking out the next book in the list. If you’re a little more advanced, this may just take you to the next level.
Hobby Hydroponics
- Resh, Howard M. (Author)English (Publication Language)184 Pages - 07/01/2003 (Publication Date) - CRC…
I picked this book up when I first started and boy did it help. Resh breaks down all of the typical systems you can start out with in hydroponics, addressing their pro’s and con’s. Check it out if you’re just starting out!
Aquaponic Gardening: A Step-By-Step Guide to Raising Vegetables and Fish Together
- Sylvia Bernstein (Author)English (Publication Language)257 Pages - 10/01/2011 (Publication Date) - New…
I know this is supposed to be a hydroponics resource page, but I couldn’t resist adding this book into the mix. Understanding how aquaponics works actually helps your hydroponic knowledge quite a bit, as aquaponics is more complex than the average hydroponic setup. You learn a lot more about creating a miniature ecosystem that self-sustains much more than a hydroponic system, and the book is beautifully laid out.
How-To Hydroponics, Fourth Edition
- Great gardening literature from Hydrofarm.Have Questions about growing?Call Flora Hydroponics today!
If you want a step-by-step introductory guide to not only hydroponics itself, but how to build your own systems, this book is really solid. It shows you exactly how to set up a few of the most popular systems and teaches you the nuts and bolts of setting up your first successful grow.
YouTube Channels
Epic Gardening
What’s a list on hydroponic blogs without our very own Epic Gardening ;) – not much to say here. I try to put out the best information I can for everyone looking to get started in urban gardening – hydro, aqua, and regular ol’ soil gardening in urban environments. A lot of readers don’t know about the YouTube though, which is why I’m plugging it here. Give it a look!
Check out Epic Gardening here: http://www.youtube.com/epicgardening
MHP Gardener
MHP Gardener is a no-nonsense guy who just DROPS KNOWLEDGE on all things farming and hydroponics. He’s got a huge vault of videos covering all aspects of hydroponics – from the most basic information to some really specific scenarios that you might run into as you progress in hydro.
Check out MHP Gardener here: http://www.youtube.com/mhpgardener
OutdoorHydro
Stuart from Outdoor Hydro is – as the name suggests – a guy focused completely on growing hydroponically out in the sunlight. If you’re looking to grow outdoors, he’s got some really great tactics for you, along with some super duper product reviews.
Check out Outdoor Hydro here: http://www.youtube.com/outdoorhydro
Blogs / Forums
Sometimes you just need some person-to-person action, learning from others and collaborating to solve your growing problems or come up with new techniques. Here’s a quick list of some of the blogs and resources I turn to when I need gardening help:
- EpicGardening Discord ServerEpicGardening Facebook GroupOutdoor HydroBG Hydro ForumsReddit’s r/hydroReddit’s r/urbangardeningGardenWeb Hydro Forum
