Folks often think that hydroponics is expensive to start.
Every AI generated How-To article out there also says the same thing.
Yay corporate propaganda. It's all bullshit.
Meanwhile, I'm out here growing hydroponics out of a $10 dollar 5-gallon storage bin, a $3 firehouse sub 5-gallon bucket, and free 1-gallon protein powder bins.
I've bought nutrients in bulk with a bunch of friends. It's a couple cents per gallon of water. A gallon of water will grow a head of lettuce (for example).
Seeds are cheap or free.
I'm using $10 grow lights, or shelves with multiple LED grow lights that come out to a couple of dollars per plant (reused again and again and again on multiple plants).
I use the Kratky Method. Fill a plastic bucket with water & a couple cents of nutrients. And then leave it until its grown.
No pumps. No air... raters? raiders... no bubbling air into the water.
Don't get me wrong... capitalism will SELL you a cheap setup for hundreds of dollars. But this isn't a hobby... this is growing food cheaper than the grocery store.
Heck, watch this video for an idea of how cheap you can get.
