If you live in an RV you may have thought about RV hydroponic gardening and wondered if it is possible. Good news! Yes, growing food while RV living is possible.
Hydroponic gardening eliminates the use of soil so there won’t be any dirt inside your RV.
Not only is hydroponic gardening cleaner but plants grow faster and usually yield more in hydroponics.
RV Hydroponic Gardening Ideas
I will show you two different ways to do this. One method is called mason jar hydroponics which is pretty easy and cheap to set up.
Here is an article I wrote about setting up mason jar hydroponics.
Mason Jar Hydroponics For Your RV Garden
This uses the Kratky Method which is a passive form of hydroponics. Because it is passive it uses no electricity.
You can use larger containers than quart mason jars if you wish. But a 3-inch net pot fits a quart jar perfectly.
This works well for lettuce, greens, and herbs but not for larger plants.
If you have a bit more space you can make this system in a storage tote and grow multiple plants. This system is a lot better than using mason jars and a lot more stable. If you want to turbocharge your Kratky lettuce then adding an airstone will do that.
Here is what it looks like with a mix of leaf and Buttercrunch lettuce in it. You can harvest leaf lettuce in 45 days and Buttercrunch in 60 days.
If you want, you can just keep removing leaves instead of cutting the whole plant.
Using The Aerogarden In An RV
The other method involves using an AeroGarden. It is more costly but if your RV doesn’t have a lot of light or space it will be a better choice.
This is a very compact unit that will fit just about anywhere in your RV as long as you can plug it in.
Inside light levels are too low to grow most vegetables or herbs. unless you have a South facing window you will need supplemental lighting.
With an AeroGarden you can grow peppers or tomatoes which is something you can’t do with mason jar hydroponics.
Also, if you need to take your RV on the road it is much more stable than a mason jar filled with water.
The AeroGarden Harvest measures 10.5″ long by 6″ wide and is 16″ tall with the light fully extended.
So it is very compact and perfect for an RV where space is at a premium. It can easily fit on a kitchen counter or even on a shelf.
There are different sizes of the AeroGarden. The AeroGarden harvest can grow 6 plants.
The next size up is the AeroGarden Bounty with 9 plant sites. It is slightly larger but a better choice for tomatoes or peppers.
There are also a lot of cheaper knock offs but I don’t know if they will work as well or be as reliable. I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for.
RV Hydroponic Gardening Final Thoughts
To sum up, RV hydroponic gardening is not only possible but it is fun and rewarding.
Whether you decide to try the Kratky mason jar method or buy an AeroGarden I recommend starting your own RV garden.
Is hydroponic gardening worth it? I certainly think it is and once you try it you will too.
Good luck and happy gardening!
