Tomato Growing Methods: Hydroponics vs. Soil

Growing tomatoes in hot, humid climates opens a whole bag of interesting questions. After writing about the importance of soil drainage, choosing an appropriate tomato variety, and growing it indoorsor outdoors, the time has come for a few words about tomato growing methods. Basically, there are two tomato growing methods - hydroponics and soil-based.

Hydroponic Tomatoes Can be Grown in a Nutrient Solution

Hydroponics or Soilless Tomato Growing Method

The comparison between hydroponics and soil-based growing philosophy introduces the cocktail of facts and personal opinions. I’ll try to mix these two by writing the following – according to my personal opinion, growing hydroponic tomatoes has quite a few advantages over growing in soil, including space saving, water saving, no weeding, less pests and diseases, faster growing time, easier supervision, more knowledge about your plants.

As I explained in the post vertical farming - sky's the limit, solution and medium culture are two hydroponic growing options. Solution culture means that you grow a tomato in a nutrient solution, while medium culture requires growing media for that purpose. Hydroponic growing systems can be a bit confusing for newbie gardeners, which is why I propose a parallel use of soil-based system.

Soil-Based Tomato Growing Method

Ok, it’s obvious that I prefer hydroponics, but soil-based growing method also has its advantages. When I was a newbie grower I started with soil, of course. You probably wonder why? Mostly for the reason that quality soil has a good balance of essential nutrients.

This is a great thing for a newbie gardener, because it lowers the number of worries to a minimum. But what if the soil is poor? Then you need to add an organic fertilizer like compost in order to get the best soil.

Another good thing about soil-based growing method is this - soil is nature’s first pick. Plus, some gardeners and growers say that buds have a better taste when grown in soil, which is a matter of taste and as such is always open for discussion. My advice is - garden, grow and have fun!