Q: Can perennial vegetables grow hydroponically?
A: Perennial plants – which include tasty veggies such as asparagus, rhubarb, kale, garlic, watercress, horseradish and artichokes – can certainly be grown in a hydroponic setting. After all, many hydro growers grow kale, garlic and watercress. Those plants, however, are usually grown as annuals in an indoor garden.
The real question is this: Is there a benefit to growing vegetables as perennials in a hydroponic garden?
To that we say, probably not. To do so, you would have to maintain these plants month after month, including through times when they very likely won’t create quality harvests. That’s a lot of work and money spent for scant results. Instead, for plants that provide a harvest at the end of their first growing season, just plant them as annuals and start over with a new grow.
Of course, at a commercial level, perennial plants may very well be worth it. But for a hobby hydro grower? We say no.
