Kratky Hydroponic Basil

Here's some pictures of my hydroponic basil, using the Kratky method. It's very simple, no pump or anything. There is a constant air gap between the top of the water and the lid of the container, so the plants put out lateral 'oxygen roots' which can absorb oxygen from the air.  

The containers are jam buckets from the same cafe we get all of the coffee grounds from. I cut two holes in the lid just wide enough to hold the yellow net cups. The net cups are filled with clay pebbles which help to support the plant. The buckets are wrapped with aluminium foil and the lids with cardboard to prevent algae building up in the water and using up all the nutrients.

The nutrient solution is just a basic hydroponic nutrient made from two powders (A & B) I got off eBay quite cheaply (£15 for 1kg of each). You make a separate stock solution of both A & B because if you try to mix the powders together in water the calcium will precipitate out. I then add 7.5 ml of each stock solution to 1 L of water. Each bucket takes 5 L of nutrient solution. The water level drops as the plant grows, so I top them up once or twice a week, depending on the weather. You have to make sure not to fill the buckets right to the top because you don't want to drown the 'oxygen roots'. 

We've had almost 300g of basil (leaf, no stem) since the start of June from 6 buckets (12 plants). The buckets are on the window sill I used to use for growing chillies, but indoor peppers don't pollinate very well and the flowers drop off. Basil in the greenhouse often gets mould or just doesn't do very well for me. The chillies are now in the greenhouse instead. It's worked out very well! This winter I'll be trying lettuce in the grow tent.