No sun? No dirt? No problem.

Yep. This is how I picture the future.
Gardening in a haz-mat suit.

I don't know about you, but it seems everywhere I look nowadays people are growing their own food. Suddenly, we have become a culture obsessed with home farming. I have to admit that I, too, have fallen victim to this home economics epidemic. There is something about spending an afternoon up to your elbows in soil, planting tiny seeds and starters and then anxiously awaiting the harvest. I love the feeling of snipping fresh veggies from my very own garden. So, when I heard about the various chefs and entrepreneurs in staunchly urban environments cultivating their own gardens in basement apartments and city rooftops without the use of actual soil or sunlight, I was intrigued. Hydroponic gardening uses nutrient and mineral rich water to grow plants of all kinds without a single smudge of dirt. And with artificial growth lamps, who needs the sun? Hydroponic gardens allow for less space needed and the elimination of common garden pests which mostly come from the soil used in traditional gardening. Sounds fabulous, right? Still, there is something about the idea of hydroponics that conjures images of Kevin Kostner in Waterworld or Cormac McCarthy's, The Road - which, if you haven't read it, is basically a book about living through an apocalypse. I don't know that I can give up my hours of weeding, composting, soil spreading, cursing at the aphids and slugs and dodging of bees. The back to basics feel of home gardening makes me feel triumphant when I can make an entire salad straight from my backyard. What do you think? Has anyone tried hydroponic gardening?