Refining Fire Chiles' chiles plants
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Me (on the right) and my son with the local scout troop and leaders An assortment of different chiles that I grow hydroponically in "The Garden" And of course, a photo of "The Garden"


Hydroponics And Our Chile Garden!

It's a jungle out there!


The following pictures are of my first drip irrigation chile garden and my NFT system hydroponics gardens. In my chile story, I briefly describe my NFT system. NFT stands for "Nutrient Film Technique." The plants are sitting in tubes or trays. The roots of the plants touch the bottom of these tubes. A thin stream of film composed of water and nutrients passes by the roots giving them continuous feeding. Also, this stream of water carries with it an oxygen flow because any continuous movement in a direction moves the air and with it, oxygen. The oxygen invigorates the root system in the tube causing more growth. This is why when gardening in soil it is good to have a mulched soil mix to allow the roots to breathe and be more prolific. That is also why people put tiny holes in their lawns to aerate them.

The Drip Garden 2005

Refinig Fire Chiles, home to the Bhut Jolokia and other rare and hot chiles

The Drip Garden 2005

Refinig Fire Chiles, home to the Bhut Jolokia and other rare and hot chiles

The Hydroponics Garden

Refinig Fire Chiles, home to the Bhut Jolokia and other rare and hot chiles

The Hydroponics Garden

Refinig Fire Chiles, home to the Bhut Jolokia and other rare and hot chiles

More Photos in the Photo Gallery
To better understand this setup, I will explain further. I have a 40-gallon tank filled with water and nutrients. In this tank is a very inexpensive pump that runs all day and night. The pump pushes water through PVC pipes to the back end of my garden. Then the pipe is reduced eventually down to one quarter-inch tube size. My tank of water and the PVC pipe are buried to keep the water temperature down on hot days. Otherwise, the water could literally cook the roots. Once the water enters through the small quarter-inch tubing, it then flows down my 20-foot long NFT tubes and eventually drains at the end back into my 40-gallon reservoir tank. Therefore, my 20-foot long tubes that the plants grow in have a slight slope of a few degrees so the water will flow down past all the roots and back to the tank.

Refinig Fire Chiles, home to the Bhut Jolokia and other rare and hot chiles
In the beginning
Unlike "flood and drain" or "ebb and flow" hydroponics systems, an NFT system has water flowing continuously. These other systems are flooded and then slowly drain at intervals throughout the day. The pump on these other systems is on a timer and goes on approximately four times a day and shuts off when the tray or tube gets filled. After that, the water-filled tray slowly drains back to the water tank or reservoir. You will save a little on water and electricity by not using an NFT. My pump is only 45 watts so electric costs are minimal and water costs will be minimal (it will be a minimal difference). Other details I wish to share are water consumption. When my plants are full size, they will drink between 10 to 20 gallons per day. Keep in mind, I am growing 120 chile plants which will become small bushes. If temperatures exceed over 85 degrees on a sunny day, it will be close to 20 gallons. If it is below 80 degrees and cloudy, it will be closer to 10 gallons per day. I add nutrient solution once per week. I use a crystal powder at one teaspoon per gallon. At the beginning of the season I use a growth formula. In the middle of August, I switch to a bloom formula to increase flowering and chilies.

So why hydroponics? My close friend, Larry Bridgeforth, used to have a small patio backyard in his old home. He used hydroponics gardens because they outproduce soil and can grow more with limited space. It was his photo albums that won me over. His inspiration was articles in a hydroponics magazine called Growing Edge.

Refinig Fire Chiles, home to the Bhut Jolokia and other rare and hot chiles
The plants begin to really gorw!
In Growing Edge, he showed me articles about a college professor who made his own hydroponics gardens in his yard. This man is Ray Schneider. He lives in Virginia and has grown some fantastic gardens. Ray inspired Larry, and Larry's pictures and Ray's articles inspired me! I now keep in touch with Ray and send him my latest pics. So why do hydroponics? First of all, you will produce more with less space. Your first year you will spend more because you have to purchase materials to make your system. Since materials are mostly plastic, PVC or fiberglass, they will outlive you. Water pumps are cheap and last for years. You will use less water and your plants will get most of that water. Nutrients for plants will cost you less and your plants will get more of them because the roots do not have to seek them out from the soil. They will get nutrients delivered to them.

I do have about 50 chile plants in the soil or in pots. If I add up the water I have to use to irrigate those plants, it is more than what I need on a weekly basis to feed my 120 plants in hydroponics. To prove it, I water my plants in pots with a 2-gallon watering can. I have 20 plants in 3-gallon pots. I water every 2 days. On each watering day, I fill up that 2-gallon watering can at least 8 times for a total of 16 gallons. Since water does drain out of the bottom of pots, I am wasting some water. So that is 8 gallons per day for 20 plants where my hydroponics system uses a maximum of 20 gallons per day for 120 plants!

Refinig Fire Chiles, home to the Bhut Jolokia and other rare and hot chiles
It's a jungle out there!
Another advantage to hydroponics is there are no weeds! I never get any weeds because they have no place to grow. Also, it's better pest control. My garden is pesticide free. Most insects are soil-borne insects so they attack your plants by coming up from the soil. Now there are no more grubs to eat at my roots. Last year, I had aphids that ants carried up to the system. I am not 100% aphid free, but before I started planting, I put a border of insecticide powder around perimeter of garden. My system is 3 feet off the ground. This killed the majority of insects attempting to climb up to my plants while my plants were still young. And my plants and chilies had no contact with any pesticides at all. I look at my pesticide barrier as my little wall of China. And it worked. From time to time, I hit my plants with water spray which knocks off a good deal of the insects that did find their way safely to my plants.

In conclusion, I grow my high-end chilies in hydroponics to produce higher yields, I have well-fed plants that produce tastier produce, use less space, eventually lower cost over time, save water, save on fertilizer, and no weeds!!! And pesticide free with good pest control. Oh, by the way, I enjoy it too!


If you want a consultation by phone or e-mail, I will charge a fee to help get you started. If you live in the San Diego area I can get you started by helping you go through all the steps for a fee. And if your family, organization or church wants a class, it will be a 4-hour training for $60 a person and I will show you how 3 types of hydroponics systems work, the setup and what grows best in them. I need a minimum of 10 people for a class, which will include refreshments. Those that take the class will also get a few follow-up phone call consultations to help get them started free of charge.



Hydroponic Classes Available — Call or Email Today!


As we face harder economic times we need to find ways to put good food on our family's table. But most of us because of our age, fatigue after a hard days work or even being a single parent, cannot see ourselves digging or pulling weeds on our hands and knees. That's why Hydroponics makes sense. No weeds. No digging in the dirt. Conserves water. Lower fertilizer costs. Less pest problems. Hydroponic veggies have a higher nutrient level and more flavor. So make a Hydroponic system — it will last decades!

So learn how to make your own Hydroponic garden, it's easy! For $60 per person I'll show you the three different types of systems, how to start your seeds and grow your plants, resources to buy supplies online and locally so you will not get ripped off! I'll even get you hard-to-find seeds at low prices of rare and delicious veggies. Why not grow something to save money and give your family healthy meals? I need a minimum of 10 people for a class.