Since hydroponically grown plants aren't faced with environmental challenges like drought, temperature extremes, and pests, they are able to devote 100% of their energy toward growth and fruiting. This means that they will reach maturity sooner, with more vigor, and produce more, larger, and healther crops. Studies have found that plant growth is increased by as much as 40-50% in a good hydroponics system. For salad greens, spinach, and other leafy crops, that can mean additional harvests during the growing season, which is great for maximizing yield!
Some varieties of leaf lettuce, like romain and bibb, may have leaves ready to harvest in as little as 3 weeks. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, and swiss chard can be ready for harvest in as little as a month. In fact, these grow so rapidly that it may be more of a challenge to get to them before the leaves get too big!
