f
or many, indoor gardening is an exciting hobby, one that often leads to
the possibility of setting up a profitable business using new skills and
knowledge. While hydroponics is the basis of many successful commercial
enterprises, selecting the right crop is essential and, given the high intensity
but limited area of many indoor gardens, niche-market crops are usually a
good option. Crops that currently receive the highest returns in local markets
include those such as ginseng, bay, tarragon, and saffron, all of which are
suited to both hydroponics and indoor cropping. While a high rate of return per
pound may look lucrative, growers also need to take into account the difficulty of
the crop, yields per square foot, time to harvest, and availability of information on
hydroponic cultivation. Some of the most highly priced niche crops are relatively low
yielding and slow to mature, so growers need to weigh up all these factors before
deciding which to grow.
French Tarragon
French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) has long been a staple hydroponic herb
and is relatively easy to grow. It is a perennial bushy plant with slender branching
stems and smooth olive green, narrow leaves. The flavor of tarragon is strong, sweet,
aromatic, and reminiscent of anise and licorice and has been growing in popularity
as a culinary flavoring. While French tarragon does receive considerably higher
prices per pound than most other herbs (currently around $16/lb), it is slow to produce
good yields and can take up to a year before regular harvests of fresh-cut product
can be taken and the foliage is light in weight. French tarragon, being a long-lived
perennial plant, is suited to free draining media bed systems with substrates such as
perlite as the plant is intolerant of high moisture levels.
Bay leaves may be sold as a
fresh or dried product.
“ SOME OF THE MOST
HIGHLY PRICED
NICHE CROPS ARE
RELATIVELY LOW
YIELDING AND
SLOW TO MATURE. ”
Maximum Yield
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