Maximum Yield USA December 2019 / January 2020 | Page 35

savory, and satisfying… who
doesn’t love snacks? Some of the
S best alty,
are not only homemade but
homegrown as well. Common snack-
producing plants such as sunflowers,
peanuts, pepitas, and pickles can all
be grown hydroponically and thrive in
warm, protected environments. Some,
such as pickle gherkins (a variety of
mini cucumber), are well known as
hydroponic crops, whereas pepitas
and peanuts are a little more unusual
but worth the effort to obtain a highly
flavorful snack-food harvest.
Pepitas
Like melons, pumpkins can be trained
upwards to maximize space in an
indoor garden provided the heavy
fruit are supported as they develop, or
they can be left to trail along the floor.
Each plant should provide multiple
pumpkins, depending on how long the
vine is permitted to develop. Electrical
conductivity levels for pepitas are similar
to cucumber crops and these are easily
grown alongside each other in the same
system. An EC of 1.8-2.4 and pH of 5.8–6.0
with extra potassium provided during
the fruit development stage is ideal.
Substrate systems
with good sized root
volume such as the
Bato bucket system
suit pepitas and the
crop responds well to
a moisture-retentive
substrate such as
coconut fiber.
“ Common snack-
producing plants
Pepitas, also
known as pumpkin
seeds, are not only
considered a health
food due to a high
content of protein
(30 per cent), good
fats, fiber, zinc,
niacin, iron, and
magnesium, but
once roasted and
salted are a crunchy
and delicious
snack. Growing
and preparing pepitas is not difficult
provided the correct cultivars are
selected to start with. Edible pumpkin
kernels are only produced by particular
varieties that develop dark green
hull-less seeds inside the fruit’s seed
cavity. This means there is no tough
outer seed covering to remove to get to
the edible kernel. Hull-less varieties
are also called oil seed types as the
edible kernels can be pressed to extract
a high-quality oil with a number of
culinary uses. Once the pumpkin has
been grown to maturity, the fruit are
split open to reveal masses of hull-less
kernels that only need to be scooped
out, soaked, and rinsed to remove any
remaining pumpkin flesh, then dried for
storage. Many seed companies stock
both modern hybrid and older heirloom
hull-less pumpkin seed varieties for
pepita or oil seed production, however,
a good choice for hydroponics is Naked
Bear F1 or Kakai.
Growing pepitas in hydroponics is
similar to any other fruiting crop — the
main requirements are warmth (64-79°F),
high light levels similar to tomatoes
and cucumbers, and sufficient space.
such as sunflowers,
peanuts, pepitas,
Peanuts
and pickles can all be
Peanuts are a small,
legume
grown hydroponically.” compact
plant that performs
well in hydroponics
provided the correct
conditions and substrate is provided.
Peanuts are easily started from seed and
there are a number of interesting and
potentially gourmet-flavored types that
smaller growers can experiment with to
obtain the ultimate snack crop. Of the
commercially grown peanut types there
are four main groups: Virginia (largest
seeds), Runner (used for peanut butter),
Spanish (smaller seeds for snacking),
and Valencia (bright red with a sweeter
flavor that performs particularly well in
hydroponics). There are also a number of
heirloom and speciality types available
from some seed companies. To obtain
peanut planting stock, purchase raw
seed that is still contained in its outer
husk or pod, as this prevents drying out,
and shell these just before planting out.
Large, plump, raw (non-heat treated)
peanuts, free of any signs of deformity
or rot, are best selected for seed and
germinated on a heat pad or at 72-84°F.
The essential step with growing peanuts
is to surface sterilize any nuts used as
seed or treat with fungicide powder as
these are prone to fungal attack during
the germination stage and “damping
off” disease as young seedlings.
Top: Pepitas, sunflower seeds, and peanuts all make great hydroponic snack crops.
Middle: Peanuts are a legume crop that produces underground pods.
Bottom: Hydroponically grown peanuts in a drip irrigated substrate system.
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