About
Evidence over hype.
Pocket Green Guides is a hydroponics blog for people growing food in small spaces: an apartment windowsill, a balcony, a spare corner. We exist because most hydroponics advice online is recycled myth and affiliate filler, and beginners deserve better than that.
What this site is for
Our goal is simple: help urban growers grow real food with hydroponics, and help the motivated ones turn a grow into income. Whether you've never planted a seed or you're already selling microgreens to a local café, you'll find guides written for a beginner first, with enough depth that experienced growers can skim to what they need.
We focus on five things:
- Beginners: your first system, set up without wasting money.
- Crops: what actually grows well in water, and how.
- Systems & gear: Kratky, DWC, NFT and the kit worth buying.
- Grow to sell: microgreens and greens as real, planned income.
- Troubleshooting: pH, nutrients, algae, and keeping a system alive.
How we research
Every number on this site has to come from somewhere we'd trust ourselves. In order of preference, that means:
- Peer-reviewed journals for the science.
- University extension services, .gov sources, and the FAO for practical guidance.
- First-hand testing and the real costs and yields we can verify.
- Manufacturer pages, for prices and specs only, never marketing claims.
If we can't source a number, we cut it. We never pull statistics from competitor blogs, and we'd rather say "we don't know yet" than repeat something that sounds right but isn't.
Who's behind it
Pocket Green Guides is written and maintained by Rifqi. It started from a frustration any new grower will recognise: searching a simple question like "what does this actually cost?" or "why is my lettuce dying?", and getting back the same vague, hype-filled answers on every site. This is the resource we wished existed: plain-spoken, honest about trade-offs, and grounded in evidence rather than affiliate commissions.
On affiliate links
Some guides recommend gear, and a few of those links may be affiliate links. If you buy through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. That never changes what we recommend. We suggest the kit we'd actually buy, and any affiliate relationship is disclosed clearly on the page. You can read more in our privacy policy.
Say hello
Growing something interesting, stuck on a problem, or spot something we got wrong? We'd genuinely like to hear it. Good feedback makes these guides better for everyone.