Compare Plants
Every comparison is built from real growing data - EC ranges, pH windows, yield estimates, and cycle times. No filler, no generic advice.
Plant Comparison
Mizuna matures 3–7 days faster than arugula (18–28 days vs 18–25 days at the low end) and produces 35–65 g of feathery mild leaves, while arugula's peppery bite commands higher restaurant value at 30–50 g per tray.
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Basil thrives at warmer water temperatures and finishes a full harvest cycle 7 days faster than cilantro, but cilantro tolerates cooler conditions and is dramatically more bolt-resistant in controlled environments.
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Basil harvests in 21–28 days while parsley takes 35–45 days - a 14–17 day slower cycle - and parsley's notoriously slow germination (14–21 days) makes it one of the most patience-demanding herbs in hydroponics.
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Bell peppers take 90–120 days to first harvest vs hot peppers' 70–90 days - a 20–30 day longer cycle - and produce 8–15 fruits per season vs hot peppers' 10–30, making hot peppers the faster and more prolific fruiting option with bell peppers commanding higher per-fruit weight.
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Bok choy and pak choi are botanical variants of the same species with nearly identical growing parameters - the real difference is harvest window: pak choi baby-harvests at 21 days (50–90 g) vs bok choy's 25-day baby harvest at 80–120 g.
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Tatsoi tolerates a lower minimum EC (1.0 mS/cm vs bok choy's 1.5) and matures in 21–35 days at 50–100 g, while bok choy reaches 80–120 g at 25 days - bok choy is the higher-yield crop, tatsoi the lighter-EC option.
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Cherry tomatoes fruit 15–20 days earlier than peppers and yield more volume per plant (500 g–1.5 kg vs 10–30 fruits), but both are Advanced-rated crops requiring 16–18 h of light and EC above 2.0 mS/cm.
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Cherry tomatoes yield up to 1.5 kg per plant vs strawberries' 200–350 g per season, but tomatoes are Advanced-rated requiring EC up to 3.5 mS/cm and 16–18 h of light - strawberries are the moderate-difficulty entry point into fruiting-crop hydroponics.
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Green onions harvest in 21–30 days with continuous regrowth from the same bulb base, while chives form clumps over 30–40 days at 20–35 g/clump - green onions are faster and offer the regrowth advantage, chives are milder and better suited to companion herb systems.
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Vietnamese coriander never bolts in heat - unlike cilantro which bolts above 27°C - making it a superior choice for warm grow rooms, while cilantro's more neutral flavour has broader culinary appeal in Western markets.
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Cucumbers fruit in 50–60 days (5–10 days faster than cherry tomatoes) and produce 3–6 fruits per month with a slightly lower maximum EC, but they mandate trellis infrastructure just like tomatoes - the real differentiator is water content (cucumbers are 96% water) vs nutritional density.
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Dill produces 10–20 g of harvestable fronds in 28–42 days, while fennel fronds are available in 30 days but fennel is allelopathic - it suppresses growth of nearby plants - making dill the safer companion crop and fennel best grown in isolation.
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Mustard greens harvest in 21–35 days (up to 4 days faster than kale's baby stage) and yield 40–80 g as baby greens, while kale reaches 150–250 g at full maturity - mustard greens are the faster crop, kale the higher-biomass long-cycle crop.
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Swiss chard is easier to grow and matures in 28–40 days (vs kale's 25–60 days to full maturity), but kale's mature yield of 150–250 g/plant significantly exceeds chard's 80–150 g - making chard the faster choice and kale the higher-output long-cycle choice.
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Butter lettuce is a sub-type of lettuce with a slightly lower EC ceiling (1.4 vs 1.6) and matures in 28–40 days at 100–180 g/head, while generic loose-leaf lettuce types harvest faster at 25–35 days and 60–90 g/week - loose-leaf wins on speed, butter lettuce wins on per-head premium presentation.
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Lettuce produces harvestable leaves in as few as 25 days at low EC (0.8–1.6), while kale needs up to 60 days to reach full maturity and demands higher EC (1.6–2.0), making lettuce the faster cash-crop and kale the higher-nutrition long-term choice.
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Lettuce is 3–5 days faster to harvest and runs at much lower EC (0.8–1.6 vs spinach's 1.8–2.3), while spinach yields more per plant and demands cool water below 20°C - making them complementary rather than competing crops.
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Mint yields 30–60 g/plant per cycle in 28–35 days but requires a dedicated system due to aggressive root spread, while basil produces 25–40 g/cycle 7 days faster and coexists well with other herbs - making basil the more versatile system choice.
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Lemon balm grows from seed and doesn't aggressively colonize channels the way mint does, making it far safer for mixed systems - but mint produces nearly double the yield (30–60 g vs lemon balm's 30–50 g) and has stronger culinary market demand.
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Thyme has a significantly lower EC ceiling (1.6 vs oregano's 2.0) and grows slower (35–55 days vs 35–50 days), producing only 8–15 g/plant vs oregano's 15–30 g - oregano is the higher-yield herb, thyme the lighter EC crop.
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Pea shoots yield more per tray (150–250 g vs sunflower's 120–200 g), regrow after cutting for a second harvest, and have a 10–14 day cycle matching sunflower microgreens - but sunflower seeds require soaking and are rated Moderate vs pea shoots' Easy.
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Basil produces 25–40 g in 21–28 days and is day-length neutral; perilla requires more than 14 hours of light to stay vegetative (it is a short-day plant that flowers at shorter photoperiods) and yields 25–45 g in 28–40 days - basil is the simpler, faster crop and perilla is the specialist Asian-market herb.
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Radish microgreens are ready in just 5–8 days (the fastest crop in hydroponics) while broccoli microgreens take 7–10 days but contain sulforaphane, one of the most studied plant compounds for human health - speed vs nutritional function is the core trade-off.
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Romaine takes 35–45 days and yields 150–250 g per head, while butter lettuce finishes in 28–40 days at 100–180 g - butter lettuce is the faster crop and romaine is the higher-yielding one, with both sharing identical pH and EC requirements.
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Sage takes 50–70 days to first harvest vs thyme's 35–55 days and yields only slightly more (10–20 g vs 8–15 g per plant), making thyme the faster and more efficient woody herb - sage's distinct flavour is its only practical advantage over thyme in a small system.
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Arugula is 10–25 days faster to harvest than sorrel (18–25 days vs sorrel's 35–50 days) and yields more per tray, while sorrel is perennial in hydroponics - producing indefinitely from the same root system once established.
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Arugula matures 10 days faster than spinach and tolerates the same cool water range, but spinach delivers nearly double the per-plant yield and requires higher EC - making arugula the faster crop and spinach the heavier producer.
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True spinach thrives in cool water (15–20°C) at EC 1.8–2.3 and harvests in 28–40 days; Malabar spinach is a tropical vine that performs best above 24°C, takes 35–55 days, and is rated Moderate - these two plants fill completely opposite temperature niches in the same grow operation.
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Cherry tomatoes produce 500 g–1.5 kg per plant per season at 55–70 days to first fruit, while strawberries yield 200–350 g per plant over a 60–90-day season - tomatoes win on raw yield but strawberries are far easier to manage in a home system.
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Tatsoi and mizuna both harvest in 18–35 days but tatsoi forms compact spoon-shaped rosettes at 50–100 g while mizuna produces feathery leaves at 35–65 g - tatsoi yields more per plant and mizuna grows faster at the low end of the range.
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