Imagine growing a head of lettuce, a fistful of basil, or a row of leafy greens on your kitchen counter using nothing but a jar of water, a few nutrients, and a sunny window."

Hydroponics is, at its core, beautifully simple: it's the practice of growing plants in an inert medium, or no medium at all, where growth is made possible by highly aerated, nutrient-charged water.

Across Atlanta, more and more people are discovering that they can grow crisp lettuce, fragrant basil, and even ripe tomatoes on a kitchen counter, a spare shelf, or a sunny windowsill—no soil and no backyard needed.