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I am wondering the best set up in general ffor a wide variety of plants. For large plants what's the size bucket/tote/whatever one should use?
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You should build your system/s with the peculiar plants in mind, as well as for the particular location. I also want to build mine in a way that makes maintenance as easy as possible. I also try to keep in mind what I would reuse the system for in the future. Some times it is much better to build more smaller systems than one larger one when considering different crops.
Do you have a list of plants you plan to grow as well as how many of each? Also a description of the location, as well as inside or outside? A system can be built out of just about anything. There are
6 types of hydroponic systems, all with advantages, and disadvantages. Just like shoes there is no one size fits all. So it really comes down to what you want to grow, location, and how many you plan to grow as the best way to go about building the system/s.
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Do I need to start the plants BEFORE they are placed into the medium?
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No not necessarily, but it's usually much better and easier that way (depending on your setup). I just start
seeds in a small Tupperware container on a wet towel or sponge, then when they sprout I put them in a small amount of
growing medium with a very diluted
nutrient solution until they get a few inches tall, then transplant them into the system. That way I don't need to waist
nutrients and electricity running a system for seeds, also I will start many more seeds that I need, and only transplant the most healthy ones.