given the size im working with..
ebb and flow might be too expensive to set up... so what i think ill do is cover my 4x8 foot table with a piece of plywood, cut holes in that to fix the net/basket pots so the roots will hang out into the solution, and run an aquarium air
pump possibly through a length of PVC pipe with tiny pin holes drilled in it to aerate it all
what i like about this system, is that if i grow anything where the roots perhaps arent long enough to reach the water source.. like some herbs and spices, i could go with a wick method to supply water to the smaller plants, which will allow me to use two systems in one without complicating anything at all
so, 8x4 feet, maybe 6 inches deep, lined with a tarp and sealed in.. in the bottom will be the PVC tube with holes in it to supply air from an aquarium tank made for a 75 gallon aquarium... and the top piece of plywood will have holes cut in it to set the net/basket type pot... and really, thats all there would be to it... except the light of course
many of these deep water culture systems i see dont even have a medium for the plants.. which is fine.. and for those few plants that may not be large enough... i can plant them in some perlite mixed with coconut husk fibers to absorb the
nutrients from the wick
so far (for the size im working with)... this sounds like the least expensive and simplest way to build a compact system