Most of you are familiar with the "Instructables" website. This set of very detailed instruction will build a self-contained hydroponic growing system that would support about 160 plants in a roughly 10-15 square foot 'footprint'.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Vertical-Hydroponic-Farm/?ALLSTEPSI have linked to a single page presentation, which you could save to your hard drive as an addition to your prep digital documents. The pictures make assembly much easier.
The design, as presented, used a computer controlled monitoring system, and I think (opinion) this is not strictly necessary. I think a simpler electric timer would produce almost the same result, at a far cheaper price.
Worst case, this system could be easily adjusted to make manual watering a (reletively) simple task. Think SHTF, no power or only solar assistance.
The system uses PVC pipe, making it available just about everywhere.
In the comments, there is another design for a similar system, with pictures. The addition of grow-lights is an option, assuming you can afford, or even have, electric power to run them.
The primary benefit that I see is the better use of limited floor space for gardening and the ability to use homemade nutrient solutions. Recipes for these are available online through a web search.
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