I grow hydroponically because:
I don't have to bend over
It's cleaner
There is no weeding
there are less bugs(i.e no larva in the soil around your plants)
I don't have to be diligent about watering the plants. they're on a timer (I suppose the same could be done with soil plants)
I like the science-y and creative-ness that goes into making the system work. (not required, but I am fond of that aspect)
there may be more, but those are definite reason why I grow with hydro.

No weeds is on the top of my list. Also, if you do it right your plants can grow much quicker than in the ground.

lifestreammm
I grow hydroponically for various reasons.

1. I Live in the desert where soil conditions are lacking to say the least. Growing hydroponically allows me to grow anything I want without needing to get a back hoe to dig with, and spending all that money on the soil amendments.

2. I can easily build any number of hydroponic systems for less money than it would cost to build and fill a raised bed.

3. like I mentioned I live in the desert where water resources are valuable. Depending on the hydroponic system you build, and how you construct it, growing hydroponically uses less than 1/10 the water needed to grow in soil. A huge benefit here in the desert.

4. Plants grow much faster hydroponically.

5. Growing hydroponically allows you to control the nutrients the plants get better than in any soil conditions. Thus stronger, healthier, bigger plants.

6. Hydroponically grown plants are much less prone to soil born diseases and pests.

7. If done properly, including using the right cost effective nutrients, and more than one crop grown with the system/s, growing hydroponically is actually cheaper than growing in soil (even when using disposable growing media like coco coir/chips like me).

8. I also like the fact that hydroponic systems are easily customizable for any growing space or crop, and I simply enjoy building them. Their simple to build, and can easily be made with just about anything. The only limit is your Imagination.

9. Besides the plants growing faster and bigger, with good plant rotation even smaller systems can keep producing food/produce continually all year without interruption.

10. Growing hydroponically also allows you to maximize your space, increasing the amounts of plants you can grow, a thus increase the yields you can get form whatever space it is that you have to work with.

Bottom line, if you enjoy watching your plants grow, you'll enjoy growing hydroponically. But if growing plants is a choir for you, don't bother stick to growing in soil. But it sounds like you enjoy growing plants. Like I mentioned growing hydroponically can easily be cheaper than growing in soil. I have built many systems for less than $100 each including the pump, water lines, baskets, and even timers. I built a system for growing 8 heads of lettuce for about $20 (including the air pump and air stones). That could provide at least one head of lettuce each week indefinitely with good plant rotation, as well as growing environment (temperatures etc.). Not to mention only take/use about 5-7 gallons of water/nutrient solution each two weeks (even less than that before the plants reach maturity).

I built a system for growing 12 pea plants for about $25 (not including the pump because I just reused an old one). I built a 4 plant system for growing large broccoli plants for less than $80 (including all the coco coir growing media, water lines, pump etc.). And I could easily increase the number of plants grown in that system for less than $5 for each added plant. All I would have needed to do is make a new grow bucket for each plant, and run the drip line to it. I could have run up to 10-20 plants with the same pump. Though that many plants I would have needed a larger reservoir.

So far I have grown strawberry's, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, peas and snow peas, melons, radishes, green onions, basil, sage, and a dwarf mint plant in the past 4 years (the mint was my mom's idea).

Thanks for the answers guys! That gives some inspiration.

I also just read that by growing hydroponically we are able to let the plant grow to its full genetic potential because of the stable and ideal conditions (water, nutrients,..) we are able to give them, whereas in the soil there's so many variables and conditions that can fluctuate alot. I like that idea very much.

Probably my biggest reason is that I lack dirt, living in a second-story apartment with an 8x12 steel deck instead of an actual yard. Of course, that's actually something that's made this interesting to me--when it comes to growing things in dirt, I'm known for even being able to kill off the heartiest of artificial flowers.

Hydroponics has actually been easier, mainly because I'm responsible for the entire environment. I don't get to chuck things in the dirt, water whenever I guess they need it and hope for the best. I don't get to be lazy about it. It's also easier to control watering, et cetera. I've always been the science-ey type, so it's pretty common territory.

On the upside, even though it doesn't allow me a whole lot of slack at first, I've found that it's actually a lot less work once a system is started. Weeding's something that happens to other people. Pests have been limited to an aphid outbreak. So I think after I do get settled into a house, I'm really considering doing a hydroponic greenhouse; it's just too fun not to.