Hi-droHome, Vertical modular units 1 meter wide, at base is an insulated reservoir that serves as a step to reach the 2 meter height plants ( & counter weight where attach frame) ; mid section growing capacity, with all pumps (water & air) set back & accessible located above the reservoir; built in retractable or pivoting open plant support to lay (forward ) some foliage on &/or train to climb (up side posts); exterior facing side of unit with both a track for retractable shade cloth & also transparent plastic; these can be selected depending on weather to swing up & out (awning) or pull down (wind break); bracket extensions from top bar to support supplemental lighting for any location/season; water proof spectrum specific LED light installation designed for irradiating the growing area with supplemental light; a cold season 1/2 hoop arc enclosure frame for 1 meter width covering reservoir & giving plant protection; aerodynamic wind spill feature at top for when wind strong (like non-inverting umbrellas)....

You're thinking NFT. People do it in 4" PVC. I like 6" green sewer pipe better. Square fence post rails also work very well. They sell net pots in many sizes, 3.5" is good for peppers. You will want a smaller pump, probably a mag drive; the sump pump you have will make the reservoir too hot when run constantly. Pump the water into a spray line with holes every few inches. I like 1/2" CPVC for the spray line and hole made from a 1/8th" drill bit. The water will enter the line and pee down every 6-8" or so, ideally between each plant site. Then it flows down the pipe and returns to the reservoir. You can make a drain pipe that lets you adjust the water level within each pipe.

You might want to visit the Landscape Design forum and search the archives for this topic........it comes up frequently and various products have been suggested. And with varying degrees of recommendation :-) Some are very workable and user-friendly, others much less so. Generally the free programs are less flexible and efficient than those that are purchased. Like the graph paper/pencil route, design software is only a tool and will offer the best results with a good understanding of basic design principles and the plants and their requirements. Some find the pseudo 3-dimensional aspect many programs offer easier to visualize than just plan views created on paper. But you need to be cautious about some of the photoshop aspects, which can distort scale and spacing and alter perspective. And show everything blooming at the same time as well :-) Personally, I prefer the graph paper and circle template, but then I was trained in hand drafting and feel very compfortable with that method. Another handy tool is to take photos of the area in question, blow them up to a workable size and then do tissue paper overlays sketching in the appropriate plants at the appropriate sizes. That combined with a layout to scale on graph paper should get you a long way. There are also various DIY landscaping texts that would be helpful. Sunset's Western Landscaping, the companion to the Western Garden Book, is pretty good. My library is still packed or I'd suggest others but Lowe's and HD usually have a decent selection in their book/magazine area. Look through and find one that presents a reasonable discussion of design principles and a step by step method to preparing a design. That should help a LOT!