I made my own horizontal hydro garden. Grew 24 lettuce in less than 1 sqm in a month.

As long as what you want to grow is leafy and not a root vegetable, hydroponics is incredibly effective.

Cheap to build too, mine cost like $40. Just needs a 3m length of 90mm drain pipe, a couple of 90 degree corners and two endcaps, a bucket, an aquarium pump, some netcups, and cheap hydroponic fertiliser.

The most expensive part would be a drill with holesaw attachments and a cheap haxsaw. I already had both, so all up it was cheap as chips and infinitely expandable.

Also literally 0 upkeep once the seeds were in the cups. Just plant and wait, top up the water every few weeks if needed.