Hydroponics is the growing of plants in a medium other than soil, such as a nutrient-rich liquid.
Some Federation starships have laboratories devoted to hydroponics. The USS Enterprise-D had a hydroponics laboratory, which was to be visited by the winners of the primary school science fair in 2368. (TNG: "Disaster") The USS Enterprise-E had a hydroponics laboratory on deck 11. (Star Trek: First Contact) Deep Space 9 also had a hydroponic garden. (DS9: "Blaze of Glory")
In 2370, Rigel IV hosted a conference on hydroponics. (DS9: "The Wire")
The USS Voyager did not have a hydroponics lab, but the variable environmental controls in cargo bay two could support hydroponics equipment. Shortly after Kes joined the crew in 2371, she volunteered to establish a hydroponics bay in cargo bay two in order to provide fresh fruits and vegetables. She used nitrogenated soil instead of an alternative for Voyager's hydroponics lab. (VOY: "Parallax")
In 2375, Dukat and his Cult of the Pah-wraiths turned some of the lower levels of Empok Nor into hydroponic bays in order to grow food, as they could not activate the replicators. (DS9: "Covenant")