Many people are under the impression Martian soil would be similar to earth soil, but in actuality they are more like lava rocks without sufficient nutrition and no water. This does not mean growing plants on this “soil” would be impossible. A multitude of organizations have done research on this with simulants and have reached the conclusion growing crops on this so-called soil is possible

Martian soil is not actually really soil, nor does it contain any water. This can be fixed in a multitude of ways. While the rocks are not actually soil, plants do not necessarily need it to grow. What they do need, however, is nutrients. However, there do seem to be advantages to Martian “soil”, namely that it has been theorized the soil would not require as much water to grow plants as earth soil. This is due to the gravity, which allows for water and the nutrients it would contain to sink away slower and thus get absorbed more efficiently .

Hydroponics is actually pretty simple; it entails you grow plants without the use of soil. This can be done in a multitude of ways. For example, you could just use water and a mixture of nutrients required to make the plants grow. However, even setting the plants in water isn’t necessary per say, as alternative structures have been built. This would be an appealing option for the Mars colony, as saving water is going to be an important issue. However, its most defining feature is no soil. Hydroponics, when constructed in a certain way, could also make fish a part of the system, where the fish help filter the water and provide nutrients through their excretions. The fish would simultaneously be fit for consumption as well.