There are many reasons why home gardening has become a big deal in recent years. Firstly, the global pandemic gave people more free time than ever before which encouraged many people to try something new. There has also been a trend towards using fresh, organic produce rather than conventional crops and this is another reason why people have decided to try their hand at growing fruits, vegetables and other crop plants.
Another reason is that some crops can be quite profitable and therefore people are turning to their cultivation as a way of boosting their income in challenging times. Whatever your reasons for wanting to start a garden, there are some things you should know before you start.
There is a steep learning curve
Some would-be gardeners might think it’s a simple case of throwing down some seeds, adding some water and reaping the rewards a short time later, but there is so much more to gardening than this. If you believe it will be a simple and straightforward process then you will want to think again! Many things can go wrong, and if you are completely new to cultivating plants or have only had experience with houseplants before, you will need to be prepared to do a decent amount of learning before you are likely to see many successes.
There are many different ways to be a gardener
Gardening is not a one size fits all kind of thing and there are many, many different types of gardening you could look into. For example, traditional crop production involves improving soil by adding organic matter, sowing your seeds according to a seasonal pattern, and applying water, fertiliser and pesticides at crucial moments in the plants’ development.
Permaculture takes a radically different approach because it is all about creating an outdoor space that needs minimal intervention, and where all the plants involved are native species that produce a semi-wild garden. You can think of permaculture as creating a food forest, and as such it is a delicate balance to get things right initially before the plants mature and can start to take care of themselves.
Gardening is not just for people with lots of outdoor space either. If you don’t have a garden or a balcony for some pots, you can have a go at hydroponics. All you need is a tub large enough for the plants’ roots, some clay pebbles to support the roots, something to support the stems of growing plants, a grow light, an aeration pump, and an appropriately sized area inside your home.
You might be surprised by the types of plants that can be grown using hydroponics, though some are better suited to the method than others. Vegetables and flowering plants that are water intensive tend to do very well in hydroponic grow systems because they have ready access to all the water they need. As long as you keep the tank properly aerated, topped up with water, and your nutrient levels are correct, it is hard to go wrong with hydroponics.
High yields are hard to achieve
You may have daydreams about supporting your entire family with freshly grown vegetables from your patch or hydroponics system, but it actually takes a lot of large, mature plants to produce a worthwhile crop that lasts for more than a few meals. Studies have shown that you would need 4000 square feet of space to sustain a single person for a year on a vegetarian diet – that’s a lot of land to cultivate and weed, and not many of us are lucky to have access to this kind of space.
Growing your own food can be expensive
Unless you are lucky enough to have access to high quality arable land, the chances are that you will need to invest a significant amount of money into improving your soil. This is expensive but it’s also time consuming and can be physically challenging. The initial costs for equipment, compost and seeds and young plants is also not inconsiderable. Even if you are going the hydroponics route there will be an initial cost with some ongoing maintenance costs needed. Buying second hand and sharing equipment with neighbours can be a big help.
Resources:
Hydroponics Fan Controller – Are.na
Grow Room Fan Speed Controller – Paragraph
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