Grow Plants Indoors And Save Money
Grow Plants Indoors And Save
It's possible to grow great vegetables and herbs indoors just like these all year round by using modern hydroponic gardening systems that take advantage of artificial light and growing nutrients.
I live in a country where the sun shines all summer and winter long so I don't have trouble growing the vegetables I need, but I'm interested in hydroponic systems, especially those designed for people who have limited outdoor space and want to brighten up their lives with greenery or colorful flowers.
There's also a great advantage to growing your own - you save on food bills. The more 'high-tech' gardening systems cost a bit to get started but it's an investment that will eventually pay off with a good supply of fresh greens and the satisfaction of producing your own food.
With hydroponic sytems such as this Miracle-Gro AeroGarden 7-Pod Indoor Garden with Gourmet Herb Seed Kit everything is taken care of just like magic.
Some Advantages of Hydroponic Gardening
These days hydroponic gardens are often large commercial enterprises, but the system is easily adaptable for people living in apartments or with limited outdoor resources.Although a certain amount of equipment is essential, the great advantage is that you don’t need to cart tons of soil around.
Hydroponic plants do not actually live in soil. Their major means of sustenance is mineral salts and trace elements, components that are easily mixed with water and fed to the root system of the plants.
Growing plants away from their natural environment may seem strange but there are a number of advantages.
As there is no soil your container will be clean and have no unpleasant smell, a real advantage for indoor gardeners. Special hydroponic pots provide just the right amount of moisture and feed and will therefore need watering at four to six week intervals only – a great timesaver!
Hydroponic pebbles never need replacing, so re-potting is required less often.
How to get started
A word of advice – start with a good hydroponic system that includes the culture pot, a water level indicator, clay pebbles and plant food. You could experiment by gathering the equipment and building your own container, but discovering just the right amount of food and water and getting the mix right is not easy and usually requires experience.
Grow Safe Food and Save Money
The amount of herbs and/or vegetables grown in your AeroGarden over a four month period will definitely pay back your investment.
And the hidden value is that the food you grow is safe and fresh - you don't need pesticides or contaminating chemicals. All the chemicals are below the water line.Foods grown this way are definitely safer and better for the planet.
Save Seeds and Save The Planet - Another inconvenient truth
Save Your Own Seeds
Saving seed from your own crops to recreate your harvest is a great way to save money. At the same time your efforts could be contributing to the health and welfare of future generations. Don't let the future world inherit our mistakes!
What's the problem?
As commercial seed supplies become more genetically refined, older or heritage varieties of plants become scarce, but the simple truth is that growing more and different types of vegetables means there is less likelihood of disease. In the nineteenth century a potato blight was directly responsible for the Irish potato famine, which directly led to the deaths of more than a million people.
If you have an outdoor garden you can save the seeds from your best plants and add them to your AeroGarden hydroponic grower. That's one way to preserve good seeds for future generations.
Read more about efforts to save seeds for future generations in the Doomsday Seed Vault in Svalbard.
Tomatoes - An Essential Ingredient
Ever since Cortez discovered tomatoes growing in Montezuma's gardens in 1519 these rich fruit have become almost a staple food world wide.
Where would the Italians be without tomatoes? They also form the basis of most delicious curries served up on the Indian sub-continent.
Tomatoes grow best in the taller AeroGarden.
Aerogarden With Seed Kit
Note
AeroGarden comes in a range of different sizes and prices. You should check out the different options to see which system best suits your living space.
How To Eat Your Home Grown Vegetables
Growing your own is a great way to get kids to eat their vegetables. Here’s a recipe for a home-grown salad that’s great for using up excess produce. If you don’t have all the ingredients, supplement your own harvest with store-bought vegetables.
2 large red bell peppers
2 ears of corn
I large zucchini cut into small dice
I clove of garlic
3 spring onions, chopped
2 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
4 cups of baby spinach leaves
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
Salt and pepper
First roast the bell peppers under a grill until they are black. When cool, remove the skins. Dice the peppers into small pieces. Cook corn in boiling water for two to three minutes, and then scrape the kernels free. Fry the corn kernels and zucchini in the oil until lightly browned. Add peppers, garlic, spring onions and thyme and stir it all lightly together.
When cool, place the vegetables into a bowl, stir in the tomatoes, oregano, baby spinach and season with salt and pepper.
