Efficient Home Gardening
A more perfect world would allow everyone to have the time, energy and resources to produce organic food via their own efforts through organic gardening. Naturally this is not always possible.. Yet the costs at the market of purchasing natural and organic foods invariably leads consumers to consider how they can minimize the expense of the food without mitigating the quality.
While the idea of producing all of our own organic foods is alluring, in most cases it is simply not realistic. Even fully functional organic farms seldom have the produce that would provide a well rounded and nutritional diet all of the time. The alternative to personally producing all or nothing is to gauge personal preferences with personal resources.
Some of the most expensive items found at organic food markets are the easiest to grow, such as tomatoes or peppers. It takes very little time, money, energy and space to establish a personal produce garden. Success is derived by utilizing whatever space is available to its utmost. Closet space, when space is tight, is precious but can be extremely useful and fulfilling once organic gardening has begun. Besides being an excellent hobby, this pastime provides a great sense of satisfaction upon being able to add the natural and organic foods that you bring home from the market with freshly picked produce of your own. It also helps to keep expenses down at the market when you don’t have to throw in a five dollar clamshell of tomatoes that may turn bad in a few days.
Some of the most advisable produce options for starting organic gardening in the home are cherry tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, Swiss chard, kale and lettuce. These items are relatively quick to yield and once established continually produce if harvested regularly. They also don’t require an overabundance of space, just adequate water and lighting conditions.
The most difficult part of organic gardening in the home is assuring that enough light is available where the day’s sunlight does not reach. If sunlight is at a minimum, for instance for those living in cities or apartments without a deck or balcony, it is advisable to acquire a personal lighting system. These do not need to be extravagant or expensive. Many times a quick trip to the local hardware store can yield a shop light and some bulbs for less than thirty dollars. When purchasing growing lights for the home, extra care should be taken to acquire light bulbs that provide a full spectrum of light so as to reproduce the effects of the sun as much as possible.
Once adequate light has been prepared for the new organic garden it is important to incorporate a timer system into the works. Healthy indoor plants require an equal amount of regular lighting daily. Using a timer will prevent accidentally forgetting to give your plants adequate light every day. Along with ample lighting is also the duty of daily watering. For most indoor produce misting is the most advisable way to bring water to your garden. It eliminates the need for cumbersome hoses and potential over watering issues.
Ultimately the value and reward of self producing anything will outweigh expenses incurred at the market. But incorporating organic produce that is self produced will shave observable differences off of the market bills. Once a successful organic garden is established in the home, you may find yourself further testing your skills and planting more organic produce and herbs, which in the end will continue to save you money on that ever growing grocery bill.
