Sustainable living is all the rage now, and obtaining it in your own home is easier than you think. One of the ways you can bring sustainability into your daily life is to have a garden. Yet, not all living spaces lend room to grow a garden. Condominiums, for example, as with apartments or flats are all spaces that are void of a yard.
These types of domiciles may come with flower boxes on the balcony but unless you have a decent sized yard, growing something as simple as herbs could be challenging. This doesn’t have to be the case with hydroponic gardening.
Simply put, hydroponic gardening is growing any plant without the use of soil. You might be wondering, “How is that possible?” There are ways in which you can feed the roots of your plants’ water infused with nutrients – opposed to them having to hunt them down in the dirt. With products like the Aerogarden, creating an indoor hydroponic garden is simple and the benefits for you, your loved ones, and the environment are amazing.
We are all about conserving resources, and hydroponic gardens, particularly the ones that recycle water, do just that. Let’s take a look at all the benefits hydroponic gardening brings to the table.
No Labor
This is one of the best aspects of hydroponic gardening. The water does all the work for you. In fact, that’s what hydroponic means, water that works. When you have a hydroponic system, there is no need to dig in the dirt for weeds or holes in the ground every spring, which cuts down on a lot of back-breaking work. Your knees will thank you too.
No Mess
Let’s face it, dirt is messy. When you switch to a hydroponic garden then there is no need to deal with any lingering soil on your floor that was dragged in on the bottom of your shoes.
Easy For All
Some folks can’t garden because they have disabilities that prohibit their movement. These types of gardens are great for everyone because they are portable and can be put within easy reach for all members of your household.
Small Space Friendly
As we mentioned earlier, not everyone lives in a great big house with a huge backyard. Some have the means and simply choose not to. Wherever you live, a hydroponic garden can fit in your home.
Always Have Freshness Available
Whether you grow a small thing of herbs or you turn your breakfast nook into a greenhouse of hydroponic goodness, when you grow your own you never need to depend on store-bought items. Say you love to cook Italian food. Well, make sure you have ample supplies of basil, oregano, and Italian parsley growing in your hydroponic garden since they are staples in some of the dishes.
Pesticide Free
When you grow your veggies inside, with a hydroponic system there is no need to use pesticides or any tactics to get rid of pests that tend to show up in traditional soil gardens. This means your sustainable food, grown by you, is free of any chemical residue you take the chance of finding on store bought produce.
You Lessen Your Carbon Footprint
Hydroponic gardening helps our environment in a myriad of ways. The recycled water systems use less water, no soil is needed, you don’t pay for the gas used to ship produce to the store because you stopped buying it, and you are adding to the oxygen flow in your house by adding a garden.
Save Money
There is no denying, creating any garden, let alone a hydroponic one that requires special equipment will cost some money to start up. But, once you get the system going and you are reaping the benefits you didn’t have to sow, you won’t be shopping for herbs or produce like you used to, which will save you money in the long run.
Produce More
Plants that are sustained hydroponically not only use fewer nutrients and water, they yield more produce, overall, than their stuck in the soil counterparts.
Produce More Often
Unlike gardens that are kept outside, where they have to deal with the elements, a hydroponic garden is free from all that stress. Your hydroponic garden won’t be subjected to seasonal changes, which leaves it free to give you fresh produce all year round.
Reduce Stress
Gardening has been shown to reduce stress. Of course, this has a lot to do with the back-breaking work hydroponic gardens a free of. Yet, having a garden there, for you to trim and work on or use when you feel like making a healthy meal for your family, is great for stress levels nonetheless.
Conclusion
The benefits of creating a hydroponic garden in your home are enough for some of us to forget the idea of traditional gardening altogether. Yet, hydroponic gardens are not anything new. Instances of ancient hydroponic gardening go back to the Gardens of Babylon and The Floating Gardens of China.
For us though, a great way to start might be an herb garden near the kitchen window. From there, you never know where this adventure could lead. Before you know it, you might have an entire produce section growing in your home.
