Self-Sufficiency and Indoor Gardening

March 20, 2020 Alex Grady

Many of us look forward to the unmistakable taste of fresh, locally grown fruit and vegetables – especially those that come from our own organic soil. If you would like to grow food at home but have limited space, or no outdoor space at all, don't despair! Your dream of homegrown food is still within reach! Consider giving indoor gardening a try…

Why Look At Self-Sufficiency And Indoor Gardening Now?

Maybe you’re currently in a position where you feel concerned about the availability of a continuous supply of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs, or you want to be prepared for instances in life that may require you to become self-sufficient from your own home.

Indoor gardening is a fantastic, affordable and limitless hobby that the whole family can get involved in and learn about together. As you gain in confidence and experience, you can evolve from growing in soil to growing hydroponically (growing in an inert medium like rockwool with a nutrient solution) or even in aquaponics (keeping fish and using their waste output to fertilise your plants).

How Much Space Do You Need To Grow Plants Indoors?

If you can utilise part of a spare room or have space in a shed, garage or loft with a power supply, the chances are that you’ll be able to setup an indoor garden! It’s that simple!

What Can You Grow Indoors?

With the right equipment (which is all available from GroWell and includes budget options for beginners), you can grow practically anything you want to in your own home!

Microgreens

Microgreens are packed full of antioxidants as well as being rich in potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium and copper. Popular varieties include cress, wheatgrass and pea shoots, and these all tend to grow really quickly – typically around 10-14 days from seedling to harvest!

Lettuce

Lettuce also has an incredibly fast turnaround time for crops, and promises to add plenty of goodness into your diet! 250g contains no fat whatsoever and only about ten calories, but on the flipside you will find a vital supply of vitamin A and vitamin C!

Tomatoes

Tomatoes represent a classic choice for indoor gardening! They’re really tasty when taken straight from the vine and loaded with lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.

Other Popular Fruits, Vegetables And Herbs

Vegetables: carrots, aubergines, radish, chillies, dwarf beans, onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, courgettes, kale, spinach
Fruits: lemons, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, raspberries, watermelon
Herbs: rocket, basil, mint, coriander, parsley, rosemary

Plus many, many more! The options are endless!

What Are The Advantages Of Indoor Growing?

People turn to growing plants indoors for a huge number of reasons:

Production of pure, clean organic crops that haven't been treated with growth hormones or pesticides.

Access to incredibly fresh food as and when you want it at home, with no reliance upon supermarkets or supply chains.

Freedom from limitations caused by the seasons and the weather – there is never a cloudy day when you garden indoors.

Desire to pick produce with increased nutritional value that has not been sitting around on a supermarket shelf.

Belief in the ethos of “eating local” where there are “zero food miles” for your homegrown crops.

Aim to relieve stress, depression and anxiety with a healthy, feel-good hobby.

Interest in growing niche produce – e.g. microgreens.

Educate the next generation and get kids away from looking at screens.

There are millions of possibilities with an indoor garden, experiment and enjoy the opportunities that have opened up – our expert team of staff will always be on standby to offer advice and guide you through.

How Easy Is It To Start Growing Indoors And Become Self-Sufficient?

You might now be wondering how you identify the equipment required to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs indoors? We provide tents, lights, extraction kits, growing systems and more to people all over the UK - including many that are trying to become self-sufficient, like Mark the KitchenGardener. You can see how he's getting on in the video below.

Luckily, complete and ready-made options do exist too! We offer 3 kits specifically designed for those of you wanting to become self-sufficient food producers. They contain everything that’s needed to “grow your own” – including a powerful source of light – to give you complete control over your indoor garden 365 days a year. Just find a suitable space indoors and let us assist with you the rest!

Self-Sufficiency Soil Kit

Covers an area of 120cm deep by 240cm wide by 200cm tall, with 3 x 400W grow lights, 18 x 39 Litre pots plus the soil to fill them and much more! You can use the square metre garden method to produce a vast amount fresh produce!

Kit Contains:

3 x 400W UltraVivid Light System
1 x BAY6 XXL Grow Tent
1 x Eco Extraction Kit
18 x RhizoPot - 39L
14 x Tropic Mix - 50L
1 x 10L SHOGUN Samurai Terra (5L Grow + 5L Bloom)
1 x 1L SHOGUN Sumo Boost
1 x 50g Ecothrive Biosys
1 x 5L Ecothrive Charge
2 x 1.2m Deep Flexi-Tray
1 x Control Freak Single Fan Controller
1 x Eco-Technics Four Light Timer Contactor
1 x Heavy Duty Lighting Timer & Contactor
1 x 5m Chain + 5 x S-Hooks
3 x Exolux Pro Rope Ratchets
1 x 5ml PIpette + 1 x 50ml Syringe

Self-Sufficiency Hydroponics Kit

Covers an area of 120cm deep by 240cm wide by 200cm tall, with 3 x 400W grow lights, an 8-Pot AutoPot System, enough inert coco media to fill the pots, and the tools and nutrients to feed and monitor your plants.

Kit Contains:

3 x 400W UltraVivid Light System
1 x BAY6 XXL Grow Tent
1 x Eco Extraction Kit
1 x 8-Plant AutoPot System
3 x Tropic Mix - 50L
1 x 10L SHOGUN Samurai Coco (5L Part A + 5L Part B)
1 x Root Riot Organic Cubes (Pack of 24)
1 x 250ml pH Down
1 x Accuread pH Meter
1 x Bluelab EC/CF Pen
1 x Control Freak Single Fan Controller
1 x Eco-Technics Four Light Timer Contactor
1 x Heavy Duty Lighting Timer & Contactor
1 x 5m Chain + 5 x S-Hooks
3 x Exolux Pro Rope Ratchets
1 x 5ml Pipette + 1 x 50ml Syringe

Self-Sufficiency Micro Greens & Lettuce Kit

Covers an area of 75cm deep by 130cm wide by 75cm tall, with a 4-tube T5 fluorescent light and 3 x large propagators including the soil to fill them. This kit will enable a rapid and substantial continuous yield of microgreens and fresh lettuce.