Lessen Your Carbon Footprint: Grow Fruits and Vegetables At Home

There are many ways to lessen your carbon footprint, one of them is growing your own fruits and vegetables from the comfort of your own home.

It doesn't matter if you have a yard or not, as there are ways to bring some greens into your home or apartment regardless of the space available to you. First, gardening indoors can be done with varying types of planters. You can get a rectangular planter box that allows for you to plant several veggies at once, or you can get a single pot and plant one type of vegetable in it to nurture.

While it may sound intimidating, you can even a hydroponic garden. It is a no-fail indoor gardening method works that may give you that coveted green thumb. According to the National Park Service, hydroponic plants produce a greater yield of fruits and vegetables because in a hydroponic system plants are more densely spaced together compared to the size of land that would be needed to grow the same number of plants. Hydroponic systems are a sustainable gardening method that makes growing year-round fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit into a simple project.

Hydroponic gardening is perfect for apartment dwellers who want to devote a lot of space to indoor gardening. Several hydroponic grow systems come in compact or vertical styles and include everything you need to get growing. Because you grow without soil, there’s much less mess. Hydroponic systems take the guesswork out of watering your plants, providing your plant roots constant access to oxygen and as much water as they need so there’s no over or under watering.

You can make a DIY hydroponic garden made from old liter soda bottles or a kit, which will have most, if not all, of the ingredients you’ll need. You could choose vermiculite, perlite, clay pellets, gravel, sand, or a combination of several of these as your base for what you are planting. Once that's all set, you are ready to plant your seeds. Another important aspect is to incorporate grow lights in order to promote steady, long-term growth. Using LED lights in an energy saver because your plant lights will use less energy than fluorescent bulbs. After that, maintenance includes checking the pH of your plant system and adjust the nutrients. Kits that supply a pH meter and nutrients give you the most fool-proof method.

Some vegetables you can plant at home include: lettuce, mint, basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, celery, scallions, tomatoes, avocados, and more. Fruit options include strawberries, blueberries, peppers, raspberries, grapes, cantaloupe, and even watermelons!

If you are blessed with a front or back yard, your options are limitless. You can plant all types of fruits and vegetables like the aforementioned ones but can take it a step further by building your own greenhouse. Don't let that scare you, as there are simple and cheap ways to construct your own greenhouse without breaking the bank.

Here is an easy to follow, step by step guide on how to build a 5x5 greenhouse for under $25.

For more inspiration, House & Garden posted a YouTube video showing 100 cheap and easy DIY Greenhouse ideas:

Happy gardening!