7 Garden Ideas – Traditional Garden vs Indoor Garden

Gardeners and homestead owners say that one of the most fulfilling activities you can do is growing your own food. Whether you plant a traditional garden, plant some trees or an indoor garden you can enjoy the fruit of your garden. Not only does it reduce your grocery bill, but it also increases self-sustainability and provides more fresh fruit and vegetables. There are multiple different methods to grow your own food– keep reading for ideas about the best gardening methods for your garden.

1. Traditional Garden

One well known and often used method for growing your own food is traditional in-ground or another variation is a raised bed garden. Some people choose to do their planting in rows, while others use a natural, less organized method for their planting. Some gardeners use organic soils and natural pesticides while others resort to chemicals and pesticides to keep their plants free of bugs. Growing a traditional garden is so fun and there are many variations in how it can be done— so start planting today and enjoy the benefits tomorrow.

2. Container Garden

If you live in an apartment or want to grow your garden indoors and just don’t have the space for the traditional garden bed, a container garden can be a great solution. Believe it or not, you can grow nearly all of the same vegetables with container gardening as you can in a traditional garden. The size of the container which can affect the size of the plants is your only limitation.

3. Hydroponics

Hydroponics is growing food with water rather than in soil. With this no-soil growing medium, plants are instead grown in a bed of clay pellets, pebbles, or some other kind of filler. Close to the bed there is a water tank and a pump delivering water to the roots of the plants. There are some small beginner hydroponics kits available although hydroponics rigs are generally on the larger side.

4. Vertical Garden

Vertical gardens are a great solution for a small lot whether your home is in the city or in the country. These may consist of wall-mounted garden beds allowing upward plant growth rather than horizontal. Another vertical garden strategy is grown in a traditional garden bed with trellises or poles and naturally vining plants. For example, cucumbers, beans and grapes can work really well with vertical gardening.

5. Aquaponics

Aquaponics is another no-soil growing strategy. In fact this method is similar to hydroponics, but using fish to naturally fertilize the water. Depending on how much you want to grow, some people start small and there are also much larger aquaponics set-ups. Also, some people use fish as food and others keep them as pets. Depending on the size of the aquaponics kits, they have a large enough tank for one or more fish. The fish waste is converted to nitrates and are then pumped to the plants root system.

6. Plant Some Trees

Fruit and nut trees are a really great way to add more edible plants to a backyard, or to improve your garden. Apple trees can be a perfect hardy option. There are countless different types of fruit trees that can be planted. Just to name a few, think about the tasty cherry trees, pear trees, or berry bushes like blackberry and blueberry can provide an abundance of tasty nutritious fruit.

7. Indoor Garden

If your outdoor space is too small, try an indoor garden. Indoor garden kits generally contain several planters and a built-in LED grow light. This allows you to grow vegetables even without windows or in low light conditions. Many indoor garden systems are designed for microgreens and herbs or sprouts. For a bigger set-up, container gardening with added LED grow lights purchased separately also works well.

Wrap Up

Whether you choose a traditional garden strategy, container garden or hydroponics, there are many different ways to grow your own food and many reasons to do it. Gardening is an enjoyable, healthy and fulfilling way to ensure access to fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables for you and your family.