How To Guide: Growing your own food

From farmers markets to a Growing organic and local presence in your neighborhood grocery store, the desire to eat more sustainably and locally has strengthened since the first cries of global warming were heard. There's just one problem with this. These foods and lifestyle choices are often more expensive.

It can seem unattainable to some people to buy exclusively organically grown produce and locally grown foods and goods.While it is true that these food items are typically more expensive in stores, there are ways to have these delicious fruits and veggies for little to no cost at all.

Gardening is making a comeback

This can seem like a wild statement for those of us living in a tiny apartment in the city. There are limitations to the things you can grow depending on how much space you have, but recent innovations in seeds and gardening have made it possible to grow a plethora of different kinds of produce in even the smallest living space. Things like tomatoes, lettuces, potatoes, and all kinds of peppers do wonderfully in a well lit, small space by a window or on a patio, and require very little hard labor to keep healthy.

How to make your indoor garden successful

1) Research what types of plants can grow in a bucket or small garden trough.

Not all plants can grow in small spaces, like fruit trees for example. Do some research to find out what kind of plants you can grow in your climate and in the amount of space you have available. Foods like tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and potatoes do great in a small amount of space.

2) Talk to the people from your local gardening store.

They often have an arsenal of helpful tips and tools to help you start up your own indoor garden, and can help you decide which plants are the best to grow depending on location, space, and amount of time you have to tend to your garden. They can also tell you what type of soil to use, and which types to avoid. Not all soils are created equal!

3) Buy a couple of extra buckets or containers.

It's always a good idea to have a few extra buckets on hand. If a bucket starts to crack or break, or if you decide to have more plants, it'll be easy to add to your garden without having to make extra trips to the store.

Bonus tip

If you happen to have a spare container, you can even start a compost bin. Composting your extra food scraps, paper, and cardboard is a great way to reduce waste, and compost is a great addition to your soil. It will make your plants happy and help them grow to be tastier and healthier!