Home Gardening: Response to Climate Change

Control of conditions for home gardens can mean growing in a greenhouse, albeit temperature control might still be an issue.  And greenhouses fare poorly in hail.  Another method is to bring some of your garden indoors. 

Whatever method you choose you will need to be aware of the plants needs, including lighting, water, and nutrients.  And potted plants require attention to root size, which means having appropriately sized pots, and the drainage problems the pots present.  You might need to pay much more attention to your garden than if it were to be a conventional, outdoor plot.

Greenhouses are used to help keep plants warm in colder months.  They trap heat.  This can extend the season by allowing seeds to be planted early, and seedlings to be raised to healthy sizes before transplanting.  Unfortunately, a greenhouse will not abate hot summers, unless the glass panels can be covered with opaque material.

Some indoor gardens, especially herb gardens, have been popular for many home cooks.  Reaching for a small amount of any herb is not harmful to the plant, since the plant can regenerate quickly.  Yet the fresh herbs cannot be topped as delicious dishes are prepared.

Some smaller vegetables can also be grown indoors.

While dwarf fruit trees are less likely to provide the bountiful harvest that an outdoor large fruit tree would, a wide variety of fruit can be grown indoors in containers. 

Aeroponic systems allow vegetables to be grown indoors, without even using soil.  Of course, the plants still need nutrients, so the nutrients must be applied. 

These systems come with lighting that can be regulated for time of day and duration. 

The advantage here is the system, if properly chosen, allows for stacking.  Do not allow water from one level to reach the electrical system of a lower level.  This allows more plants to be grown where space is limited.

Hydroponic systems allow nutrients to be absorbed from water.  Water has weight.  As a result, these are not as stackable as aeroponic systems.  But one can add the nutrients to the water, or one can have a time release system to help pace the nutrients.  The advantage is if you are not as conscious as you should be a slight variation in care is more forgiving, and watering is also less frequent.

As climate becomes more erratic, and conditions become less predictable one season to the next, alternative gardening can still reward you with home grown vegetables.  Of course, corn, okra, and other large plants might not be adaptable to indoor gardening, so your variety of vegetables might be limited.  Another problem is with pollination.  But pest control is easy. 

One can find space in a spare room, in a basement, or even an attic if it has temperature control. In fact, any small corner that is not being used otherwise can hold a growing system.

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