Wouldn’t it be nice to produce delicious fruits and vegetables all year round without worrying about droughts or floods? Well, you can, and it’s a lot easier than you may think. Almost sounds too good to be true, I know! However, let me introduce you to the world of Hydroponics. Hydroponics is a type of gardening that utlises a rich nutient solution to grow plants in. Plants are then able to extract all the goodness they require in a much easier fashion than from soil.

Basics of A Hydroponics System

A hydroponics growing system consists of a reservoir, a light, and air pump to circulate oxygen in the solution, and that’s pretty much it. Except for of course, the seeds you wish to plant. Since your plants are grown in a solution and not soil, the need for pesticides and weed killer is not necessary, thus reducing your gardening efforts. Therefore reducing your carbon footprint buy pumping less harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. The nutrient solution in a hydroponic growing system manily consists of a combination of potassium phosphate, magnesium sulphate, calcium nitrate and potasium nitrate. Before the nutrients are circulated through the plants root system, they must be completely dissolved first.

How You Can Control The Weather

Another beauty of hydroponic growing systems is the environment in which it grows in. As it grows indoors, you can control the exact temperature that is required to grow your plants at their optimum. This is why growing whatever you want, whenever you want no matter what season it is, is not an issue.

Environmental Benefits

In addition to the ability to control the growing environment, there are also environmental benefits to using a hydroponic growing systemFirst of all, as a hydroponic growing system uses less space to create more crops than regular farming, natural resources are preserved. In fact, you can even create a hydroponic growing system in which plants grow vertically instead of horizontally, so you can have many plants growing in a few square inches of space. Building a hydroponics system can easily be done with recycled plastic buckets. Bigger systems sometimes recycle their water, as a result less water is required throughout the growing process. Hydroponics is an easy, clean and simple form of gardening that literally anyone can do with a few space minutes of spare time each week.

One.  The first survival food storage secret is to learn to garden and use whatever space you have available.  From a back yard area, raised beds, container gardens on a deck or tiny herb pots in the kitchen window, folk can grow more than they think with a little creativity and effort.  Use edible landscaping for plants that are ornamental as well as that provide food.Need a few shade trees?  Why not use fruit or nut trees - they will supply shade as well as food.  

Two.  Learn to ‘put up’ food - canning, food dehydrating and other strategies are increasingly easy with modern gizmos designed to preserve food.  It takes a little effort - but on a kitchen counter you can dry enough herbs for a year ; you can make real powdered and flaked pepper, garlic and onion.  

Three.  Next survival food storage  secret is if you freeze food, be sure you have got a means to keep it going in a crisis.  If the electricity goes off you do not need to lose a year’s supply of food!  Have a generator and fuel, get a propane refrigerator, have some means of keeping that food cold.Putting food aside is only one part of increasing your food supply - storing it safely is the other issue.  

Four.  Be discreet.  Don’t brag about your food supply and don’t spread the gospel you have six months of food in your basement.  If you do, and there’s a crisis, you could be overrun with folk who know you have lots stocked away.  Are you then prepared to defend your food supply?  

Five.  Storage a problem?Use areas many don’t think about.  The pantry is good for many things but if you are putting up lots of jars of spaghetti sauce, preserves, soups and other sauces you’re going to need room.  Have a protected corner of the basement up off the ground ( enough that a wet floor will not damage the food ).  

Six.Here is another survival food storage tip.  Along with your food supply have a means to prepare food including water, griddle and gas/wood/charcoal, and so on.  If a storm| typhoon knocks an area down for 2-3 weeks be ready to rely on your own resources for those 2-3 weeks.  Have on hand not only requirement items but some luxury items also.  These may include a little candy, or cookies or something that just makes things a little more like home.  

Seven.  Don’t forget storing private hygiene items - you can make a ‘composting toilet’ from free plans onlinehaving this available with sawdust or chips, toilet roll and other survival gear can seriously increase the comfort in an emergency.  

Eight.  Don’t depend on the govt helping - or on people being friendly.  A catastrophic situation like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina showed the govt cannot handle it - people have got to be ready to rely on themselves.  Prepare and have plans in place for tornado, fire, emergency evacuation and sheltering in place ( being limited to home ).Remember a train derailment or other issues could change things quickly!  Practice that evacuation.  You have 10 minutes- what do you grab?  Hesitating can be deadlyhaving a plan can mean survival.  

Nine.  Be able to cook from the start, make bread and do other skills to get thru if you had to.  If you have the food stocked up it doesn’t do any good if you can’t|are unable to use it.  If you rely on mixes make your own mixes in Ziploc bags that seal tightly - label with a marker right on the bag with how much liquid, egg and oil to add.  In a pinch, that bag can be the bowl - simply put wet ingredients in and mix, then pour into a baking pan.  Experiment with your griddle to make things before you’ve got to.  

Ten.  Having the ability to hunt and fish can imply having an ongoing food supply.  Having fishing gear and hunting supplies can imply the difference between eating or not.  In the depression some spoke of having a small dog that would go thru culverts and flush out rabbits while the enormous dog at the other end dispatched the rabbit as it ran out.  Sporting?  Perhaps notbut if it comes to eating or not, how moral will you be after not eating for four days?  

Don’t wait to get prepared.  Work on getting things growing, on learning the skills you have got to in order to survive.  When the public food supply is interrupted it’ll be too late.

Find more essential survival gear at http://essentialsurvivalgearcatalog.com

If you’re looking for something a bit different then creating your own homemade hydroponic system is a great alternative to a traditional garden. A hydroponic garden is good as they are flexible and convenient. You can grow your garden anywhere in the house and they are easy to maintain. Another plus of a homemade hydroponic system is that you can produce larger crops in less space and you also don’t have to worry about soil quality or garden size.

To get you started the first thing you’ll need is a container that’s suitable to put your plants in. The size depends on the number and size of the plants you want to grow. You can use anything from a fish tank to a bucket or ice cream container. Just make sure that you black out any translucent material to stop the light getting to the roots of your plants. The container should also be clean. Doing this will also stop algae from forming and damaging your plants. The next step is deciding what you’re going to grow your plants in.

A homemade hydroponic system uses a nutrient solution instead of soil to give your plants everything they need to thrive. Some people simply use water and nutrient solution whilst others prefer to use a growing medium such as perlite, sand or rockwool to house the roots, water and nutrient solution. You can find supplies at any good gardeing store and if you’re not sure of anything they will be able to give you advice on what’s best for your garden.

The kind of plants you grow really depends on what you want. You can grow fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers with a homemade hydroponic system. There are some types of plants that grow particularly well in a hydroponic garden. If you’re not sure what to buy ask your local gardening store or purchase a hydroponic kit to get you started.

To complete your homemade hydroponic system you will need a pump to get the oxygen to the roots of your plants and a grow light to supply adequate light so your plants undergo photosynthesis and can grow properly. The size and type of pump and grow light you need will depend on the size of the container you have and the type of plants you are growing. Again you can ask an expert at a gardening store or find what you need online, just be sure that you are getting accurate information.

A homemade hydroponic system will open up a new world of gardening for you and allow you to grow plants with minimal fuss. Hydroponic gardens are perfect for people with a busy lifestyle and with a little effort you can have a great garden. Have fun with your garden!

It is well known that gardening enthusiasts need a heat source for their greenhouse in order to extend the growing season or grow plants all year. Who wouldn’t want to be growing plants in a greenhouse no matter what season it is!Greenhouse gardeners usually prefer to use electric greenhouse heaters as opposed to paraffin heaters.

It is extremely convenient and easy to use electric heaters. You can program the desired termperature you wish to retain with thermostatic controls and then let the heater do its job. There are some greenhouse gardeners who invest in complete heat/AC systems for their greenhouse so they provide heat in the winter and cooling in the summer, allowing controlled temperature all year round. You want to build your own greenhouse, why not make it so that it is available for use all year long.

Factors to Consider when Choosing an Electric Greenhouse Heater

When choosing an electric greenhouse heater it is best to select one that not only has a fan, but a variable speed fan with an option that allows for blowing non-heated air. Blowing unheated air allows the gardener to simply circulate and refresh the air in the greenhouse. Your heater should include a fan as this is important for you to minimize cold spots and prevent fungus problems caused by stale air.

The larger the greenhouse, the larger the heating capacity needed for the electric greenhouse heater. Be certain the heater you select is a suitable size as if the heater is too small for the size of the greenhouse it may run continually, causing overheating and a possibly a fire. A 2,000-3,000 watt electric greenhouse heater is a good size for most home greenhouses, since it is neither too small to adequately heat nor so large the greenhouse plants can be possibly damaged.

You may use electric greenhouse heaters installed permanently, or you may prefer a model that is portable so you can remove it from the greenhouse when not in use. Don’t have a power source near by? Learn about gas greenhouse heaters.

When you are ready to purchase your electric greenhouse heater, choose one designed for greenhouse use so you will deflect any electric and water problems.

Let’s begin with a brief understanding on what hydroponics is before we delve into hydroponic drip systems. Hydroponics is a way of growing plants, be it vegetables, fruits or herbs without the use of soil and natural light. Soil is not necessary as the plants are grown in a solutuion rich in nutrients. Hydroponics is generally set up inside using special lights to promote growth. This unique style of gardening allows you to grow crops all year round regardless of seasons. There are a few different types of hydroponics systems you can choose from, but its hydroponic drip systems that are most commonly used throughout the world. The process and layout of this type of system is very straight forward. A pump is submerged in the solution and is controlled by a timer. A drip line supplies the solution to the plants via the pump at intervals set by the timer. A recovery drip system will reuse any unnecessary solution that has accumulated by redirecting it back to the reservoir. Unless you have a recovery unit on your drip system, the excess solution will accumulate at the plants base. A recovery system is much more efficient as it makes use of the solution more effectively, as a result, a cheaper pump can be used as getting the drip rates dead on is not necessary. Word of caution though, unless you have a recovery unit installed, be aware of the exact amount of solution the plant requires, so you can set your timer accordingly, or they will not grow at their optimum rate. hydroponic drip systems with Recovery units tend to requires more maintenance time than non-recovery systems. The reason being, to maintain a flat level of nutrients and pH balance, the solution will have to be regularly check as a build up can occur due to the recycling process. Adjusting these levels on an ongoing basis will ensure optimum growth of your crop.