Indoor Gardening—Practical Produce

Recently, reports of crop shortages, supply chain issues and soaring prices seem to have become commonplace in our news cycle, bringing into question the security of our food sources. Unfortunately, there’s no single cause to root out, but rather a conflagration of culprits – drought-stricken rice fields, disease-blighted lettuce, and hurricane-damaged citrus are just a few examples.

While we can do quite a bit of outdoor gardening for personal consumption to offset price-hikes and empty-shelves at the grocery store, similar environmental challenges to commercial growing remain. As we’ve experienced in 2022, persistent drought conditions put a strain not only on our limited water resources, but also on our wallets. The cost of maintaining a healthy garden seems unsustainable with annual rainfall totals less than 50% of normal in some areas. Our gardens are also subject to disease and pest infestations, just like any larger operation, and our Midwestern growing season certainly has its limitations.

Indoor cultivation could be part of the solution to securing our future meals, either supplementing store-bought produce or replacing it entirely. We know that it’s technically possible, but is bringing the garden indoors actually a practical option for the average person? Is it cost-effective? Does the produce provide the same nutritional content as its outdoor counterparts? Does indoor gardening align with one’s environmental values?

To start, let’s address the general practicality, which relies heavily on the amount of daily food intake you intend to replace. With proper design, planning and preparation, even a 12’ x 12’ spare bedroom or unfinished basement can support one individual for an entire year, depending on the type of plants you prefer to grow. Varieties with significant footprints may prove to require additional square footage. Growing vertically, including the use of shelves or racks, can also dramatically expand your total plant-available space.

Equipment can range significantly in price and it’s easy to get

carried away purchasing all kinds of gadgets and gizmos. If you stick to the basics, though, your only major up-front expense will be lighting. Pots, containers, seeds, overflow trays, shelves, floor fans, wall fans, etc., can likely be scrounged from around the house or purchased second-hand, and they can all be re-used from harvest to harvest. Light-emitting diode (LED) horticultural lighting is typically best for this type of application, as it radiates less heat, maximizes electrical efficiency compared to other styles, and has a lifespan upwards of 10 years. These lights generally cost between $1.00 and $2.00 per watt of energy they consume. As an example, for around $50 you could purchase a 32-Watt LED strip that can be mounted on a rack directly above up to 10 plantings of loose-headed lettuce. If run for 12 hours per day, 365 days per year, at an average rate of $0.12/kWh, the additional monthly cost to your electric bill would be $1.40 (almost one third the cost of a single 16oz package of mixed

greens). That seems quite reasonable, if you consider that it can be harvested weekly into perpetuity, providing enough for at least one person all year long.

What about water, grow media and fertilizer – the recurring inputs that aren’t just one-time purchases?

All things equal, you’ll likely use much less water on a per-plant basis when growing indoors than in a traditional outdoor in-ground or raised-bed garden setting. The precision made possible by applying just the right amount of water, exactly when it’s needed, with limited run-off, is a tremendous benefit of indoor growing. Hydroponic settings offer even greater control by recirculating any excess water through a closed system until it’s eventually utilized by your plants. Based on average city water prices, and assuming a head of lettuce consumes 3 gallons of water through its lifecycle, $1.00 worth of tap water could produce more than 46 heads of lettuce! Missing from the equation, is the impact of rainwater. Just as rain may reduce the need for supplemental watering of an outdoor garden, so too can it aid indoor plants. A basic collection system using a plastic drum or tote will allow you to capture rainwater and redeploy it indoors as needed, further reducing costs.

Similar to outdoor gardening, grow media and fertilizer costs continue to rely heavily on the preferences and values of the individual gardener. Hydroponic growers may choose one-time use media like Rockwool or a reusable media like clay pebbles. Soil growers may choose a pre-bagged nutrient-rich potting mix or a blend using compost produced in their own backyard. Supplemental fertilizers in dry, liquid or water-soluble forms offer both organically and synthetically produced options. There really is something to fit every grower’s philosophy. For illustrative purposes, to produce the 46 heads of lettuce referenced previously, it would require approximately 1 pint of synthetic fertilizer at a total cost of around $16.00.

What’s certain is that given the proper regimen of inputs, indoorgrown plants can be just as nutritious and flavorful as those grown outdoors. In fact, because each variety has its own particular macro and micronutrient requirements, it’s possible to improve their quality by giving them an optimal fertilizer mix on a plant-by-plant basis. Meanwhile, you can do all of this without breaking the bank, creating additional strain on sparse natural resources, or sacrificing your personal values.

What’s certain is that given the proper regimen of inputs, indoor-grown plants can be just as nutritious and flavorful as those grown outdoors.

JASON MISPAGEL Indoor Gardener

Jason Mispagel is the co-owner and operator of Year-Round Garden, a grower’s supply center serving both home and commercial customers since 2016. To contact Jason, call 816-216-6917 or jason@year-roundgarden.com.