Indoor Farming for All

Almost everyone cultivates at least some indoor plants, because we all love the live green touch they bring to our homes, and how their presence lights up and energizes any room…   

A couple of years ago, I stayed for ten months in a house with a smoker living on the ground floor, while I lived on the floor above.  I thought everything would be okay if I kept the communicating doors closed, but all that smoke had a way of drifting up through invisible cracks as well as the stairwell, and even when the door to the stairs was kept closed.  I finally found a solution, on an Indian website, where I learned that smart, health-conscious people in India choose their indoor plants with the local polution in mind.  Five medium-sized plants selected for their oxygen producing qualities, per room and per person…  I tried it, and it definitely helped, making what smoke I couldn’t keep out at least bearable.  And I fell in love with the feeling I was sleeping in a garden!

So, after discovering the truth about ‘climate change’ (what used to be called ‘global warming’… until those promoting the idea finally realized they’d got it wrong), and after doing a little research and listening to nobel scientist Ivar Glaever, speaking at the 2015 meeting of nobel laureates (available at lindau-nobel.org), it was clear to me that my future indoor oxygen-producing plants should also earn their keep by producing my very own, personal vegetable (and maybe fruit) crop…  And what was that Glaever said about a new mini ice age?   One of the beauties of indoor farming is that you can do it and harvest crops all year round, whatever the weather or season.

Why bother with Indoor Farming?

Why indeed.  I like to eat.  Almost everyone I know likes to eat.  And even those who don’t, do it anyway…  for a very good reason :  None of us has a choice.  As long as we’re alive, our physical bodies–  what gives them the strength to get up and go each day– are being sustained by the food we eat.  Cells are constantly being renewed, as they wear out…  and to build new cells, the body needs the ‘building blocks’ that ought to come from our food…  The better the quality of the food we eat, the better the quality of our cells and consequently our energy (including our mental clarity).  We are what we eat is literally true:  We are, all of us, just transformed food…  (Where else could the cells of our body come from?)  That’s why our grandmothers and grandfathers thought in terms of nourishing their families, not just giving them something to eat.

Indoor Farming for All / 

How Important is Fresh?  

Most of us don’t like paying top dollar, or any dollar, for wilted veggies…  That’s one of the biggest challenges for food distributors and supermarkets, big and small…  If you live in an urban environment, such as we have, and many times, over the years, you know how difficult it can be, when you’re arriving in a new neighborhood, to sort out where to go to find fresh produce that’s worth being bought.  And sometimes, like me, you’ve probably been obliged to settle for what you can get, just to have something to put on your plates.  How cool is it to think of just walking into a room of your own home (or even just a closet) to pick out your vegetables for the day…  Shelves stacked high with trays of fresh lettuce and basil and tomatoes…  and how about some zuchini or squash to go with your rice…?  What could be better?  At a time when the supply chains are breaking down and transportation costs are soaring, you don’t have far to go to nourish your family…  and the vegetables don’t get any fresher!

Indoor Farming for All / What was that about a Mini Ice Age ???

Yes, you heard it right.  The real direction we’re headed in, according to retired Nasa scientist and author John Casey, as well as Ivar Glaever, and many, many other scientists, as we shall see, is to a new mini ice age.  In fact, it seems we’ve been living in a privileged time, when the cycle of Earth’s temperatures has been at the mildest our planet knows.  We have the historical observations now to see that we’re going into a mini ice age, even if many of us won’t be around to see the worst of it.  Humanity will have to wait another 400 years or more to experience such a period of clement weather again…  But let’s keep this in perspective, shall we?  Our species, indeed all species, have been through this challenge before, in the history of our planet, and more than once.  This time, we have the data from the observations of previous generations to see the cycles and understand what the challenges ahead will be.  Humanity survived before, and without all the advantages of technology and the time to plan ahead that we have today…  So, there’s no reason to panic…  But it is time to prepare, so that we can thrive.  And that’s where your indoor farm comes in…   And if you’re clever and store up reserves of the staples you cannot grow, you will face climate hardships and any eventual urban disruptions with peace of mind. 

Indoor Farming for All / Love a Plant, Be Zen!

At a time already fraught with hardships and urban chaos having nothing to do with climate change, when it seems like everything is conspiring to make us neurotic, it just makes sense to plan ahead to keep that margin of ‘peace of mind’ as wide as you can make it, for ourselves and for those we love…  And any gardener will tell you that one of the great rewards of growing, whether green plants and flowers, or vegetables and fruit, is the pleasure of that contact with Nature that our urban, or suburban, lifestyle so often keeps us from enjoying.  Watching plants grow from day to day is way of regularly observing the miracle of Nature, of which we are a part, and that helps us keep our feet on the ground, and keeps us zen!

Indoor Farming for All?

The downside of such a project is that there is an initial investment of time and money, of course.  But once your project is up and running, the time investment can be managed, and (of course) you can fit it in to suit your schedule, as you like.  Also, over time, your costs will decrease, especially due to being offset by what you save on buying produce.  And, considering as well, the psychological hedge your indoor farm will give you against the stress of worrying about future natural or social disasters, isn’t the total sum worth the cost?  You have to try it to find out…

Join us as we put our convictions to the test with an open mind and a willing heart, not to mention a certain expectant anticipation…  We will be looking for methods that anyone can follow in an urban indoor environment, and for tips on how to succeed on the cheap, as well as taking a look at all the hi-tech tools being developed by innovators to provide short-cuts for those who want (and can afford) them.  We also hope that those who visit our site and who have useful tips to contribute will do so, so that they get the reward of sharing with like-minded people.  

Welcome to our site!  Make yourself at home!