With the summers' heat behind us, it's time to start planning that new indoor garden. This is the perfect time of year to get set-up. Temperatures are easier to control, humidity is much more manageable, and the days are getting shorter, prompting us to find new hobbies to occupy our time during the long, dark winter months. Let's face it: unless we've got our own indoor garden, our produce is coming from the grocery store.

     The joy of eating snow peas while snow is on the ground, snipping cilantro for homemade pico-de-gallo on Christmas Eve, or crusting the outside of that big juicy Thanksgiving bird with fresh thyme and rosemary, is unbeatable. There is something so soothing in the fact that you get to say “I grew this”. It really is empowering.

     Maybe you already have an indoor garden? Now is the time to test your equipment, replace your tired old bulbs with new ones, refresh your fertilizers, maybe upgrade to that quiet digital ballast you've been pining over, or that environmental controller that keeps your temps and humidity in check without all the headaches you experienced last winter. It's time to calibrate your meters, clean the glass on those reflectors, blow out your ducting and sterilize the room. It is much easier to get everything dialed in BEFORE plants are growing, your plants will thank you for getting their environment perfect prior to germinating your seeds, rather than waiting to see signs of stress before making the necessary changes.

     There are a lot of decisions to be made, and special considerations must be taken to be sure your garden is going to work for you. How much room do you have to dedicate to the garden? How much time will you be able to devote to it? Where will it be located, somewhere warm? Somewhere cold? Will there be access to fresh air, or will you need supplemental CO2? What type of lighting will you need, and how much? Are you going to benefit from the added warmth of HID's, or the lack of heat that is available with LED's? Maybe fluorescent lights will suit you if your garden falls in between...

     What are you going to grow, and how do you plan to grow it? Soil? Hydro? Maybe a little of both? The more time spent planning is going to equal less time spent making changes and more time enjoying your new garden.

     New England Hydroponics not only supplies gardeners with all the gear they need, but we also have the knowledge and experience to make sure they get the most out their gardens. Feel free to give us a call or shoot us an email, getting started can be an involved and intimidating process, we understand this. That's why we are here to help.

-posted by kevin