What size and type of container should you use and what do you put in it, organic or synthetic?
Most indoor gardeners use inert mediums such as coco or peat as a base and add liquid nutrients and additives. The medium you choose as a substrate and how you amend it can significantly affect how you will care for your plants and how they will grow. I have grown successfully in almost every substrate and can’t say if one is significantly better. For my outdoor garden, I prefer large raised beds of organic soil. Indoors, I use coco/perlite blends with synthetic nutrients.
What works for me won’t necessarily apply to your gardening situation. If all growing substrates can lead to a perfect garden, what’s the difference? When we dig into this subject, we realise that life lies under the surface and how it’s cared for and managed is one of the keys to success.
Stephen Brookes offers some excellent advice in his article, The Dos and Donts of Reusing Substrates. Colin Bell documents his experiences in growing with both soil and substrates and the key differences he’s observed, and Jesse Singer takes an in-depth look at the peat industry and its impact on the health of the planet.
Once you finish reading all the gardening stuff (and if you’re in the mood for controversy), Everest Fernandez has written an opinion piece, Vaccine Apartheid – Will We Let Covid-19 Divide and Conquer Us? Certainly one of the most divisive issues of our time.
Have a green day.