The Benefits of Growing Your Own Food

Home growing has become increasingly popular in recent years, as people look for ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle and eat healthier foods. One way to start home growing is by using a smart garden from Click and Grow from Farm Your Home. With a smart garden, you can grow a variety of vegetables, herbs, and flowers right in your own home.

Home growing food has always been a popular hobby for people of all ages. The idea of growing your own vegetables, herbs, and flowers not only provides fresh produce but also gives a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. However, gardening can be a daunting task for beginners, especially if you lack the necessary space or knowledge. Fortunately, technology has made home gardening easier than ever before with the introduction of smart gardens. In this blog post, we’re excited to explain to you how you can start growing your own vegetables, herbs, and flowers with a smart garden from Click and Grow. If we can do it, you can do it!

What is a Smart Garden?

Here’s the background if you want to understand how they came about: A smart garden is a system that allows you to grow plants indoors without the need for soil or sunlight. The concept of hydroponics, or growing plants in a nutrient-rich water solution, has been around for centuries. However, modern technology has made it possible to create self-contained, automated systems that provide the perfect environment for plants to thrive. Smart gardens typically use LED lighting, sensors, and automated watering systems to create an ideal growing environment for plants.

Click and Grow is one of the leading manufacturers of smart gardens. Their systems are designed to be easy to use and require minimal maintenance. They offer several ranges of smart gardens. They are also unique in the home growing industry because they invented what they call “plant pods” which contain soil, seeds and all the nutrients needed to grow the specific plant, herb or flowers you choose. They come in 3 packs and all you do is literally open the pack and put them in the plant cups, add water and turn on the lights. 

Advantages of Using a Smart Garden

Here are some advantages to using a smart garden for home growing:

1. Space-saving: Click and Grow smart gardens are compact and can be easily placed on a countertop or table, depending on the model you choose. This makes them ideal for people who live in apartments or have limited outdoor space.
2. Year-round gardening: With a smart garden, you can grow plants year-round, regardless of the weather outside. So you can enjoy fresh produce and flowers even in the middle of winter.
3. Easy to use: Click and Grow smart gardens require minimal maintenance and are super easy to set up.
4. Saves time: With a smart garden, you don't need to spend time watering or fertilizing your plants. The system takes care of these tasks automatically. Plus if you need to be away from the garden for several days, unless it’s over 2 weeks, no one needs to come and water your plants.
5. Healthier plants: Smart gardens provide the ideal growing environment for plants, which means they are less susceptible to disease and pests. This can result in healthier plants and better yields.

Getting Started with Click and Grow

Step 1: Choose a Smart Garden

The first step in home growing with Click and Grow gardens from Farm Your Home is to choose the right smart garden for your needs. We offer several different options, each designed for a specific type of plant. Here are a few of the most popular smart gardens:

1. Smart Garden 3: This is Click and Grow's most compact smart garden and is designed for growing herbs. It can accommodate up to three plants at a time. Awesome for very small spaces or if you just use a few herbs here and there.
2. Smart Garden 9: The Smart Garden 9 is designed for growing herbs,  vegetables and salad greens. It can accommodate up to nine plants at a time. You can put in a few herbs and some veggies and have a nice little home growing device.
3. Smart Garden 25: This is for the greens lover. It is traditionally set up to provide continuous greens consistently. However, it could be used for any of their plant pods. It also has the ability to be protected from pets with their glass and fan add-on. 
4. Smart Garden 27: The Smart Garden 27 is a larger home growing garden from Click and Grow and is designed for growing a variety of plants, including herbs, vegetables, and flowers. It can accommodate up to 27 plants at a time.
5. The Wall Garden: The largest and newest smart garden from Click and Grow can house up to 51 plant pods at once. It reminds us of a beautiful bookcase with lighting. This would be great for a larger family or for someone who really enjoys blooming flowers year round. It could also be used in an office space or perhaps a school setting. It’s the crème de la crème of home growing.

Step 2: Set Up Your Smart Garden

Once you've chosen your smart garden, the next step is to set it up. This is a straightforward process that typically involves the following steps:

1. Fill the Water Tank: The first step is to fill the water tank with water. The amount of water you need will depend on the size of your smart garden. Click and Grow provides clear instructions on how much water to add for each size of smart garden. 
2. Insert the Seed Pods: Click and Grow's smart gardens come with pre-seeded pods that are ready to plant. Simply insert the pods into the designated slots in the smart garden. You can also choose additional pods to have on hand as they can last up to a year if kept out of the sunlight in the suggested proper temperature.
3. Connect the Power Cord: Plug the power cord into the smart garden and into an electrical outlet which turns on the garden. The light will stay on for 16 hours then automatically turn off for 8. 

Step 3: Monitor and Maintain Your Smart Garden

Once your smart garden is set up, all you need to do is monitor and maintain it. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your smart garden:

1. Check the Water Level: It's important to check the water level in your smart garden regularly. Click and Grow's smart gardens have indicators to tell you when the water level is low, but it's still a good idea to check it periodically.
2. Adjust the Lighting: Click and Grow's smart gardens use LED lights to simulate sunlight. You can adjust the lighting depending on the type of plants you're growing and their stage of growth. If your plants are taller, the Smart Garden 3 and Smart Garden 9 have arm extensions available for purchase.
3. Prune and Harvest: As your plants grow, you'll need to prune them to keep them from becoming too crowded. You can also harvest your plants as they mature.
4. Clean the Smart Garden: It's important to keep your smart garden clean to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. Click and Grow's smart gardens come with instructions on how to clean them properly.

What Can You Grow in a Smart Garden?

One of the great things about smart gardens is that you can grow a wide variety of plants. Here are just a few examples of what you can grow in a smart garden from Click and Grow:

1. Herbs: Click and Grow's Smart Garden 3 is specifically designed for growing herbs. You can grow a variety of herbs, including basil, parsley, cilantro, and mint.
2. Vegetables: Click and Grow's Smart Garden 9 is designed for growing vegetables and salad greens. You can grow a variety of vegetables, including cherry tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers.
3. Flowers: Click and Grow's Smart Garden 27 is designed for growing a variety of plants, including flowers. You can grow a variety of flowers, including petunias, marigolds, and pansies.
4. If you are adventurous, we offer “grow anything” plant pods. One for fruiting plants and one optimized for non fruiting plants. They come with the smart soil pods, but no seeds are included. So you can get creative and experiment with your home growing! Some people even start seeds in their smart gardens, then transplant them to their outdoor garden.
5. All Click and Grow Smart Gardens can grow any of the plant pods. 

Home growing with a smart garden from Click and Grow is a fun and easy way to grow your own vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Smart gardens offer a space-saving and convenient way to grow plants year-round, regardless of the weather outside. 

Shop Smart Gardens RIGHT HERE.