3 ms·

That seems like an overly romantic way to look at it though. I'm sure I would probably derive some happiness from growing my own food; after all that's mostly w

by hencq 15y ago

That seems like an overly romantic way to look at it though. I'm sure I would probably derive some happiness from growing my own food; after all that's mostly why people tend to gardens/model railways/personal blogs/etc. However, if it's something that needs to be done to be able to actually eat, that work soon becomes just that: work.

grannyg00se 15y ago
Well, to be more serious about it, the actual work involved in producing food for a small number of people is not very significant. Once you have your setup built you can have a self-running hydroponic system in place that requires very little work. I grew peppers and tomatoes this way on a 2' by 5' work bench. The only work required during the growing period was occasional water resevoir filling. I would love to have a large multi-level greenhouse to work with. I suspect that the average backyard could supply enough food for three or four families with about 1hr per week invested in time.
- billswift 15y ago
  When you are actually depending on that food it is a lot of work and even more stress. You're talking about just playing at raising food,
- roel_v 15y ago
  (I used to grow some peppers and tomatoes too this way, I understand the attraction in it). When you set up a hydroponic system like that, the cost side of the argument in the OP changes dramatically though. Then it becomes a real 'hobby' in the sense that it costs more than you can possibly get out of it (unless you grow marihuana in it - ironically, the most information I could find on hydroponics was in books for marihuana growers, and the shop I got my supplies from sells their stuff mostly to that audience and demos their gear by growing peppers in them. The first time I came there the guy was quite excited to speak to someone who didn't intend to grow marihuana).

3 ms·

That seems like an overly romantic way to look at it though. I'm sure I would probably derive some happiness from growing my own food; after all that's mostly w

by hencq 15y ago

grannyg00se 15y ago
Well, to be more serious about it, the actual work involved in producing food for a small number of people is not very significant. Once you have your setup built you can have a self-running hydroponic system in place that requires very little work. I grew peppers and tomatoes this way on a 2' by 5' work bench. The only work required during the growing period was occasional water resevoir filling. I would love to have a large multi-level greenhouse to work with. I suspect that the average backyard could supply enough food for three or four families with about 1hr per week invested in time.
- billswift 15y ago
  When you are actually depending on that food it is a lot of work and even more stress. You're talking about just playing at raising food,
- roel_v 15y ago
  (I used to grow some peppers and tomatoes too this way, I understand the attraction in it). When you set up a hydroponic system like that, the cost side of the argument in the OP changes dramatically though. Then it becomes a real 'hobby' in the sense that it costs more than you can possibly get out of it (unless you grow marihuana in it - ironically, the most information I could find on hydroponics was in books for marihuana growers, and the shop I got my supplies from sells their stuff mostly to that audience and demos their gear by growing peppers in them. The first time I came there the guy was quite excited to speak to someone who didn't intend to grow marihuana).