Sustainable living has been growing in popularity for the past few years. And the trend owes it to the growing awareness about the possible toll that urbanization takes on human health. To put it into perspective, more and more people are now opting for homegrown crops and yields. In fact, several studies reveal that people in the urban regions are now setting up gardens for farming in their backyards or terrace.
If you’re also planning to create a sustainable small farm in your backyard, then this article is for you. Here you shall find all the possible ways you can exploit to get the maximum yield without having to sacrifice too much money or time.
Choosing The Site For Cropping
For starters, the very first thing you should be doing is deciding the site for the cultivation of the crops. Of course, you can cultivate your crops out in the open, where they can receive the natural light and resources from soil. Or otherwise, you can also create yourself a ponics garden. Essentially, a ponics garden uses other forms of farming such as horticulture, fisheries, and dairy farming as a support for the crops. For example, you can use the excretes from your dairy animals as fertilizers for your crops. This is indeed the easiest method of setting a home garden or farm. In case, you’re using ponics technology for cultivating your vegetables and herbs, you may need to get an enclosed structure for farming needs. That is the reason for deciding the site should be your first priority when setting up a farm at your home.
Deciding The Need For Greenhouse
Once you have decided the site for the cultivation of your crops, the next thing you need is to decide whether you need a greenhouse or not. Particularly, if you live in colder regions, you must consider getting a greenhouse to keep your crops warm and humid at all times. Essentially, frost and cold climates are not suitable for the healthy growth of most crops that you’d be using in your daily life.
Choosing A Sustainable Irrigation System
Besides, you would also need to decide the type of irrigation system. Nowadays, people have several options including freshwater and greywater irrigation systems. Notably, the most remarkable of all seems to be the aquaponics system. The system essentially uses gray water from wish tanks to irrigate the crops. During the process, the waste produced by the aquatics serves as a nutritious food for the crops. In fact, there are tons of options for choosing the fishes and crops that can co-exist in harmony. The plus is, choosing the right kind of fish can also serve you with healthy meat along with high-quality veggies and herbs. And in addition to this, experts also explain that this method could reduce the water consumption by up to 75% for your irrigation as well as fishing needs.
Picking Up The Right Crops For Harvesting
Since there are several factors at play for a good harvest, you simply cannot choose just about any crop or plant. Consider the climatic conditions, the nutritional needs, maintenance and harvesting time before you plan on cultivating any corp. For example, veggies and herbs like lettuce, cabbages, spinach, etc. are easier to grow and can also withstand a variety of conditions. In short, the crops you choose to cultivate should be good to go with the irrigation systems and the environmental conditions you can offer.
Other Auxilliary Equipments You May Need
Of course, when you’re planning to build yourself a small farm in your backyard, you can’t be digging holes with your fingernails. That being said, you’d need to invest a little in getting yourself the appropriate tools and equipment. For example, tillers, axe, hoe, shovel and spade are some of the most common tools used in farming. You do have an option to get power tools or simple hand tools, as per your desire. Of course, power tools can reduce your effort while also improving the efficiency but at the same time they can also be costly. So, pay close heed to the tools that you need and buy only the necessary ones.
Creating a backyard farm is surely an exciting project, but it’s surely not a walk in the park. Although it is a lot easier than handling an acres long farm, it still needs careful attention and care. Most of all, the decisions you make regarding the crop types would affect your harvest the most. All in all, it could still be a fulfilling experience and surely can help you live a sustainable life.