HOMESTEADING is hard work. According to a recent informal poll in a Facebook group on Homesteading and Prepping, one of the most difficult aspects of homesteading is that you have to do everything by yourself. The more you attempt to do on your own, the more valuable certain automation technologies become. Simple things like timers and thermostats to make sure things turn on at the right time without you having to think about it can relieve some of the burden of self-sufficient living. More sophisticated systems, like solar or wind power systems, require more upfront investment, but have exceptionally long lives and automated functionality that requires minimal time or maintenance, making them huge assets for a working homestead.
With so many things that depend on you, like gardens and live animals, and the perpetual list of projects that always seems to grow, automation can be a "force multiplier", enabling you to do things you could never accomplish without it. This is where the cost/benefit analysis kicks in. Are you willing to do everything manually? Unless you are a Luddite, you would probably consider investments in time-multiplying automation well worth the money.
This is where Eden Grow Systems comes in. I discovered Eden when I was looking for an automated grow system. Let me be clear - I am not a homesteader. I live in the suburbs of Houston, Texas, in a typical neighborhood with a typical subdivision lot. I've dabbled in a little bit of "backyard farming" trying my best to get tomatoes and peppers to grow, but I haven't been too successful and almost gave up. If it wasn't the critters devouring my tomatoes just as they started to get good and ripe, or the summer heat in Houston making any outdoor activity uncomfortable (and even dangerous some days), there were just too many challenges. Watering, fertilizing, weeding, nursing tender young plants, all take constant attention. But, like most people, I'm busy (thanks to Eden). And after all, how many tomatoes can you actually get out of a backyard without turning the whole thing into a giant raised bed? My wife is not a fan of that idea.
With a Grow Tower, I get so many solutions to so many problems, and so many benefits for myself and my family. It's done indoors, so that takes care of heat, growing season limitations, and bugs and critters eating the fruits of my labor. It is extremely space efficient, so I can get a lot out of a 2-foot-by-4-foot space. And, the best part, it's AUTOMATED. I just make sure there's water and nutrient solution in the reservoir (which holds 60 gallons, so I don't even have to worry about refilling it except for every few weeks). It automatically turns on misters in the root chamber to feed the plants, which grow like crazy because they are saturated with nutrients and oxygen (what a life). And I don't even have to worry about processing a huge crop all at once - I can consume fresh fruits and vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, herbs, and strawberries, straight from the plant. Maximum flavor and nutrition with a fraction of the effort - and TIME - of outdoor conventional gardening. Totally organic, super-nutritious food, grown hyperlocal.
I'll still have some things growing outside, during the right season, but with the Grow Tower, it's fresh food, 365 days a year. You can't do that outside in Houston, or any homestead (unless you live in certain parts of California or the tropics), and you can't do that conventionally without a lot of time and effort.
I'm waiting for my Grow Tower to get built by the team at Eden. I can't wait to get it and begin this new journey of automated health food production.