Why you should start a local #Growers Network

Too often in hydroponics, there is the assumption that you're just going your own way, and doing everything yourself. But it doesn't have to be that.

Going back many centuries, the idea of gardening is inherently communal, and has to do with the ways that we build societies. So why not take a community approach to hydroponics?

Growers can start small local collectives to get even more out of the technologies that help us grow and produce and consume good local food. Here are some ways that local grower’s networks can help everyone to get more from hydroponic gardening.

Crop Variations

A single hydroponic grower might feel like they have to dabble in a lot of different kinds of plant biology. With a local grower’s network, each individual grower can focus on one crop and learn how to develop it in the best way possible. For instance, grow structures for vining plants like cucumbers is very different than the grow structure for stalk vegetables and other types of produce.

Crop variation or specialization is one of the biggest value propositions for starting one of these local networks in your community.

Staggering Crop Out Schedules

By streamlining or “syncing” crop out schedules, growers can take advantage of more convenient harvesting and use more of the produce that they grow.

The idea goes something like this: a number of growers share their harvests amongst each other. They stagger their crop cycles in order to provide continual harvest. Grower one harvests in week one, grower two harvests in week two, etc. That means the collective has produce coming in every week throughout a specific grow season.

Cross-Breeding

This is another idea that goes back many, many years to when agricultural collectives first started messing around with crossbreeding and plant genetics.

With a local grower’s collective, growers have more access to different kinds of seed stock. They have more access to small clones and cuttings from plants that they can use to grow into mature plants. They have more access to crossbreeding and these kinds of collaborative, cooperative efforts.

These are just some of the reasons why a local grower’s community can help you to get more out of your hydroponics project. For more, check out Dealzer’s website to learn about all of the resources you can use to make your hydroponic dreams a reality.