Growing Indoors vs. Outdoors: What's Better

Gardening, like most human activities, can be observed through a large spectrum of its variations and different subtypes. My experience tells me that expert growers often lack a consensus about the best way to grow a plant. Even though you’ll find different opinions on this important topic, there are some basic tips that everyone can use.

While trying to find out what’s better - growing indoors vs. outdoors - I was forced to put my knowledge on the subject to the test. I completed the search successfully and here are the results of my quest.

Growing Indoors vs. Outdoors: What's Better

Indoor Growing Requirements

If you want to grow indoors the first step you must take is to set up the growing environment. Your growing option will consequently influence your budget. Or you can do it the other way around.

Decide how much money you are willing to spend on your indoor garden and then choose the growing system. Indoor growing systems can’t work without lights and nutrients. But unlike outdoor growing, they can work without soil.

The best soilless gardening solution is hydroponic gardening. It is fun, suitable for small apartments and not expensive. What you need to determine is whether you want to grow plants with the help of nutrient solutions or solid mediums.

Pros

When growing indoors, you have a head start over growing environment. Actually, you control it. This way Mother Nature is unable to ruin your ambitious gardening plans.

Indoor gardening is perfect for fresh gardening starters. One of the reasons for this statement are multiple harvests per year. Another advantage of indoors is shorter growing time.

Finally, let’s not forget the protection against theft. Naturally, you wouldn’t like somebody else to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Cons

Depending on your growing system, indoor gardening can have high startup costs. In comparison to outdoor gardening, indoor gardening also means that you share your living space with your plants. Are you willing to make that choice?

Maintenance, electricity costs and good ventilation are primary preconditions for indoor gardening. There’s also a question of limited indoor space, although it can be taken off the list of gardening problems with the help of little imagination.

Outdoor Growing Requirements

Almost any outdoor space can be planted. I prefer small, tidy compared to big, messy ones. You must have a water supply nearby.

Continuous presence of sunlight (6-8 hours per day) is essential for outdoor growing. At the end, note that every climate type demands some additional growing conditions.

Pros

Most gardeners agree that it’s a bit easier to start an outdoor garden. Plus, startup costs are lower. Also, outdoor garden usually produces higher yields than indoor crops. When growing outdoors, you can do it absolutely naturally.

Outdoor gardening is beneficial for your health and muscular tonus. Everyone agrees that being outside, on a fresh air, has no substitution.

Cons

You have to rely on the assumption that Mother Nature has a good day. Otherwise, your efforts may go to waste. Outdoor gardening usually involves longer harvest times.

According to my opinion, the greatest disadvantage of outdoor gardening are annoying pests such as mealy bugs and ants. It is easier to control pests indoors than outdoors.

At last, outdoor gardening is quite difficult in large cities due to limited outdoor garden space.

What’s your opinion on indoor vs. outdoor growing?