Do you grow, or are you planning to grow, some of your own food at home or in a community garden? Whether you have a kitchen herb garden or tiers of lush vegetables on your patio or in a raised bed, you might be interested to know that even more people in the United States are choosing to engage in this activity.

In just 2014 alone, 76% of American households had a garden where they grew vegetables for their family to eat. During the same year, it was found that 42 million American households either grew food at home or in a local community garden.

When you just have a small footprint area where you’re able to grow plants, one effective solution is to use two-to-four-tiered metal plant stands. Depending on the space you have available, you may be able to fit several of these plant stands in the area and grow even more vegetables, herbs, and flowering plants.

Many people are choosing to grow plants in hydroponic systems rather than in traditional soil-based pots or beds. One of the reasons is that this type of system can increase the rate of plant growth by approximately 50%. It is also easy to set up and use.

Hydroponics systems need a different type of environment, however. In order for your plants to thrive, they will need a minimum of eight-to-ten hours of direct daylight. If this isn’t possible, one of the indoor gardening hydroponics supplies you may want to purchase is a hydroponic lighting.

Do you like do-it-yourself projects? If so, you may be interested in the Ebb and Flow hydroponic system, which is considered to be the classic. It is easy to build, and can hold any size pots.

In order to set this up, you will first arrange your potted plants on a drain table. Then, you will fill the drain table with two-to-three inches of water and hydroponics nutrients. After this is all completed, the water and nutrients will then be pumped into the drain table.

Since you want to make sure your plants thrive, pest control is important. One type of pest is the mite, and one of the fast-acting miticides that can be used to keep them from flourishing is floramite.

According to the University of Illinois, floramite can control a variety of mites:

Two-spotted spider mite

Pacific mite

strawberry mite

European red mite

Citrus red mite

Clover mite

Southern red mite

Spruce spider mite

Bamboo spider mite

Floramite, according to the University of Illinois, has been labeled for use in a variety of settings:

Greenhouses

Shadehouses

Nurseries

Christmas tree plantations

Landscapes

Interiorscapes

Since floramite is a contact miticide, it’s important to cover all parts of the plant in order for it to work effectively. One of the reasons for this is because it can take care of the full lifespan of these mites, including the eggs.

Since you want to start growing vegetables, herbs, and flowering plants, when you visit an indoor gardening store to purchase gardening supplies, you may want to look at the hydroponic garden equipment, too. If you don’t have a enough direct sunlight, you can always purchase some hydroponic grow lights.

After your garden is all set up, the best part is yet to come. You will be able to watch your plants grow and thrive, then enjoy them.