Should I grow indoors or outdoors?

Should I grow indoors or outdoors

Herbs can be grown both inside and outside. Some grow their plants indoors during the vegetative stage when they require continual light, then move them outside when they are ready to begin flowering and only require 12 hours of light per day. Another common option is to utilise a greenhouse, which is a building for plants that allows sunlight in while providing shelter from pests, weather, and cold. Grow lights may occasionally be used in greenhouses to extend the growing season or complement the natural lighting.

Growing Outdoors:

Important Factors:

• Grower must have easy access to the grow area and be able to visit at least once per week.
• There should be a convenient source of water nearby.
• The area should be well-lit by the sun and ideally have strong, direct sunlight from at least 10am to 4pm (more is better).
• The climate should have a warm growing season, the longer the better.
• Unless using auto flowering strains, it has to be grown in spring and only one crop per year can be harvested in late autumn.
• Increased grow time compared to indoors because indoor farmers don’t have to wait until autumn.
• Threats from insects, animals, flooding, robbers, and other unpredictable factors

Benefits:

• Seeds can be planted in good soil for the cheapest possible start-up cost.
• There is no need for electricity, though you may need to haul water if it doesn’t rain.
• There are no ongoing maintenance costs because there is free light and ventilation.
• Outdoor plants are frequently larger and produce more than those grown indoors.

Pros

• Cheap (no electricity or special equipment to buy)
• Low maintenance (if you have a good environment)
• Huge yields in a sunny spot with good care

Cons

• Worry about thieves
• Smells can be overpowering
• May need to haul water
• Weather can be bad
• Bugs, deer, or other pests
• Contaminants from nature (dust, pollen, bug poop, etc.)

Growing Indoors: 

Important Things to Keep in Mind:

• Need enough space to grow indoors and be able to avoid detection
• High start-up costs depending on the setup you choose
• Expensive maintenance costs (electricity and nutrients) depending on the overall grow system and number of plants
• Requires more maintenance than growing outdoors because you’re responsible for providing everything

Benefits

• Faster harvesting (autoflowering plants can be harvested in as little as three months, whereas photoperiod plants normally take four to five months to mature);
• It’s simpler to cultivate stealthily and discretely because no one will be stopping by your indoor grow location.
• Capability to manage all environmental factors to generate more consistently high-quality buds.
• Can harvest a variety of crops throughout the year, especially in the winter
• Less likely to experience issues with bugs, pests, etc.
• Able to grow plants on your schedule rather than depending on the seasons.
• The greatest quality buds, in the opinion of many growers, are those grown inside.

Pros

• Faster harvest
• Better quality herbs
• Less likely to get bugs
• Grow any strains (not dependent on climate)
• Consistent harvests
• Up to 4 harvests per year

Cons

• Setup can get expensive
• Must pay for electricity to power grow lights
• Must water plants (no rain)
• Need to create a light-proof grow space so plants can have dark periods (unless growing with auto flowers that can grow under any light schedule)
• More time consuming than outdoors because growers typically check on plants daily

There’s a lot to consider. If you have a suitable outdoor grow space for your plants and are free for the summer, you should give outdoor growing a go even just for fun. But for anyone who can’t grow outdoors or would like to grow the best quality yields, you probably want to grow your plants indoors.