Maximum Yield USA June/July 2019 | Page 14

Many of our readers are creative and industrious, are conscious of our environment and strive to leave a small footprint on our planet, are active and social, and like to know where their food comes from and how healthy it is." from the EDITOR TG Toby Gorman 14 Maximum Yield O ur recent reader survey gave us some great insight into who reads Maximum Yield. From the feedback we regularly receive on social media, emails, and letters to the editor, we felt we already had a good idea of who was in our community. Reader surveys, however, help us understand you better. It helps guide our content, decide which expos to attend, where to send our publications, and, most important, who you are and what you like. From the results we gathered — thanks to all of you who participated — we discovered a few things we already suspected, such as whether you prefer digital or print, what you grow, and how you grow it. We also discovered a few things we didn’t know. Turns out, many of our readers are creative and industrious, are conscious of our environ- ment and strive to leave a small footprint on our planet, are active and social, and like to know where their food comes from and how healthy it is. Sixty per cent of you grow vege- tables hydroponically, 42 per cent grow herbs, 36 per cent grow leafy greens, 30 per cent grow fruits, 11 per cent grow microgreens, and less than one per cent grow citrus fruit. Somewhere in there are a lot of growers who like to try new things to grow. Did we mention many of our readers also like beer? In this issue, we identify one crop to consider for the adventurous grower — hops. As contributor Lynette Morgan states, hops grow very well hydroponically, and while it has been overlooked as an indoor crop, that might be changing. “Despite seeming to be an odd specimen for greenhouse or indoor cropping, hops have, in fact, become one of the new, innovative options for growers looking to produce a niche market product,” says Morgan in her article “How to Grow Fresh Hydroponic Hops” on page 34. “For those who have a liking for craft beers or inkling to brew their own, growing a few hop plants can be a viable option as well as a fascinating new crop to experiment with.” Also in this issue are “How to Build Your Own Hydroponic System” on page 32, and “Shedding Light on Multi-Tiered Indoor Gardens” on page 28. Or visit maximumyield.com for everything you need to grow: oranges, leafy greens, hops, or whatever it is your heart desires.