Grow what you eat. Know what you eat.

Why CounterRoots exists

Most home gardening content falls into one of two buckets: beginner listicles ("10 Easy Plants!") or commercially captured "reviews" where placement is quietly paid for. Neither helps someone with a serious 10-square-foot grow space who wants to know whether a Kratky system or a DWC rig will give them more basil per dollar.

CounterRoots was built to fill that gap. It is a new, independent publication - not a media company with a large staff or a legacy of in-house lab testing. What it does have is a rigorous, transparent methodology: consistent scoring criteria applied to every system review, plant data compiled from verified horticultural references, and clear disclosure whenever we earn a commission.

Who's behind it

CounterRoots is founder-led and editorially independent. We are not funded by grow-system brands, and no manufacturer has paid for placement or a favourable review. We won't pretend to have credentials we don't have: the expertise behind this site comes from careful research against published horticultural sources, not from decades of commercial horticulture experience. We think that's worth saying plainly.

Every article is researched, drafted, and reviewed against primary horticultural sources before publication, and every factual claim is checked against a cited source. Where we are uncertain, we say so. See our testing methodology and editorial standards for the full picture.

How we make money

CounterRoots earns revenue through affiliate commissions. When you click certain product links and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the retailer at no extra cost to you. We participate in the Amazon Associates Program and selected hydroponic retailer affiliate programs.

Affiliate status does not influence our ratings or rankings. We score products using fixed criteria applied consistently - and we have ranked products we have no affiliate relationship with above ones we do. We always will. Every page that contains affiliate links displays a disclosure banner. See the full Affiliate Disclosure for detail.

What we are working toward

Right now, CounterRoots reviews aggregate manufacturer specifications and verified user feedback rather than long-term in-house testing. That is the honest current state. Our goal is to move toward direct, hands-on testing over time as the site grows. We will update pages as that data becomes available and will be clear about what has been tested and what has not.

Get in touch

Editorial questions, factual corrections, or partnership enquiries: hello@counterroots.com