Indoor Gardening Idea

[Shashi]

I have an empty spare bedroom that gets a lot of light most of the day. I have been thinking about starting an indoor veggie garden. The benefits would be that I wouldn't have to worry about weeds or bugs, could keep the door shut so my kitties don't get in, and I could garden year around. I also wouldn't have to worry about working out in the hot sun.

I'm by myself, so I don't need a lot of stuff, but I would like to at least grow fresh herbs, maybe some radishes, carrots, tomatoes, etc. I know I can't grow corn or anything huge like that. (Can you imagine giant corn stalks growing in my bedroom? LOL!!)

What else might grow well in an indoor garden? What things would I need to consider before starting? And since it's pretty much climate controlled, wouldn't I be able to grow whatever I want at any time of the year?

[Justsayyes]

I just bought 2 little plants, one sweet basil, and one german thyme, have them out on my deck. I am a complete novice regarding herbs. Not sure how this is going to go, or if I will use the herbs, a little concerned about bugs Maybe my pet bat that resides on my deck will control them!

My mom grew radishes, they took up quite a bit of space as I recall, but were so darn delishes! We'd dig them up and wash them off with a hose and enjoy. Fond memory!

Not sure an indoor space will provide enough direct sun for some veggies, hope someone with more experience will chime in. The instructions on my herb plants says "requires 6+ hours of direct sun daily".

[cosake]

Check in with your local gardening center.

If they don't have the answers for you on sunlight, climate control, etc., they should be able to point you in the direction of someone who can help you with that.

Have fun gardening !

[Bob698]

I just bought 2 little plants, one sweet basil, and one german thyme, have them out on my deck. I am a complete novice regarding herbs. Not sure how this is going to go, or if I will use the herbs, a little concerned about bugs Maybe my pet bat that resides on my deck will control them!

My mom grew radishes, they took up quite a bit of space as I recall, but were so darn delishes! We'd dig them up and wash them off with a hose and enjoy. Fond memory!

Not sure an indoor space will provide enough direct sun for some veggies, hope someone with more experience will chime in. The instructions on my herb plants says "requires 6+ hours of direct sun daily".

Greek oregano is also very hearty and flavorful. Try checking your upscale food stores, some will stock fresh oregano that you can just transplant instead of cook. Oregano also has a way of saying Thank You when you water it, you'll get a noseful of oregano smell.
Basil can overpower a garden if you let it. I had an indoor plant that topped out at 8 feet before I donated it to a restaurant. Just keep cutting it back and you should be fine.
Radishes would be tough to grow indoors. They need a lot of water and grow larger in sandy soil.

I like your idea of a Patrol Bat.

[heliotrope]

Light is hard to regulate inside (full sun doesn't happen, no matter how much light you have), but it is doable. Anything that requires a lot of light is probably a no-go. Also skip anything insect prone. One insect and you'll be stuck with insects for months. Herbs tend to require lots of light and sun, but also dry soil. Be careful with your watering.

[jumpinjiminy]

Maybe an Aerogarden would be up your alley. I have one on the kitchen counter growing herbs like basil, thyme, dill, and rosemary. I love the thing. It has an automatic timer on the lights, and red lights that blink when it's time to add more water and nutrients. It's a hydroponic system with a big following. You can grow flowers, green beans, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, herbs and many others in them.

I'm very bad about watering and fertilizing indoor plants. This made it almost foolproof.

[Justsayyes]

I like the idea of the aerogarden, I saw a similar product somewhere, I'll have to check this all out.

The bat control of my bugs is not just an idea. I have a brown bat who took up residence last year and it was months before I figured out where he was and what a mess.

Brown bats are protected here, I knew he'd leave for winter and he did.

We closed up the space he had, but he decided to return and hang out (and I do mean hang literally!) in a space right next to what we'd filled in.

I named him "Batley". Before he moved back we had tons of bugs all over the bay windows. Not any more!

Back to the topic of gardening....sorry to go off track!

[Bob698]

Back to the topic of gardening....sorry to go off track!

Not off track at all, pest control is a part of any outdoor garden.
If you want to keep it natural, you can check into using other plants as a barrier (check with your county extension service) or insects like a Mantis or twelve.
For example, if your tomatos get plagued by slugs there are two good ways to attack.
Beer- a pie plate with beer in it will attact the slugs (they love it) and kill them (they love it too much).
Egg shells- Just crush a bunch of egg shells and spinkle them around the perimeter of your garden. Slugs won't try to crawl over the broken shells.

A bat is very novel approach because they eat a ton of bugs. The downside is a product called guanno, which is a real downside if they nest anywhere near the house.
Although, guanno *is* a preferred fertilizer for many plants.

[Justsayyes]

I have this urge to put out a pieplate full of beer just to see a bunch of drunken slugs

Batley is all of a few feet from my back door, I'm picking up guanno and disposing of it daily. At first I was doing it with rubber gloves and in a ziplock bag, having read how toxic it can be. Now it's a kleenex and a flush.

[justacowgirl]

Shashi

Indoor gardening can be fun..just a few things to think about IMO

You have to have full spectrum light to get fruit ie produce tomatoes or vegetables. So, you will need a light source that is like the sun. You can get full spectrum bulbs at a grow store. They will require an appropriate fixture.

You should have some type of heat source for "starting" your seeds like a heated mat under a flat of soil that you have planted seeds in. Your seedlings need more heat to germinate than the heat you will provide your already started plants.

I would pick plants that transplant well....unless I was growing things like lettuce in flats.

You will have humidity issues unless you vent the area. When it is colder you have to have circulating air or plants can "damp off" from lack of circulation and you probably will ruin your walls etc too.

You will need to fertilize....plants need a food source.

And where is all that water going to go?

Just a few thoughts. I worked in alot of greenhouses over the years.

If I were going to do an indoor garden I would go find the best MJ grower in my area and talk to him/her. They know their stuff!!!

[Seasha]

Hi Shashi - ( I had originally posted this in reply to your question in another post "Any Gardeners Out There?")

Veggies require a lot of direct sunlight, good ventilation and good drainage in the soil. The correct ph of the soil is also important. If you are able to re-create these conditions, you may have some successes. Do you have south facing windows? If not, you could set up some grow lights above and try that. You could grow herbs, lettuce, radishes, and the like - things that don't take too long to grow. You could do something like container gardening and have plants in a wading pool full of water (not too much) so there is moisture in the air and roots won't dry out. If they are facing the window, you would have to rotate them often to get the full benefit of sunshine. I'm sure there's more to it and I have tried some myself. It;s not the easiest thing to do, but it is doable.

I prefer growing outdoors. do you have a deck? container gardening would work even better there. If you do container gardening, the soil needs regular feeding with a good nitrogen fertilizer.

Good Luck!!

[celloyogi]

Light, heat, and humidity can be easily controlled with the right equipment. The right equipment, however, can be very expensive, depending on what you want to grow, how much you want to grow, and the existing set-up.

I have an attached greenhouse in which I grow orchids year-round and veggies during the early summer through late fall. Indoors I have the usual houseplants throughout the house, and I also have a basement set-up for growing greens, herbs, and tomatoes year-round. I blacked out the windows so the cops wouldn't bug me (I started this before medical MJ was legal here).

There are two companies I would recommend you look into for equipment and advice on set-up. Superior Grower's Supply (based in Michigan; has online ordering) specializes in indoor growing. Very knowledgeable staff and good pricing. I go to their stores all the time to drool on stuff and get most of my supplies there. My favorite national company is Grower's Supply. They have everything you could ever want for a teensy windowsill garden or a 1000-acre commercial operation. Sales staff is excellent, great prices.

(I don't have any financial stake in either of the businesses mentioned.)

The Garden Web forums have some excellent boards for indoor and container gardening and would be a great resource for you.

If you want to grow fruits indoors, like tomatoes/cukes/peppers/squash, you'll need to hand-pollinate or buy varieties that do not require pollination to set fruit. Hand-pollination is really easy with a Q-tip or a paintbrush; unless you have a significant dexterity problem I wouldn't let the idea of having to hand-pollinate dictate your choice of plant variety.

Easiest to grow indoors (IME): peppers, greens, cucumbers, beans, annual herbs (dill, cilantro, parsley). Cukes and pole beans need trellising but that's easy - and cheap - to do. Tomatoes can be grown indoors but require a lot of space and a good support system. Determinate varieties take up less space and can be a good choice. Squash and melons can get huge, even the bush varieties, and need a lot of water and fertilizer (big containers). They can be grown indoors but unless you really, really want them, your space is probably better used for the other veggies.

I would allot most of your garden budget on lighting. Everything else (containers, soil, seeds) can be found for free or inexpensively. Talk to the garden stores, read online, you'll find something that works.