Grow Food Indoors!

1/19/2018

ANNOUNCEMENT!
New Blog on the PV site!

We have just launched a brand new section that will benefit ALL ages! How would you like to start your own organic garden... inside your house...and harvest year round?

We are talking about picking your own strawberries, tomatoes, herbs and veggies right from your cozy home.!

Be sure to check back often for more blog posts and expand your indoor garden!

Click banner to check it out now!

2 Comments

Mithila Orna

2/2/2018 08:31:47 pm

Hi, I am Mithila.
Thanks for sharing a nice article.
I have a garden over roof and in my little yard. And now am trying to make in my new addition room. that will be a glass roof upper. Thats why am thinking.
I am sharing a topic
"How to Grow Vegetables Indoors"

Winter weather doesn’t have to mean the end of harvesting fresh vegetables. You could always garden undercover, outdoors. Or you could try your hand at growing food indoors. Yes, it is possible to grow vegetables inside during the cold months or just because you lack outdoor space. However, it’s not the easiest way to garden and you shouldn't expect huge yields.

The biggest challenges of growing edibles indoors are low light and a lack of pollinating insects and wind. However on the positive side, you can control water, soil, and fertility. Unfortunately pests and diseases may follow you indoors, but since the plants are right under your nose, you should be able to stop problems before they become major headaches.

General Indoor Growing Tips
Use a good quality potting mix, not garden soil.
Containers should have good drainage and be sized for the particular plant. For instance shallow rooted greens only need about a 2 inch depth, but deep rooted tomatoes will want at least 12 inches of soil.
Sunny windows do not usually provide enough light for healthy, stocky plants. The days are just too short and the light is too low in the sky during winter for a plants needs. I always recommend some type of supplemental lighting; either a plant light or a full spectrum fluorescent light.
Don’t place your plants so close to the window that they are subjected to drafts or close to a heat source that could dry them out.
02
of 08
Growing Carrots Indoors
Close-up of fresh carrot in pot of soil
Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images
Carrots are ridiculously accommodating. Growing them in containers is not just a great option for indoor growing, it also solves the problem of trying to grow then in heavy, rocky soil.

Smaller carrots are easiest to grow inside. They need less space and mature quickly. Since you’ll be seeding multiple plants - unlike a single pepper or tomato plant - a long container, like a window box, is ideal. The key for good germination is too keep the soil moist. Just lightly cover the seeds with some damp peat moss, so the seeds don’t dry out, but no hard crust forms over them, preventing germination. Seeds should germinate within 2 weeks. Days to maturity will depend on the variety you are growing.

03
of 08
Garlic Greens
Garlic Plant Grown Indoors in Jar
Michael Piazza / Getty Images
Garlic has very particular temperature needs, to form bulbs, but you can easily have a steady supply of garlic tops, or greens that can be used instead of scallions. You don’t need a large container for garlic sprouts. A depth of about 4 inches should suffice. Simply plant the individual cloves about 1 inch deep and water regularly. The cloves should sprout in about 1 week.

Let them grow to 8 to 10 inches before you begin harvesting. Cut off what you need and leave the rest. You generally only get one flush of growth from each clove. They may sprout again, but the quality declines, so start new cloves when you begin harvesting the current crop.

04
of 08
Growing Hot Peppers Indoors
Growing Ornamental Hot Peppers
Smaller peppers will produce better than larger varieties, although not as much as they would outdoors. Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Even though pepper plants collapse at their first brush with frost, they are tropical perennials. Sweet peppers have never done well for me indoors, although you can certainly give them a try. Hot peppers have been very successful for me. I have started new plants from seed and I have dug and potted plants from my garden in late summer, to bring indoors for the winter. You won’t get a huge harvest, but they will fruit.

Use a container that is at least 8 inches tall. Hot peppers will need at least 10 hours of light each day. Don’t over water. Allow the container to dry out between watering. The plants are self-pollinating, but you may need to help them along. You can either jostle the plants to shake the pollen from one flower to another or use a cotton swab to dust each flower with pollen.

05
of 08
Lettuce and Other Salad Greens
Person planting lettuce in a wooden box
Westend61 / Getty Images
Lettuce is quick growing and shallow rooted, so it won’t need a deep container. It will also continue to re-grow, if you go the cut-and-come-again route. Choose a container that is 2 - 4 inches deep and fill it with dampened soil. Sow your seeds and gently press them into the surface of the soil. Mist to keep the seeds moist and you should see germination within about 1 week.

Allow the plants to grow at least 4 – 6 inches tall, before you start harvesting. Cut or pull the outer leaves and allow the center of the plant to continue growing.

06
of 08
Microgreens
Radish (Daikon) l

M M Hasan

2/3/2018 08:38:51 pm

Thanks for a nice share Mithila. I know about ur hobby. U should share some photo. Then it will good. We can see here clearly.

I have a garden in my yard and my balcony also. I love it. and work 30 min everyday. And i feel so good for that.

And thanks a lot for a nice share PV

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.