Possible to have an indoor garden all year round?

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I've only just gotten into gardening, like the beginning of this year, and i really wanna plant some new stuff asap, i don't wanna wait until february!
I planted a kiwi tree a couple weeks ago in memory of my bird, and 2 days ago, i saw that it had sprouted, so i was thinking, wouldn't it be possible to start growing some broccoli, asparagus and kale now and just keep them by the window?
Or would it be pointless and a waste of time/money?
 
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I am attempting to grow some things infoors this winter but I don't have a lot of space so it's going to be limited to leaf lettuce, spinach, green onions, and herbs. The big issues with growing indoors seem like they'd be temperature and pollination; I keep the area where my grow lights are relatively cool in the winter so I don't think warm-weather crops would do well, and I don't want to get into anything I have to hand-pollinate when I'm just starting out. But a salad garden seems ideal for the space I have.

I'm not sure how well asparagus specifically would do indoors. It is perennial, and many perennial plants need the winter chill as much as they need the summer sun.
 
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Ah right. I guess i could try some green onions too, i really wanna grow something, all my plants have gone to seed already, so it's looking kinda boring and empty on the balcony.
 
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Some things grow well indoors and some do not. In the case of the edible plants that you mentioned, you need varieties that are suited for container growing and you need to provide them with the right amount of light, moisture, and humidity/air temperature. Sitting them by the window won't do it; some things will be okay for a while, and some things will grow a bit, but in order to get optimum results you have to recreate the conditions needed by those plants.
 
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I think trying to grow plants inside when it is not their natural environment, could have extremely disappointing results, especially when it comes to vegetables, which without the fluctuating temperatures and natural light, they are not likely to provide you with much of a meal.

You say that your balcony is empty, can you not grow something out there ? There are lots of perennials that can be started outside at this time of year, as well as some vegetables.

As for growing Asparagus, I think you may be pushing it a bit with this one, as Asparagus needs to be planted very, very deeply in the ground and takes at least 2 - 3 years before it is ready for harvesting, apart from that, winter is the time when it is resting and therefore, it would have no greenery showing.
 
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I think trying to grow plants inside when it is not their natural environment, could have extremely disappointing results, especially when it comes to vegetables, which without the fluctuating temperatures and natural light, they are not likely to provide you with much of a meal.

You say that your balcony is empty, can you not grow something out there ? There are lots of perennials that can be started outside at this time of year, as well as some vegetables.

As for growing Asparagus, I think you may be pushing it a bit with this one, as Asparagus needs to be planted very, very deeply in the ground and takes at least 2 - 3 years before it is ready for harvesting, apart from that, winter is the time when it is resting and therefore, it would have no greenery showing.
What vegetables would you suggest can live on a balcony or porch. We have a relatively mild winter here in So California, but there is frost. I would love to hear some winter time container suggestions. Thanks.
 
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Carrots do well in containers even potatoes and herbs and lettuce in pots ,

Can you protect from frost JUF.
 
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If you are new to gardening the best thing that you can do is learn as much as you can. An herb like basil does well inside provided it has a sunny location. Many of the seed catalogs have indoor or miniature plants that would be good for indoor planting. The main thing is that you need a sunny location. If a plant wasn't a shade lover in the summer its not going to be a shade lover inside on your window sill. Read and learn as much as you can, the internet is filled with sites that cater to the new gardener.
 
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If you are new to gardening the best thing that you can do is learn as much as you can. An herb like basil does well inside provided it has a sunny location. Many of the seed catalogs have indoor or miniature plants that would be good for indoor planting. The main thing is that you need a sunny location. If a plant wasn't a shade lover in the summer its not going to be a shade lover inside on your window sill. Read and learn as much as you can, the internet is filled with sites that cater to the new gardener.

I'm learning a lot and I've only been here a few minutes. I never thought of indoor gardening, but I now realize it can go GREAT on my favorite herbs and chilis - which I use a lot when cooking.
 
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So far, the most successful part of my indoor gardening efforts seems to be the bunny garden - I brought basil, sage, and lavender in from my herb garden and put them in pots in the room where our rabbits play when they're out of their hutch. It is like an all you can eat buffet for them and surprisingly the plants seem to be thriving despite the frequent "pruning".

The plants in my kitchen windowsill garden, which were started from seed, are a little more iffy. Slow germination seems to be almost universal and I'm having a hard time hitting the "sweet spot" in my watering. I'm going to keep fiddling with it, though, because I'd really like to have at least a small salad garden to get through the cold months.
 
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I'd love to try indoor gardening! Thank you so much for all of the valuable information!! I have all of my planters from the summers failed attempts so maybe I can plant some veggies in the those pots and try some indoor gardening!!
 
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I plan on setting up the grow lights and growing some oddities inside this year. I want to find some plants that can be grown indoor and outdoor. I think I may start some succulents & cacti out from seed those are always fun.
 
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I read that you could keep plants alive in your bathroom and that they are supposed to thrive. I have a large bathroom so this summer I created a small place for some plants so I could try it out. I moved in a tomato and a few other plants and they are actually doing really well. They like the steam and the heat from the bathroom so they do grow. I wouldn't recommend this is you don't have space for it though, but it has been really fun to have some tomatoes in the winter.
 
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I read that you could keep plants alive in your bathroom and that they are supposed to thrive...this summer I created a small place for some plants so I could try it out.

What made you try that in the summer, @Lacey? Is it particularly hot where you live? I have barely home so my few indoor plants are suffering from neglect. Aside from the need for more water, the poor things all need to be replanted. I'm going to have to try out one of those wicking systems for watering plants.
 

Pat

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I have heard that plants that need misting are good in the bathroom if the bathroom has lots of light. I wonder if you have a large enough bathroom with windows what kind of plants you could grow in the bathroom. Sounds like fun.
 

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