What do you grow indoors?

[loopyloo]

We are looking to for some things in our home this winter. We are planning a herb garden but that got me thinking to what else we can grow. I was planning on a grow light system to make up for the lack of light and summer warmth.

What else can you grow inside your home? Id love to grow more edible plants as well.

 

[ChanellG]

Right now just herbs and a single houseplant. I don't have a lot of space, especially near windows, but I am trying to figure out how to be able to grow some vegetables in containers indoors over the winter.

 

[loopyloo]

My Hubby is picking up the grow light this week and I am going to get some seeds. I am thinking I may grow spinach or lettuce. I cant see how a full tomato plant would do on my piano. Also wont there be an issue with things that need to be polinated? I dont know how to polinate, I guess that is one more thing I need to do some research on. My grandma uses a pencil eraser to help polinate her plants on years where the bees arent as plentiful. I guess you would just do the same thing if it was in a home setting.

 

[ChanellG]

That's interesting about the pencil eraser; I would think a paintbrush would work. I haven't seen anything about pollination issues and indoor plants in anything I have read so far. You definitely should NOT put a plant or anything with moisture on top of your piano.

I saw an interesting article online yesterday about growing rice indoors in an aquarium. I am guessing you could use lights and tanks to grow all kinds of stuff inside.

 

[zigs]

Light is the important thing in the winter. As its warm in the house the plants will grow, but become leggy as they stretch toward the light.

I usually overwinter chilli peppers, but not having a grow light they only do well on the side next to the window. Overwintered a Tomato last year but it got very leggy. Just cut it right back and brought it indoors again.

 

[ChanellG]

I can place plants near a window inside, but the window is high up the wall, maybe a foot from the ceiling. It's also long in width so if I could get the plants at the right height they should get a lot of indirect light, but I wonder if it will be enough.

 

[zigs]

If find they only respond to direct sunlight over the winter months. It helps to have some white card behind them to reflect light back at the plants.

Seed sprouts are a good way of getting winter greens though, alfalfa is easy enough to grow, Mustard seeds you start off in the dark for about 4 days, then green them up on a window sill.

 

[AndroidGirl89]

I have not done anything indoors but I know that my dad has always grown things indoors during the winter using warming lights and such. He has had a lot of success!

 

[ChanellG]

I vaguely remember my mother using some kind of growing light when I was very young. I don't remember what she grew, I'll have to ask her about it. I just wonder if lights will produce the same quality when growing food plants.

 

[zigs]

As long as they get the right nutrients yes, theres a lot of info on the various hydroponics forums, but its not usually food they are growing.

Other problems about growing stuff inside is that anything overwintering that fancies a bit of fresh greens will thrive on it, so you have to keep any eye out for pests. I've had perfectly heathy looking lettuce keel over due to root aphids. They breed when the plants are underwatered.

Just had to evict a Corgette plant from the windowsill as it was covered in aphids, bang goes the last chance of a Corgette this year.

 

[ChanellG]

Other problems about growing stuff inside is that anything overwintering that fancies a bit of fresh greens will thrive on it, so you have to keep any eye out for pests. I've had perfectly heathy looking lettuce keel over due to root aphids. They breed when the plants are underwatered.

Just had to evict a Corgette plant from the windowsill as it was covered in aphids, bang goes the last chance of a Corgette this year.

I would have thought that indoor growing would eliminate the pest problem. Do you have any idea of how the aphids got on the zucchini?

 

[zigs]

Oh no, just one aphid on the plant when I brought it in would do it.

They are born pregnant, bit like Chard Girls

 

[ChanellG]

Note to self: Always try and start indoor plants from seed. Are aphids really "born pregnant"? Yuck!

 

[zigs]

If an aphid is born on a saturday, it can be a grandparent by wednesday

 

[maddie]

I have containers of herbs sitting on my window sills. Tomatoes and chili peppers are easy to grow near sunny windows or with grow lights. I have African Violets blooming indoors just with grow lights. Gourds on my balcony trellis do pretty well.
You need to ensure that the soil is dry before you water indoor plants. Watch out for pests too. I have had caterpillars crawling on my throw rugs before I noticed them on my plants. I have had to handle those too.