What's the Strangest Plant Grown Indoors?

[karadawn]

I love growing indoors. There's nothing better than picking fresh herbs, veggies, or even fruits in the middle of a cold, long winter. While I love my outdoor garden, sometimes I can't wait to try growing something unusual indoors. It doesn't always work out (some plants require insects to pollinate, some don't), but it's always fun trying.

Currently I've got some strange plants not seen in kitchen windows or even under grow lights. Potatoes are my new favorite bucket plant, although I've also got strawberries, onions, and ground cherries in pots growing under florescent lights.

What's the strangest plant you've ever grown indoors?

 

[claudine]

Hello Karadawn!
I don't have a garden, so all my plants grow in my apartment. I used to have a giant tomato, but it didn't bear any fruits and died The strangest plants I grow now are wild strawberries. They're yummy

 

[Mamasan]

For her 16th birthday, my daughter wanted some tropical plants to grow up here in the PNW. So we purchased a vanilla plant and what I thought was one coffee plant grown to a 3" pot size. Instead, the coffee plant turned out to e 8 coffee seedlings. We transplanted each, thinking that they would not likely make it...but ALL of them did!

My daughter is now off to college with an attempted bonsai-ized coffee plant, and I am tending her vanilla and remaining seven coffee plants--which have each achieved 2-3 feet of their expected 6' size!

Maybe I'll go into the coffee business as an empty-nester!

 

[karadawn]

Claudine - I actually had a similar problem with my indoor tomato. It had stopped blooming for the longest time, so I crumbled up egg shells and stuck them in a water bottle with water as a "fertilizer". Few doses later, it started blooming and is still producing blooms

Mamasan - That is so neat! I love "bonsai-ized" versions of plants that you would never expect. I ended up with a little jalapeno plant in a plastic shoe box container (we attempted a "fairy garden" with a little house and broken pot steps, so the pepper plant looks like a fully grown "tree" next to the house). It's still producing small peppers. SO adorable!

 

[Corzhens]

Although our miracle berry now is in the planter box outside, we used to have one small miracle berry that was planted in a plastic pot that we kept in the living room. You can imagine our house guests who would see the small red berries (green when unripe) and ask what it is. The miracle berry has a big seed and a very thin flesh aside from the skin. When you bite on it, anything you put in your mouth would taste not only sweet but very sweet. You can finish several sour lemon with the miracle fruit.

 

[claudine]

Claudine - I actually had a similar problem with my indoor tomato. It had stopped blooming for the longest time, so I crumbled up egg shells and stuck them in a water bottle with water as a "fertilizer". Few doses later, it started blooming and is still producing blooms

Thank you for sharing this tip! I'll definitely try to grow tomatoes indoors again, because they're my favorite fruits and I eat unimaginable amounts of them

 

[Beth_B]

I had a scotch bonnet plant that grew into the most beautiful little bush, loaded with vivid orange and red (very hot) peppers. I brought it inside for winter and it was my little Christmas tree a couple of years ago, I decorated it. Sadly I forgot to bring it in last fall and we had a killing frost that took it out.

 

[DeborahJane]

For her 16th birthday, my daughter wanted some tropical plants to grow up here in the PNW. So we purchased a vanilla plant and what I thought was one coffee plant grown to a 3" pot size. Instead, the coffee plant turned out to e 8 coffee seedlings. We transplanted each, thinking that they would not likely make it...but ALL of them did!

My daughter is now off to college with an attempted bonsai-ized coffee plant, and I am tending her vanilla and remaining seven coffee plants--which have each achieved 2-3 feet of their expected 6' size!

Maybe I'll go into the coffee business as an empty-nester!

Sounds like a great enterprise! Keep you busy. Bet you're busy enough.

 

[DeborahJane]

I had a scotch bonnet plant that grew into the most beautiful little bush, loaded with vivid orange and red (very hot) peppers. I brought it inside for winter and it was my little Christmas tree a couple of years ago, I decorated it. Sadly I forgot to bring it in last fall and we had a killing frost that took it out.

What a great idea for a Christmas Tree Beth. Shame its gone of course

 

[DeborahJane]

Thank you for sharing this tip! I'll definitely try to grow tomatoes indoors again, because they're my favorite fruits and I eat unimaginable amounts of them

Yes karadawn, I'm with Claudine, thanks for the tip. I always crush up the shells and toss them around the plants the snails love but next batch I'll make up a fertiliser. I might try it on a couple of ailing plants outside too.

 

[KimmyMarkks]

I've never seen a coffee plant in person. Do you actually use the beans to brew?
I would love to grow a coffee a plant, I feel like its such a cook thing to be able to talk about.

 

[Pat]

I don't have any strange plants growing at the moment. I do like to start sweet potato plants when we have some. The vines from the sweet potato plants are very pretty to me. Right now I do not have the space to grow many plants, I have 10 now, I want more but space is an issue.