posted
Hi Connie Y., Welcome to The Garden Helper's Forum!! We are very glad you found us!!!
I have to admit, I"m not much of an indoor gardener, there's a few others here to do alot of indoor gardening that may be able to help you a bit more....
I'm going to post the first thing that came to my mind, for beginner gardeners.... chia herb garden These are some herbs to get you started, and they're really easy to do, and the directions are very good, ****I did the Albert Einstien head.. It was alot of fun...
I know some lettuce's are easy to grow, and like cooler times to be sprouting.... my personal favorite lettuce is a leaf lettuce called Black Seeded Simpson Romaine is also a very good lettuce to grow, good in bulk for digestion and highest in nutrion...
Can I ask how you plan on doing your indoor garden? Like on the window sills?? Can you set up a set up of grow lights and/or watering tray...
I also understand hydroponic's are an excellant way to garden, does require a bit of set up time and initial investment to get started?????
Weezie
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
posted
Our Dr. has recommended that I start growing vegetables without any chimicals. We live in NYC, so I have no outdoor grounds. I do have a 10x10 space that will be devoted to the garden. I remember my grandmother used to grow tomatoes all year
Plants: 13 | From: New York, New York | Registered: Feb 2005
| Seeded: 69.209.157.80
posted
I used to grow leaf lettuce in our basement using lamps on timers for their source of light. It was nice to have fresh lettuce in the winter. I don't do it anymore tho, because I work at a produce stand at a farmers market! But that will be changing soon, as you will see in a post down in Banter Hall.
I hope Apples comes around. He has grown quite a bit indoors. He hasn't been around in a while tho. I'm due to PM him, so I will mention that you are here, Connie.
I'm sure you might be able to find some books at the library....and possibly some more info on the web somewhere also. I will search a little for you and see what I can find.
posted
It's like a small room. I was thinking about having a stair type shelf on one wall and then lots of pots. I will have to provide light. I have read that there are special plant lights. There are no windows. I have cleaned out a walk-in closet. As for the plants themsleves. My husband loves salads so that means lettuce, radish, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Then there are the egg plants, squash, carrots and beans. Can you grow okra?
Plants: 13 | From: New York, New York | Registered: Feb 2005
| Seeded: 69.209.157.80
posted
Hi Connie, I know there's a few gardener's here that have grown some plants *at least started seeds indoors* and they may be able to help you with the lighting!!!
The only small tid~bit of info I can give for lighting is, to use some type of tinfoil on the walls/around the plants... When you use the lighting that you provide for the plants, the tinfoil will help reflect more light back on to the plant and help a give you a little bit MORE light.... Also try putting the plants on top of some mirror's, that too will also reflect the light back up to the plant...
That will help with spindlely plants/stems.. when a plant doestn' get enough light or maybe I want to say sunlight, it will grow spindley to get to more light making the stems long and weak... so if you use one or both of those I'm sure it will definately help!!!
Weezie
P/S I have something I have to find for you, that shows a way to grow some plants in doors, kind of a neat idea.... gotta go hunt for it in my saved stuff in my computer!!!!
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
This is just an idea!! I don't know what kind of lighting system you got or will use... but it's just a small idea for more plants in a small room maybe!!!
You have to scroll almost half way before you see pictures of plants, the first part is building a house/greenhouse together I guess... idea for growing plants Wasn't sure if you could incorporate this idea somewhere's down the road a bit when you get a little more firmiliar with growing plants!!!
Weezie
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
posted
Wow! Someone in the north actually wanting okra!? Be still my beating heart!!! Most people around here hate okra because its "slimey". Anyways, I think you can grow okra...I don't think its a picky plant. Just a side note for beans. One seed will produce a pretty good amount of beans. I should know, I planted WAY too many plants last summer and was picking...and picking...and picking...
I froze alot of them and canned some too. So, if you are going to freeze and can them, then plant away, but if not, maybe only plant a couple of seeds until you can figure out how many beans you can stand for sure.
Can you get us some pictures?? (We'd love updates on how things go along for you)
Also, I was wondering if you had a small fan? I have read you should keep the air circulating a bit, so you don't have dampening off of the seeds/plants.. How to Prevent Damping Off in Seedlings
And if you have a fan on them, it can prepare them for outdoors if they ever get out doors too!!!
Weezie
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
posted
You can grow any veggies indoors, as long as you have the right container. I'm currently growing leaf lettuce, head lettuce, carrots, turnips, onions, green beans, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and green peppers. All are under 2 1000 watts HPS lights. Some are in dirt, and some in hydroponics. I have pots on the floor and on shelves. The room is about 10X10 (feet) in my basement.
I love fresh veggies in the winter!!! lol
Plants: 83 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2004
| Seeded: 67.68.14.157
posted
If someone can tell me how to put up pictures in here, I can show you my set-up.
Plants: 83 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2004
| Seeded: 67.68.14.157
If you go to one of these sites, *and there is other's too, just can't remember the names*.... WebShots PhotoBucket Imagestation
It's FREE to download your pictures too.... Then you can attach the URL from the place you choose, copy and paste the URL, then click on the IMAGE botton, and insert the URL into there. *there will be a highlighted blue http:/ thing there, either delete it or click your backspace button to get rid of it
I hope this helps.. Weezie
P/S There's some other gardener's that do use pictures alot and maybe able to help you alot better than I did, Afgreyparrot/Cindy, Loz, Jiffy, G~mom, Plants~n~Pots, Carly....tons of them know how and can give you a hand if you need it....
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
posted
Connie, I have been searching for some info for you, I have a basic knowledge of this, but not all of it.. So I went to find some pictures for you!!!
This place will give you a quick basic concept of what you need to do.... Hand Pollination but some plants/vegetables/fruits are self pollinators, like corn...
Here's some info and I'll keep looking for somemore..
Weezie
* * * * Weezie
Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. - Bible - Hebrews 13:2
posted
Great, thanks, I'll put some pics up in the next week or so.
As for your room, here's my advice.........
For the walls, go to any indoor grow store, and you can buy a roll of black and white poly (plastic sheet), cover your walls and ceilinf with this. It's the best reflective material you can get, and easy to keep clean. Next is your lights. I would recomend for a 10X10 room, at least 2, 400 watt HPS lights. Or one 1000 watt light. You can get smaller ones, but you should keep the room as bright as possible. The brighter you get, the bigger your yield. Putting your plants on shelves os a good idea. Try to keep them off the floor, as the floor tends to get cold. For root crops (turnips, carrots etc..) make sure you have really deep pots. If not, the end product will curl, and look deformed. (I grew carrots once that looked all retarded, but still tasted good!! lol) For tomatoes, beans, and other non-root crops, just make sure you have enough room for the roots. If your growing smaller veggies, like onions, ro lettuce, I find they grow best in long pots, theat you can plant several in. A little warning, leaf lettuce gets HUGE indoors, and will need about 1 1/2 feet between plants.
And for anyone interested in growing hydroponics. I can help with that too. Here's a link to an article that I read this month in magazine that will help you get started: Easy HydroponicsPlants: 83 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2004
| Seeded: 67.68.12.34
posted
I've never found a need to hand polinate because I just buy my seeds. Hand polinating is required for flowers and some plants that produce seeds on the outside of the plant. But if you have a fan circulating the air in the room, the plants should polinate yourself. If you do need to hand polinate, I would suggest collecting the pollen in a papper bag, then placing the bag over the flower to be polinated and shake it.
Plants: 83 | From: Ontario, Canada | Registered: Nov 2004
| Seeded: 67.70.2.14
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But that will be changing soon, as you will see in a post down in Banter Hall.![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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