scrapbabe Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I'm interested in having an indoor garden. Some herbs, maybe a few veggies. Is that possible? Are there any good books/resources to get me started? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakim Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 This question is interesting. I'm bumping hoping someone has an answer. I've wondered if it would be possible to grow a couple of dwarf fruit trees indoors, things that wouldn't survive in my cool climate. That said, I do use 3 Aerogardens at my house. Don't have the more expensive tall ones that can grow things like tomatoes, just 3 short ones that we've gotten for amazing prices from closeouts. I usually have one doing mixed basils, one doing mixed herbs, and then the third one does lettuces/greens in the winter and seed starts in the summer. I also use a homebrewed grow light setup through Feb/Mar/Apr/May to get seeds to starts for my garden, and something like that could be done year-round, I suppose. I have a really old post on my blog about my setup. http://shadyfifth.blogspot.com/2010/04/peas-and-potting-up.html In fact, that post is why I even have a blog, because I wanted somewhere to show my sister a pic of my setup and our email accounts weren't playing nicely for picture sharing! I'd love to read about more people who grow indoors! :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbabe Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 Thank you and BUMP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I have some herbs, lettuces, and tomatoes growing on a utility shelf by my washer and dryer. I just use fluorescent shop lights and water by hand. Everything is growing well except the garlic, which appears to have died. :glare: Oh, and my tomatoes have just put out flowers in the last week or so, but none have set fruit. They are normally wind pollinated so I'm thinking I may need to turn a fan on them for an hour or two every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithseed Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 The issue that you are going to have is amount of sunlight. Many herbs can handle only 4 or so hours of sunlight per day, but vegetables (especially tomatoes and such) are going to need a minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. As others have mentioned, you can grow under growlights to achieve the required amount of sunlight, but you'll still struggle with leggy plants. Make sure that you keep them well watered and fertilize regularly. As far as I'm aware, tomatoes are not pollinated by wind, but need a pollinator. Growing them 100% indoors will require you to pollinate them by hand. Take a Q-tip and swab the flowers. You can also use pots and bring your larger fruit trees and container veggies in and out as the weather requires. I recommend that you ask here: http://www.allthingsplants.com for the best gardening advice. Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 The issue that you are going to have is amount of sunlight. Many herbs can handle only 4 or so hours of sunlight per day, but vegetables (especially tomatoes and such) are going to need a minimum of 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. As others have mentioned, you can grow under growlights to achieve the required amount of sunlight, but you'll still struggle with leggy plants. Make sure that you keep them well watered and fertilize regularly. As far as I'm aware, tomatoes are not pollinated by wind, but need a pollinator. Growing them 100% indoors will require you to pollinate them by hand. Take a Q-tip and swab the flowers. You can also use pots and bring your larger fruit trees and container veggies in and out as the weather requires. I recommend that you ask here: http://www.allthingsplants.com for the best gardening advice. Best wishes! Hmmmm....I've always understood tomatoes are wind pollinated. I regularly shake my outdoor plants to help them pollinate. Perhaps it takes both wind and pollinators... off to read up on tomatoes. Nothing makes me ready for spring like reading about growing tomatoes. :D:D As far as indoor gardening. I have herbs and a few plants in my southern windows. Basil is my favorite herb to grow indoors. Lots of sun, let the pot dry out between waterings, and harvest the tips to keep the plant branching out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matilda Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 This question is interesting. I'm bumping hoping someone has an answer. I've wondered if it would be possible to grow a couple of dwarf fruit trees indoors, things that wouldn't survive in my cool climate. I bought a lemon tree to grow indoors two summers ago. It had fruit on it when I bought it and then it flowered last January. Then in about April, it seemed it just up and died. I put it outside for the summer with a dripper and it came back. I have it back inside for the winter again, and it is doing fine, but no flowers this year. Our climate is sunny but cold, so I just have it by a window. I have thought about trying other trees, but this one was hard to keep alive last year, so I am going to wait and see before I try anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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