How to Garden Indoors or in Small Spaces

You can easily grow fresh nutritious food indoors or in small spaces.


Why do you want to grow your own food?

Where we get our food matters.  If we grow our own food & buy from farmers who use earth friendly practices, we are improving the soil & lowering greenhouse gases.

  • ·It is cheaper

  • More nutritious. – food loses nutrient value over time, so nothing is more nutritious than picking something from your garden and eating it right away.  It hasn’t sat on shelfs for days.

  • You know the source and how it is grown. If you use earth friendly practices, you improve the soil.

  • It lowers your carbon footprint because your food isn’t being shipped anywhere. 

 

Want a garden but don’t have much space?  Here are some ideas.

Sprouts, herbs & microgreens are easy to grow indoors.  You will be surprised how many vegetables can be grown indoors in containers with grow lights.  I grew cherry tomatoes indoors & had fresh tomatoes in winter.

Foods that can be grown indoors need:

•        Need Florescent Growing Light  (microgreens & sprouts do not need this)

•        Moderate Light – 12 Hours a Day

•        Recommended temperature: 60°F/15°C

•        Recommended temperatures are generalized since you can’t provide a different environment for each crop. If your room stays around the average room temperature of 70°F/20°C, it should be fine. If it’s a bit lower, even better.

All of these can be grown indoors:

•        Arugula

•        Beets (greens, tiny roots)

•        Broccoli (stalks, greens only)

•        Brussels sprouts (stalks, greens only)

•        Carrots (tiny but sweet)

•        Kale

•        Leafy greens (not head lettuces)

•        Mache (corn salad)

•        Microgreens (edible seedlings)

•        Mustard greens

•        Peas

•        Radish

•        Sorel

•        Spinach

•        Swiss chard

•        Watercress

•        Tomatoes

•        Herbs

You can find information on this at:  Website: https://empressofdirt.net/grow-vegetables-indoors

You can also enjoy fresh produce with a container or small-space gardening.  Many vegetables grow well in small spaces.  All you need is good soil, adequate watering & sunshine.  You can combine vegetables, herbs and flowers that can be grown in a flowerpot.

Here is some good combinations for your pot:

  • Kale, alyssum for pollinators, parsley & Moroccan mint

  • Snap pea, violas & spinach

  • Nasturtium & rainbow chard

  • Basil and marigolds

  • Spinach, Lemon thyme & Thai Kermit eggplant

Not much garden space?

•        Stick to smaller plants to grow a wider variety of things.

•        For small containers like window boxes, herbs, annual flowers and leaf lettuce are great choices. These plants grow quickly, and you can usually get many harvests throughout the summer

•        A slender garden can be created along a fence or wall which is well suited for climbing plants like cucumber, zucchini, beans, pea pods, and squash.

•        When looking for plants that will grow well in containers, look for terms like "compact," "tidy plant habit" or "short stature" on plant or seed pack descriptions

•        Succession Planting – don’t plant everything at once so have vegetables all summer long.

Almost any vegetable can be grown in a container. 

Suggested Container Grown Vegetables

Name (Container Size, Number of Plants) – Varieties

·        Broccoli (2 gallons, 1 plant) – Packman, Bonanza, others

·        Carrot (1 gallon, 2-3 plants. Use pots 2 inch deeper than the carrot length) – Scarlet Nantes, Gold Nugget, Little Finger, Baby Spike, Thumbelina

·        Cucumber (1 gallon, 1 plant) – Burpless, Liberty, Early Pik, Crispy, Salty

·        Eggplant (5 gallons, 1 plant) – Florida Market, Black Beauty, Long Tom

·        Green Bean (2 gallons minimum, space plants 3 inches apart) – Topcrop, Greencrop, Contender, (Pole) Blue Lake, Kentucky Wonder

·        Green Onion (1gallon, 3-5 plants) – Beltsville Bunching, Crysal Wax, Evergreen Bunching

·        Leaf Lettuce (1 gallon, 2 plants) – Buttercrunch, Salad Bowl, Romaine, Dark Green Boston, Ruby, Bibb

·        Parsley (1gallon, 3 plants) – Evergreen, Moss Curled

·        Pepper (5 gallons, 1-2 plants) – Yolo Wonder, Keystone Resistant Giant, Canape, Red Cherry (Hot), Jalapeno

·        Radish (1 gallon, 3 plants) – Cherry Belle, Scarlet Globe, (White) Icicle

·        Spinach (1 gallon, 2 plants) – Any cultivar

·        Squash (5 gallons, 1 plant) – Dixie, Gold Neck, Early Prolific Straightneck, Zucco (Green), Diplomat, Senator

·        Tomato (5 gallons, 1 plant) – Patio, Pixie, Tiny Tim, Saladette, Toy Boy, Spring Giant, Tumbling Tom, Small Fry

·        Turnip (2 gallons, 2 plants) – Any cultivar

More information at: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/gardening-small-spaces#

Environment, 6 Steps to HealthLinda SimonGardening, Nutrition, Reduce Carbon Footprint, Reduce Toxins