Has anyone grown an indoor garden?

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Comment by Jenny on September 10, 2009 at 1:25am

This is wonderful! Wow, you know so much about gardening. Thank you for all the great information. I really appreciate it. :)

Comment by docsharp on September 9, 2009 at 11:14pm

Great info Mike, appreciate it.

Comment by Mike Elliott on September 9, 2009 at 1:06am

The space needed is dependent on what your growing. Some are more forgiving with space than others.
If I were you, I'd start with carrots. They are a nice smooth easy grow. It will help build interest and confidence for
further grows!

I would buy two large deep flower pots (Self watering ones are pretty cheap), organic carrot seeds, organic potting soil (or the most natural one you can find) and a "FULL SPECTRUM" compound fluorescent.

Work the soil very loose so it's not clumpy. Fill it about 4-6 inches from the top. Put 2 rows (or 3 if the pot is huge)of carrots about 6 inches apart. The seeds will be small, but put a few every 2 inches or so on the row. Put them no more than a half inch under the soil. Once they sprout you can see which ones are the strong ones, and you can pick the rest from the row. If you want to keep them all that's cool, they grow into each other that could be fun too !! In a real garden I'd put things further apart but inside you gotta do what you can.

So once you've got your 2 pots ready, find a good spot and setup the light. A space you can keep dark would be good, but ventilation is key. A place where you can make sure it gets fresh air everyday. For the light, ideally get something you can change the height with. Like a desk lamp or something. Make sure the soil is damp and give the soil light 12/12 hr cycle. Carrots are forgiving so you don't have to have 12hrs of darkness, but get as much as you can up to 12hrs. It allows the plants to perform photo synthesis. Then turn on the lamp for 12 hrs. Put it about 6 inches away from the plants and raise it as they grow.

A small fan on a low speed will help air flow and natural outdoor feel for the plant. Also it needs fresh air! opening a window and getting the fan going would help with that. A cool thing about carrots is they vine. You
can stick something sturdy in the soil once they start growing and they will climb up it!

anyway hopefully that can help you out a bit. Let me know if you have any other questions about indoor growing!

Comment by Jenny on September 8, 2009 at 11:30am

Thank you for your feedback. I have no experience with gardening so it's nice to hear what experience everyone has. I'd love to grow all of the above. I'm not sure about the cost involved but if I could start with the fluorescent lights and then move to more efficient environmentally friendly lighting that would be great! How much space does growing a few items take up? I am very interested in any information you have! Thank you.

Comment by Mike Elliott on September 8, 2009 at 2:30am

I've grown multiple plants indoors. It all depends on how close you can get to the plants original habitat. With proper ventilation, soil and tlc. You can grow almost anything indoors. Also try to find seeds that are organic, not "genetically engineered" in any way

To start I'd pick something reasonably easy to grow like carrots, basil, mint, peas, wheat grass ect..
You can use just regular lights but I would HIGHLY SUGGEST buying at least a few 20$ compound fluorescent lights. Once you get a solid setup and save up a bit more money, buy a nice LED unit.

I use a LED grow light, with fluorescent lights to add extra blue light spectrum.
The "UFO" grow light for me was essential because it covers all the light spectrums. However it wasn't cheap! So if it's just a hobby , it's going to take a lot of effort. It was worth it to me though. When I don't buy and consume garbage, I have a lot more money to use more effectively to try and get more raw! hahah.

I believe what I have is the product "Jef" was talking about. I have used it now for a while and I can say it is well worth the money. A great solution to saving electricity and proper light spectrum for vegetables and fruits. LED's take up way less electricity than compound fluorescent lights, so it pays for itself eventually.

If you are interested, I have a lot of specific information on setting up a mini garden that will help you. Just send a message
good luck,

Comment by docsharp on September 7, 2009 at 8:16pm

I think your referring to Sproutman Steve Meyerowitz www.sproutman.com...

Comment by Kim Caldwell on September 7, 2009 at 6:10pm

Oh and that guy steve Metzen or something has a book on how he grew tons of stuff in his new york apartment. He is the one who writes on wheat grass and raw foods.
If someone can remember his name that would be great.

Comment by Kim Caldwell on September 7, 2009 at 6:08pm

Does Whole Foods count?

Comment by docsharp on September 7, 2009 at 5:39pm

I think your referring to the Aero Garden. I believe some people have had success growing herbs.

Comment by Jef on September 6, 2009 at 7:22pm

I hung some lights under my kitchen counter so I can grow sprouts and such.

Jason has tons of indoor plants in a really nice set up. I think its mostly sprouts though, and wheat grass. If you go to his page, he has photos of it. Its little j jason.......
I'm not sure if its possible to grow "vegetables" indoors. Maybe, though, if you get a good enough light. Let me know how it goes!
I think you could probably grow parsley and other herbs under a light.
there is some product on the market with a strong light, that says you can grow vegetables. I forget what its called though.,,,,,,it seemed pretty small to me, and not worth the expense.