Homesteader Depot

Tag: indoor gardening

  • Tips for Growing Herbs Indoors

    Tips for Growing Herbs Indoors

    Herbs can be a helpful addition for any homesteader. They can be used for flavoring food, and in some cases, the herbs will even have medicinal purposes. Depending on where you live, you will not be able to have a garden all year long, and this would normally mean an end to your herb production until things warm up again. However, if you still want to grow your herbs throughout the year, it is possible. You just need to grow them indoors.

    Types of Herbs to Grow

    When you are growing herbs, think about the best types for your needs. Consider the herbs that you will be using the most of and that you want fresh. What are you using in your food? What might you need for medicine? Some of the most popular options when it comes to indoor herbs include mint, thyme, oregano, parsley lavender, and sage. Once you know the herbs you would like to grow, spend some time learning more about them and what each one takes to grow.

    Prepare the Soil

    One of the big differences between growing outside and inside is that when you grow your herbs indoors, they will usually require more maintenance. You need to make sure you have a layer of small rocks on the bottom of the pot before you add the soil mixture. The mixture should be 20% perlite and 80% soil. Make sure that you know about each of the different herbs you are growing and anything special they might need to thrive.

    Misting the Plants

    When you are growing the herbs inside in the winter, there is a chance for the herbs to dry out. This is especially true when you have heating in the home, as you naturally will during the cold months. Instead, your best option is to use a spray bottle to mist the plants. You can add some water to the soil, but you should also mist the plants about once per week.

    Although you want to be sure the herbs do not dry out, they still need to have good drainage. If the water sits in the soil and has no way to drain, it can cause the roots of the herbs to rot. Add drainage holes to the pots.

    The Temperature and Light

    You will find that you do not have to change the temperatures too much to make the indoor herb garden happy. The plants will do well in the mid-60s to the mid-70s, which is typical for interior home temperatures in the winter. Overnight, the temperatures dip a bit, but the plants are fine with this as well. It closely mimics temperatures outdoors during the warmer parts of the year.

    The herbs should get at least four hours of sun each day. Placing the herbs in windows that are facing the south or the southwest should give you plenty of light.

    When you first start your indoor herb garden, you will have a period of trial and error as you start to grow different types of herbs and try to perfect your techniques. Overall, it is easy though, and you will get the hang of it quickly.

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  • Are Grow Lights Worth it?  

    Are Grow Lights Worth it?  

     

    For those that have outdoor gardens, the thought of growing food indoors with artificial lights can seem like a ludicrous concept.  Providing your plants with access to the maximum amount of possible sunlight is a basic strategy for increasing growth, and the sun is free.  Purchasing and the operation of grow lights costs money, and gardening should save you money and provide you with resources, not cost money and use resources.  So, are grow lights worth their cost and the cost of their operation?

     

    Not to try to skirt the question, but it depends.  If you live in an area that has little difference in day length throughout the year and relatively warm winter temperatures that allow you to produce in your outdoor garden year-round, or nearly year-round, then grow lights will not offer you the same benefits they will to someone living in a colder zone, but they will cost the same.

    There are also a variety of products for you to choose from, on the low end you can get a small compact florescent light fixture for around $50.  Compact florescent lights don’t use as much energy as incandescent lights and they provide plenty of light for vegetative plants, that is plants that are growing leaves, but they do not provide the necessary light for plants that are fruiting.  On the higher end of the spectrum you can get LED grow light fixtures that can cost anywhere from $80 to over $600.  Some of these LEDs use less energy than CFL and still are capable of producing all the light necessary to grow plants all the way through their fruiting stages, but at that point you need to start thinking about more than just putting a few pots under a light and the cost begins to rise in proportion to how long you want your plants under the lights.

    If all you want to do is to extend your growing season, that is to start you plants earlier in the year when the sun is not giving enough light and when outdoor temperatures are not high enough yet, and potentially bring in a few perennial greens, then a grow light, even a CFL can be more than worth its cost, especially to those living in cold zones.  Consider that 1 pound of fresh spinach can cost most then $5, and that a $50 light fixture that will last at least a few years can extend your season by more than 8 weeks and cost little to operate and you will begin to see just how worth it a grow light can be for you.

    Even during the warm months, you may want to start seeds indoors to reduce the access pests have to seeds, this will reduce the cost of each crop.

     

    Not everyone is offered the same amount of benefit from a grow light.  If you have a green house or live in a zone with mild winters, then you won’t stand to gain as much as others.  A little math may be necessary to determine if they are right for you, but no gardener should turn their nose up at the idea using supplementary lights.

    Click Here to Shop Grow Lights on Amazon

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  • Growing Vegetables and Herbs Indoors

    Growing Vegetables and Herbs Indoors

    When the weather gets too cold for you to grow vegetables outdoors, you might want to be adventurous and try growing a few select vegetables and herbs indoors. If you live in an apartment, condominium or townhome without any outdoor space to grow a garden, you can grow some vegetables, herbs and even tropical fruit indoors if you create the proper growing environment.

    Sufficient light, either natural light from a door or windows or a grow light, is essential for an indoor vegetable garden to thrive naturally. There are some LED grow lights available on amazon.com that also make for a cost effective alternative (if you don’t have access to sutable light).

    Other than eight or more hours of light, the only thing you need to grow vegetables and herbs indoors is a good potting soil mix and containers with sufficient drainage. You’ll want to be selective when buying seeds or plants for your indoor garden. Carrots and radishes grow well indoors, but it is the round varieties that you want to plant in your indoor garden. Beans are another good choice for an indoor garden. Varieties such as dwarf French green beans and dwarf runner beans are good choices. Beans do well and look attractive when placed at the window of a sunroom. Cherry peppers and banana peppers can do well in a warm, sunny room. Pepper plants should be planted in a 3 to 5 gallon container. Garlic, green onions and ginger are easy and inexpensive plants to include in your indoor garden. Tomatoes can be grown indoors but they won’t produce as well as plants that are grown outdoors.

    If you have a sunny room, an enclosed heated porch or a sunroom that stays warm throughout the year, you might want to try growing something tropical. A dwarf lemon, orange or lime tree could thrive in this type of environment. Hanging baskets add beauty to your indoor decor. A basket filled with strawberries would be a conversation starter when people visit and a convenient source of fresh fruit.

    Herbs grow well on a sunny windowsill, on a kitchen counter or in any well-lit area. You can find containers designed specifically for creating an herb garden. A collection of individual containers placed around the house or grouped together as a decorative display would be an aromatic and attractive addition to your home. If you plan to plant several herbs in one container, you’ll want to group together herbs that require similar growing conditions. Rosemary, sage, thyme and oregano need a lot of sunlight and prefer relatively dry soil. Basil, cilantro and parsley are examples of herbs that can be grouped together because of their preference for moist soil. If you want to grow mint indoors, it is best to plant it in an elongated planter. Mints need space to spread out in order to thrive.

    Growing vegetables indoors is an interesting hobby to pursue. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different vegetables and herbs. You can start with plants that are almost foolproof such as lettuce, onions, garlic, ginger and basil and expand your indoor garden as your experience and confidence level increases.

    If you want to take your garden to the next level…

    Watch this video on self replishing food production.
    It is a great resource if you are ready to start growing more of your own food.
    Garden smarter, not harder.

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