Indoor Vegetable Gardening - MERGED

JenniO

Anyone ever tried it? Is it possible to grow vege's indoors? I'm thinking small ones like cherry tomatoes, little chili peppers, olive bush?, lettuce???

It was just a thought I had about using some space around my window and deep windowsill at the top of my landing stairs.

thanks!
jennifer

sexki11en

Can't help with any of the others that you'v mentioned, but we grow chilli's on the winowsil in the living room. Works well for us although they aren't fruiting now - this is the first year I've done them and we have had a fair few off them since June this year.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

origami500

Hi
Yes, it's ok to grow toms, peppers, lettuce indoors; just keep an eye on the bugs during the summer, and make sure that you pollenate the flowers by shaking the plant during the flowering season. You can also grow various herbs etc.

ceridwen

Two books you might like to read:

Self-Sufficiency in a Flat - by Joy O.I. Spoczynska

Window Box Allotment: A beginner's guide to container gardening - by Penelope Bennett

Wondering whether you might be able to fix shelves across that window you mention?

ceridwen

I'm pondering the subject of indoor food growing in containers. Thinking about whether hydroponic food-growing can be done in an organic way. Wondering about growlights. Wondering about portable trolley/shelf type things that plants can be put to grow in during the daytime in rooms by a sunny window (if necessary - supplemented by growlights) and, when one needs to use the room concerned, wheeled into the hallway or whatever to make the space available.

So far - I have found rosengeranium in Sweden - who is obviously thinking along the same lines. Anyone else found owt useful along these lines please? (There is only so much one can do with a teensy amount of backyard space and a bit of guerilla gardening to grow a bit of food:D ).

Certainly I think rosengeranium's experiment is worth having a look at - as she is trying to grow enough food to feed 3 people indoors - via judicious use of windowsills/growlights/etc. Her blog is on:

http://indoorgardener.blogspot.com/

Her blog is worth a look - but then I know I am biased - as she also likes to use YouTube clips and humour and a general experimental approach to things - so its much in tune with the way of thinking I have for my blog and we are exchanging virtual "visits".

Pink.

Hi ceridwen,

This is a great thread for the Greenfingered board as there have been quite a few people asking about growing fruit and veg indoors recently, so I'll move it across.

Thanks for the link, I'm off to have a look at it now.

Pink

soappie

My kids bought me an AeroGarden for christmas - with herb pods. I've had nearly six months of fresh herbs in the kitchen. Three have finally gone over so I cleared them out today and have reused the pods to plant strawberries and two different type of tomato seeds. I've improvised by cutting up an unused washing up scourer to create a new foam inner for the pod and just whacked the seeds in.

I'm hoping that it'll cause them to quick-start germinate and grow, then I can either transplant them outside or into pots. It'll be interesting to see what happens...

mardatha

An indoor veg garden -- is it possible ? I have 3 huge windows, two face south and one north. I grew tomatoes on the north facing one last summer & got tons. Now I have the spare bedroom empty and it faces south. Would the gardeners in here think it possible to put a big table in front of the window and cover it in pots, & tomatoes on the sill itself. Pots of herbs, salad leaves, and maybe other things like spring onions too.
I live high and open with poor soil and cold winds, so anything outside is a bit iffy and hard work. I wanted do the potatoes and maybe turnips outside, and carrots .
Give me your thoughts please ?! TY !

ceridwen

Well Mardatha

Over on my gardening blog I've written down things that can be grown in only a small depth of soil - eg salad leaves for instance - so I would hazard a guess that these things are growable on large window ledges.

Shirley Goode commented in her blog several times how she used to grow peppers, aubergines and tomatoes on her indoor window ledges - 'twas rather envy-making to myself as I've got only a little amount of indoor window space and feeling a bit jealous of people who have those wide indoor windowsills:D

But - I'm sure the experienced gardeners amongst us will tell you better than total starter-outer me:cool:

Yategirl

This is one blog I have come across and often re-read: Indoor Gardener and I know there is at least another one out there in which the blogger grew various veg on windowsills. There is also a book I have which is about windowsill gardening - I will have to have a hunt and will post the info for you.

ceridwen

Yategirl wrote: »

This is one blog I have come across and often re-read: Indoor Gardener and I know there is at least another one out there in which the blogger grew various veg on windowsills. There is also a book I have which is about windowsill gardening - I will have to have a hunt and will post the info for you.

..and Rosengarten is further north than you even Mardatha - as she's in Sweden. It dont come a lot further north than that!:D