| |
Indoor Winter Vegetable Gardens
By James Wesley ▪ Rawles ▪ October 6, 2010
|
|
| |
 |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Indoor Winter Vegetable Gardens,
by Kate in Colorado
The first cool night of the almost
changing season gave the squash
plants a shiver and they curled
their big leaves upon themselves as
if to find protection. I wait for
this moment in the eternal gardening
cycle to begin preparing my plants
and myself for the “indoor”
gardening season. You see, I don’t
let the thought of thirty degree
days or fear of the blowing snow
that is Colorado keep me from
enjoying the, excuse the pun, fruits
of my gardening labor.
With the looming price hike in food
and the uncertainty of the times I
am comforted with the knowledge that
I’ll be picking fresh greens,
tomatoes, peppers, beans, and herbs
right in the comfort of my living
spaces. No, I don’t have a
greenhouse. So I thought I’d share a
little information of how you too
can enjoy the benefits of fresh
produce all years round without a
greenhouse or sun room.
I live in the foothills of the Rocky
Mountains, so lest you think I have
great growing conditions, know that
indoor gardening can be challenging.
But, I feel it is a mandatory skill
set to learn. Not only do you have
the benefits of fresh produce at a
time of year the grocery stores
charge a kings ransom for a bunch of
scallions or a bit of radish, you
will have the ability to augment
meals if we run into TEOTWAWKI
during winter.
There are a few basics you must have
to be successful and you must
practice these plant husbandry
skills in order to reap any rewards.
Practice is critical as you must
understand the growing parameters of
the plants you choose and where in
the house you will be gardening for
best results.
First, examine you home for the best
plant locations. Good lighting is
critical. Without good direct light
your plants will grow long and
spindly or “leggy”. If a plant must
go searching for light for the
photosynthesis process they won’t
have the energy to grow properly,
let alone set fruiting bodies. I am
fortunate in having large south
facing windows in three rooms. I
also augment with grow lights, so
when I decide where certain plants
will spend their winter I set up the
lighting before I place the plants.
It is easier to get the area ready
before you place the plants. Some of
my plants are in the topsy turvy
planters so I set the lights close
to the floor pointing upwards. The
plants are suspended on chains held
up with hooks in the ceiling.
Remember plants grow toward the
light. I think it is very important
because some plants hate to be moved
around and will be a little
temperamental if jostled around to
find better lighting.
Think about temperature
fluctuations. We keep our house at
60 degrees during the winter. Yes,
that’s really cool. We have hot
water heat and I can adjust the
“zones” at will and during the day I
turn up heat in the rooms that I
will be working. I cluster various
plants that need extra warmth at
night like tomatoes and peppers
together in a room. Some veggies
like cool temperatures like
lettuces, green onions, and peas.
These are grown in a cool zone. If
you heat with wood be careful not to
place plants too close to the stove
as the dry heat will suck the
moisture right out of them. You must
also watch the temperatures in front
of your windows and e careful that
the plants don’t get overheated
during the day. If they do, they
will have a hard time with water
usage and leaf burns. A window shade
is a good idea in case you have to
moderate the solar gain through
windows.
Next I prepare the pots for the
plants. If you are moving plants
from the garden you will need good
size pots. Most plants need several
gallons of augmented soil to have
plenty of room for root expansion.
Make sure they are scrubbed clean
and rinsed in a little bleach water.
After washing and rinsing the pots,
I give them a good dose of sunshine
to dry them out well. Place a layer
of clean small rocks in the bottom
and fill about 2/3 full with garden
soil and compost. They are now ready
for your plants. If the planters are
very large you should do the dirt
filling in the place where the
plants will grow. The hernia you
prevent from lifting all that weight
will be appreciated!
|
|
|
|
| |
Next I select the plants I will be
transferring. Use your best stock. I
normally transfer tomatoes and
pepper plants. The rest of my garden
I start from fresh heirloom seeds,
but the tomatoes and peppers take
too long to grow so I take advantage
of the summer’s growth. I check the
plants for insects and then wash the
leaves with a little soapy water and
a good rinse. I then carefully cut
back the plant by about 1/3. This
will help the plants root system as
it struggles to re-establish itself
in its’ new location. Dig the plants
out with a generous root and soil
ball and take it to its’ new “home”.
Carefully “tease” the roots to
untangle them a little. Don’t be
rough. Just open the spaces to help
the roots set out new “feeder”
rootlets. Open a hole in the
planters soil and water the hole
generously and place the plants and
place the soil the around the entire
plant, tamping the soil lightly. If
the plants are tall, I stake the
plants at this time. And carefully
tie the plants as to not constrict
the stalks.
The choices for your other plant
varieties for you garden are
endless. I select fast growers like
several types of greens, bunching
onions (green onions), green beans,
kale, and herbs. All of these
varieties are started in two week
intervals throughout the winter.
This will lengthen the growing
“season”. Just follow the planting
directions carefully for each
variety.
Gardening indoors takes patience and
dedication. The plants need to be
tended frequently. I mist my plants
every day because the humidity in my
location is very low. I use a water
meter to carefully determine the
plants water needs. Don’t “guess”
about soil moisture or fertility.
The inexpensive meters that are
available will take all the guess
work out of keeping the soil in good
condition. Your plants will thank
you by the best productivity
possible.
During the winter I make what I call
“instant compost” by taking
vegetable scraps and place them in a
blender with lots of water and
liquefy them. I let it settle and
then use the water on the top as a
fertilizer for the plants a couple
of times a month. I also check
frequently for white fly, aphids,
and spider mites. Use appropriate
insecticide only if the infestations
are severe. I usually wash any area
affected with soapy water and seem
to be able to control insects before
they get out of hand.
You might ask why I go to the
trouble of growing food producing
plants indoors because of the effort
involved. To me, the most important
reason is that it is a skill that I
might need in the future. What if I
had to produce food in the safety
and privacy of my home during
TEOTWAWKI? I know that I can,
because I have practiced the skill.
Also, my plants teach me patience,
perseverance, and observation
skills. I also teach my
grandchildren the joys of gardening
year round and show them the simple
pleasures of nurturing dependent
life forms. There is nothing that
gives a person hope for the future
more than harvesting delicious food
while the snow is blowing sideways
during a storm!
I urge you to think about trying
your hand at winter gardening this
year. There are many books and
periodicals available to teach you
all the skills you need to succeed.
The most important lessons of all
will be the joy of adding a skill
you can use the rest of your life.
http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/10/indoor_winter_vegetable_garden.html
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
*Disclaimer: The Survival Pages are strictly for informational purposes and the Heartlandusa.com does not indorse any products displayed on them. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
