Any northerners here growing greens indoors??

[blueberries]

Hi everyone, just wondered if there were any people here that get cold snowy winters (like here in michigan) that grow their own leafy greens (for smoothies) through the whole winter indoors? If so, care to share how you are doing that? I have looked at hydroponics and aeroponics and my head is swimming. Not sure what way to go. None of the bigger systems are very affordable either. We are a family of 3 total with very! limited space indoors. Outdoors though is another story, we have 8 acres so I love growing in the summer garden!

I have read Elliot Coleman's (?) book on 4 season gardening and it is great but for this coming winter, I know I cannot get cold frames or a greenhouse ready in time so I am looking for some system that is fairly automatic and not messy ;) that I can grow our greens inside for the whole winter.

We have such a limited supply of organic greens available in the store in the winter and I would just as soon grow my own so I know how they were grown anyway.

Thanks for any insite.

[Morningstar]

I sprout, and I do Flats of Wheat Grass, Sunflower, and buckwheat lettuce. I am thinking about that topsy turvy Tomato planter thats out.


You can buy a heated planters that have Full sun spectrum lights

Here are ideas I found before
http://www.quickgrowcanada.com/

I saw one on an informercial but it was ^$

Best of luck

[blueberries]

Hi Dawn,
Your not kidding high $$! wow! I knew the more I had to click to see the price of those, the higher the price went LOL

I know I could probably do sprouts easy enough (and I plan on doing that too) but I am just barely beginning my raw journey and thought I would start out with green smoothies and I thought, at least according to Victoria's video, that means mostly leafy greens & fruits to start out with anyway. Maybe I am wrong but that is the impression I've gotten from the video and what I've read here. I enjoy being able to go out to my garden and pick the greens I need right now and will end off falling off the green smoothie wagon if I cant do that when winter comes :(

[Veganforlife]

Or blend greens now and freeze for use in the winter; provided you have freezer space...

[billyne]

Or blend greens now and freeze for use in the winter; provided you have freezer space...

you always have good ideas! i'm in michigan too..and was wondering the same thing for this winter. thanks!

[blueberries]

veganforlife, thanks for the tip. Do you know if you lose any of the nutrients from the greens by freezing them? I guess it would have to be better than no greens right? :D

Do you just blend them and freeze them in freezer bags or what? Add any liquid to them or not?

Thanks again