Indoor Gardening

[Rawsome Ginger]

I want to grow at least 3-4 greens inside. I'd like to do more later. I'd love to do fruit, berries and other veggies like carrots or bellpappers. But I have NO green thumb whatsoever!I kill everything so I need to start slowly... I want greens to eat or juice. What is simple and easy to grow. How long before you can actually eat them and what type of soil and pot to use?

[Random Violin Guy]

AHA! Another thread on this. I'm in the same boat. In fact, I'm gonna subscribe to this thread. I'm looking forward to some good tips. :)

I hear herbs are nice to grow, like basil.

[spicyfull]

Have you considered Sprouting??

[Rawsome Ginger]

I'n not really sure where to start. I just know that I'd like to hev some basics on hand. Open to anything really.

[jgunn]

what are your going to use as a light source?

some small stuff easy to grow indoors...

baby carrots, lettuce, spinach, strawberries

A good grow light is good (from my experience for about 9-10 sq.ft) which is really not a bad amount of room (3' by 3' )expecially if you u stagger the plants with 2 or 3 free standing shelves (taller plants at bottom , shorter plants uptop)

ive grown all manner of things inside my living room, from peas to corn even potatoes

problem is most root veggies need alot of underground growing room wich is just not feasible for most indoor areas due to sq. footage. and some stuff like corn will just produce a nice decorative plant but no corn without proper cross polination

mostly now i just stick to the leafy stuff like lettuces and spinach

although i had a spectacular zuchini growning in my living room one year which freaked more then a few people out lol

for semi automatic watering
a 5 gallon bucket (or rubbermaid container if wanting bigger)... drill hole about 3/4" from bottom.. insert a plastic shut off valve.. (gate valve i think its called) ... rubber washers on both sides so water doesnt leak out.. if it leaks just use some plumbing glue of some sort to seal it ... then a pipe to valve .. poke holes in the pipe ..insert spagetti lines in the holes .. then the other end into the plant pots .. fill bucket with water...open valve..

you will probably experience leaks the first few times untill you get them glue'd up :)

and make sure the water source is a bit higher then the end so water gravity flows

hydroponics and aeroponics if ya like... i prefer dirt but use all 3 methods (dirt, hydro, aero) in my home

http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/aquafarm.asp
the 4th pic down is what my aeroponic setup kinda looks like very similar
http://www.jasons-indoor-guide-to-or...cs-system.html

my hydroponics are simple 5 gallon bucket system with a gravity feed watering system
which is similar to here
http://www.hydroponics.net/learn/aquafarm.asp


the only way i could get the emitters to work was to strain the worm tea through the fineness of pantyhose i have yet to find anything finer although im sure its out there in the wild world wide web lol

the emitters i got here in canada , the internet was not available to me back in the day , but theyre the same as the grocery store ones as you say or very similiar

i love growing things indoors ive pretty much abondoned growing plants that dont give something back .. cept for the spider plants, cactus etc and some purdy flowering thingies

ive modified my sytsems over the years and dont doubt i will continue to evolve them so to speak, any collaboration on modifications id love to hear about, indoor gardening is a passion of mine as i fear someday we may be forced to garden in our attics or basements for fear of prosecution *sigh*

i have pots of things growing all over the place in my house (i wish i had a camera)

just keep the soil good and theres tons of things you can grow inside

i rotate stuff around all the time so they get light from the windows .. move things in and out weather permitting

i do use artificial grow lights when needed

dont be afraid to experiment

ive grown a huge zuchini plant in my living room and its just gorgeous

stuff like that you will have to help polinate as theres no bees indoors ..

use a paintbruss to transfer pollen from flower to flower

ive grown potatoes, tomatoes , leafy stuff, root stuff.. play around with it.. make it fun ..the plants will enjoy your good vibes :)

oh and compost with worms !!

[jgunn]

Thought I would post this if anyone is interested. Ive used vermiculture for years in my outdoor and indoor gardening


When food scraps are thrown into the garbage a valuable
resource is lost. Composting with worms or vermicomposting
provides an alternative method for disposing of
kitchen waste. Maintaining a worm bin is fun, educational
and will reduce household waste while providing a source of
natural nutrients for your plants.
Eisenia foetida, commonly called redworms, are a specific type of worm that
are best suited for worm bins. As surface dwellers, they process large
amounts of organic material in their natural habitats of manure, compost piles
and decaying leaves. They reproduce quickly and love to eat a variety of
kitchen wastes.
Worms have no eyes, but are extremely sensitive to light which
they "see" via special skin cells located at the head and tail end of
their body.
Worms have no lungs to breath with as we do. Their moist skin allows
them to "breath" oxygen into their body and release carbon dioxide from
inside their body into the surrounding bedding.
Worms, in nature, will usually live and die within the same year. Worms in
a worm bin may live up to five years.
An earthworm can move a stone that is fifty times its own weight.
A mature redworm (four to six weeks old) can mate and produce two to
three cocoons per week. Two to five baby worms can hatch from each
cocoon in only three weeks.
A single worm has both male and female reproductive organs, but it still
takes two worms to reproduce.
Worm Bin Recipe
1 10-14 gallon dark plastic storage bin with a snug fitting lid (such as a
Rubbermaid Roughtote). Choose size according to food waste produced.
Rule of Thumb: one square foot of surface space is needed for each pound
of food waste produced per week.
.
Newspaper or shredded paper
2-3 cups of water (sprayer optional)
1 handful of garden soil
½- 1 pound of redworms
Food waste
.
.
Drill small holes on lid and along top 2-4 inches of bin to allow aeration.
Make bedding by ripping newspapers into strips no wider than 2 inches.
Put the paper in the container.
Mix or spray water into newspaper until bedding is thoroughly moistened
as a wrung-out sponge. There should be no standing water.
Mix in soil. Fluff bedding.
Spread worms over top of bedding.
Bury food waste. Cover bin and place in a location where the temperature
will remain 55-77 degrees Fahrenheit.
Worm Bins FAQ
WHAT KIND OF FOOD CAN I PUT IN THE WORM BIN?
Eisenia foetida, or redworms, will eat food scraps and paper. A list of their
favorites is given below. Feed your worms a good variety of produce scraps to
keep an even chemical balance in the bin. Mostly fruit or tomato waste could
make the soil too acidic. Avoid salty chips, etc. Remove moldy items &
discard.
Apples
Apple Cores
Baked Beans
Banana Peels
Biscuits
Cabbage
Cake
Carrots
Cereal
Coffee Grounds
Cucumbers
Egg Shells*
Grapefruit Peels
Lettuce
Oatmeal
Onion Peels
Orange Peels
Pancakes
Pears
Pineapple Rind
Pizza Crust
Potato Peels
Tea Leaves
Tomatoes
*good source of calcium carbonate, necessary for worm reproduction
HOW MUCH DO WORMS EAT?
Redworms eat almost half of their body weight each day. If you start with a
pound of worms you can feed them 3-5 pounds a week. Don't worry about the
worms when you go on vacation for a couple of weeks. The worms will eat the
bedding when no food waste is available.
WILL THERE BE ODORS AND BUGS?
A properly maintained bin should not give off any offensive odors. Avoid
adding meat scraps and always completely bury all food waste in the bin.
Burying fruit waste will prevent fruit flies from being attracted to the worm
bin. Air is necessary for the worms and other microorganisms to work
effectively. Without air you may develop anaerobic conditions which will allow
gas producing microorganisms to thrive. To further avoid fruit flies, freeze
food waste before adding to the bin.
WILL I NEED TO ADD MORE BEDDING?
Add bedding every 3 - 5 weeks or when there is not enough bedding material
to completely bury the food waste. Other suitable sources for bedding are fall
leaves, shredded office paper or shredded corrugated cardboard.
WHEN & HOW CAN I USE THE VERMICOMPOST?
The redworms will work most productively when they live in 55 -77 degrees
Fahrenheit, are fed, kept moist and minimally disturbed. Given these
conditions you will have compost available within a few months. The worm
castings (or vermicompost) are very rich in nutrients for plants. You may
work the vermicompost into garden soil, add a spoonful periodically to indoor
plant soil, or water plants with “compost tea.” castings in water.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO HARVEST THE VERMICOMPOST?
The easiest method is the "Divide and Dump" technique. You simply remove
about two-thirds of your vermicompost, worms and all, and dump directly
onto your garden. Add fresh bedding to the vermicompost that is still in the
box. There will be enough worms and cocoons remaining to repopulate the
worm bin.
You can let the worms do the sorting for you by putting the vermicompost
and worms to one side of the worm bin. Then add new bedding to the empty
side. Bury your food waste in the new bedding only. The worms will move
over to the new bedding in search of food. After 2 to 3 months the
vermicompost can be harvested. You can continue this back and forth method
to simplify your harvest of future vermicompost.
Another method is to dump and hand sort the worms from the vermicompost.
First dump your worm bin out onto a large sheet of plastic. Make several
cone-shaped piles. When the light is very bright the worms will quickly move
into the center of each pile. After about five minutes, you will not be able to
see the worms. Gently remove the outer surface of each pile, exposing the
worms to the light and sending them deeper into the pile. Following this
process you will eventually end up with a container of vermicompost and a
mass of pure worms. It's a good idea to have fresh bedding made up before
getting started with this method so you can refill your empty bin and add the
worms as you sort.
WHERE CAN I GET REDWORMS?
check your local bait shop for redworms. Don't be surprised if they don't
know them as redworms. They are also commonly called red wigglers, red
hybrids or manure worms. If you are successful in finding redworms in your
bait store you may find them to be more expensive than ordering from a
grower.
Growers sell by the pound (approximately 1,000 worms), where bait shops usually sell by the
dozen.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?
The worm supplier is extremely knowledgeable about worms and
vermicomposting. Also Worms Eat My Garbage (book), Worms Eat Our
Garbage (curriculum), and various videos are available from Flower
field Enterprises. The web offers a host of helpful sites including
www.wormwoman.com, www.wormdigest.org, www.wormlady, and
www.wormwrld.com. Additional resources may be available through your
local cooperative extension office, garden club, ecological organizations, or
the environmental office of your local or county government.
Information adapted from material provided by Charter Township of Ypsilanti, Environmental Services
Department (1995) Updated by the City of Ann Arbor (2004)

[Random Violin Guy]

Hey, thanks for all the info, jgunn. I'm excited to start growing a thing or two. Maybe some herbs to start with for me.