Growing vegetables? Indoors? Is that even possible? Yes it is! Question is, is it possible to grow an amount big enough to feed a family of three? Follow my experiment in this blog
Monday, June 02, 2008
Short statusreport June
I can now harvest tomatoes enough for a sallad from the plants I sowed the twentyfourth of february, and the indian spinach are out of control. That's why I went online and ordered more seeds for my gardens...
I need advice! LOL! Do you have a good source of information on how to set up an indoor garden? I'm looking online and mostly things are about flowers. They're pretty but I'm interested in saving money on groceries. I'm growing a container garden outside this summer but want to also have stuff in the basement that's more finicky about heat -- I'll do spinach and sugar snap peas there, I think. Then in the fall, the rest will be moved indoors... I think... still in the beginning phases of investigation. What kind of lights do you use?
One of the reason I started this blog was that I had a hard time finding good information on the net. (I sense a lengthy blogpost comming on, but I can't promise when it will be up). Thanks to SandraMort, who has some interesting links on her blog, I've found this small article which is a good starter: Indoor Vegetable Gardening.
My lights are called "cold daylight" (in swedish, so I'm not entirely sure on their english counterpart) and are standard flourescent lamps. What you need to look for are flourescent lamps that are extremely light - as close to real daylight as possible. Apparently they come in two varieties; red 'tinted' or blue 'tinted', and you want blue ones, since blue light enhances growth.
If you take a look at the pictures on this blog where the lamps are visible they emmit an almost scary science fiction blue light. It's not that bad in reality - it's closer to bluish white. Since I have my gardens in areas where we live our dayly life I set the timers to put the light on and off early to allow for some cosy light at the end of the day.
Because I think vegetable gardening should be an option even to those living in a flat. In addition to that I like my sallad fresh and A: I tend to forget it in the fridge and then find it when it's all rubbery and soft (ie. unedible), B: at least in Sweden the sallad isn't really fresh on the shelves in the grocery store. Since I spent my childhood weeding on my own little 'kitchen garden' I prefer to grow stuff in containers. That gives you control over the soil - at least as much control as you can get.
The cherry on the top is that homegrown vegetables reduces your ecological footprint, and that I'm able to make culinary excursions in the Big Kitchen Garden.
Support the experiment
The money will be used for containers, seeds and soil.
Homepage only in Swedish, but do have good pictures from the greenhouses and the garden displays. If you read swedish you find helpfull advice and good links. Included in the assortement are exotic plants like wines and figs as well as old swedish cultivated plants. For an international visitor this is to be considered off the beaten track and low level interesting. However the place is worth a picknick, bring your own basket and buy icecream there. If you visit the place in summer during extended weekends (thu-sun) you have the chance seeing the steam trains of the historical railroad pass by.
The commentary section of a blogpost often evolves into a mini discussion forum. Since I want the exchange of ideas to be held in a nice and fair manner and as spamfree as possible I've set up some rules.
To be published a commentary must have a name or a webalias and a link to a blog or a homepage attached.
Commentaries has to be adressed to the post or the discussion around the post.
Commentaries with links to webshops will only be published if the have a direct connection to the blogpost or the discussion around the blogpost (ie. I or a another commentator is searching for something that is hard to come by and need a tip where to get it).
2 comments:
I need advice! LOL! Do you have a good source of information on how to set up an indoor garden? I'm looking online and mostly things are about flowers. They're pretty but I'm interested in saving money on groceries. I'm growing a container garden outside this summer but want to also have stuff in the basement that's more finicky about heat -- I'll do spinach and sugar snap peas there, I think. Then in the fall, the rest will be moved indoors... I think... still in the beginning phases of investigation. What kind of lights do you use?
One of the reason I started this blog was that I had a hard time finding good information on the net. (I sense a lengthy blogpost comming on, but I can't promise when it will be up). Thanks to SandraMort, who has some interesting links on her blog, I've found this small article which is a good starter:
Indoor Vegetable Gardening.
My lights are called "cold daylight" (in swedish, so I'm not entirely sure on their english counterpart) and are standard flourescent lamps. What you need to look for are flourescent lamps that are extremely light - as close to real daylight as possible. Apparently they come in two varieties; red 'tinted' or blue 'tinted', and you want blue ones, since blue light enhances growth.
If you take a look at the pictures on this blog where the lamps are visible they emmit an almost scary science fiction blue light. It's not that bad in reality - it's closer to bluish white. Since I have my gardens in areas where we live our dayly life I set the timers to put the light on and off early to allow for some cosy light at the end of the day.
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