I'm going to try indoor gardening this winter!

**Daisygirl** · 09-18-2011, 05:01 PM

I'm making my plans to try some indoor gardening this year. I have a VERY sunny window in my kitchen. I'm going to put shelves across it and start some seeds.

The things that I think will doo well indoors are lettuce and herbs. I'm still doing a little research to see if there are other items that I should try.

It will be very nice to have some fresh produce over the long winter without paying my firstborn child for it at the store.

Is anybody else trying this?

**madhen** · 09-18-2011, 05:06 PM

I overwintered a beefsteak tomato plant and harvested tomatoes from it in the winter. I've also raised cucumbers successfully indoors, hand-pollinating them. I also have a small Thai dragon chili plant that has fruited for me in a sunny window. Herbs all do pretty well. I've never tried lettuce.

**Daisygirl** · 09-18-2011, 05:31 PM

Madhen - did you start the tomato outdoors? I'm intrigued by the idea of having fresh tomatoes in the winter!

**madhen** · 09-18-2011, 06:06 PM

Yes, it was potted on my deck, and we had an unusually cool summer, so it didn't really start producing until around October. When the first frost was predicted, I didn't want to lose the harvest, so I brought it inside. After the existing green tomatoes ripened, I cut the plant way back and expected it to sit dormant, but it went nuts and started growing like crazy. I don't use central heat, so I didn't get much fruit, becuase the nights got too cold, but I did collect fresh tomatoes to use on the salad when I hosted Christmas dinner!

**Spirit Deer** · 09-19-2011, 12:51 AM

We grow hydroponic tomatoes in the winter. I have about three cherry tomatoes already. We use an Aerogarden though, and that provides its only lighting. Not frugal, really, but there's nothing like the smell of those tomato plants in the dead white of a Minnesota winter, or sight of the green plants, or the taste of fresh tomatoes picked minutes before serving. For us, it's well worth the cost, especially when the days get really short. We had four or five AG's running in the kitchen last winter, and when we shut them down for summer, we both really missed that extra light! Here are four of our AGs. The one on the left has tomatoes. You can see the yellow toms growing there. The middle one was an herb garden just starting. The one of the right had pepper plants. They ended up about four feet tall and loaded with peppers. The one on the taller cabinet on the right was a flower garden just starting, I think. I usually don't put food in the small gardens. The swan has rosemary growing in dirt in it, since rosemary does not like wet feet so isn't a good choice for hydro gardens. The long panther planter had cat grass in it for our kitties, as did the kitty planter between the gardens. I grow little pots of dirt plants in the spill-over AG light.

To pollinate the tomatoes, you will need to give them a good shake every day. That makes the pollen airborne so new tomatoes can develop. We have some in self-watering planters outside right now that I'm going to bring in and see what happens over winter. We've had hard freezes here three nights this week, and the crazy things are thriving, so I can't just let them die.

I have huge cucumber plants in another AG right now. I haven't been pollinating like I should but they have a ton of blooms on them.

I'm also growing peppers in an AG. We had them last year and they produced like crazy. They have to be hand pollinated too. I just used the tip of my little finger.

I also grow flowers and herbs in AGs. Most herbs should do well inside.

Lettuce does well in dirt and especially hydroponically. We've also grown that in the AG. Use a leaf lettuce, not a head lettuce.

Don't forget to fertilize with Miracle Gro. It really does make a difference.
I never did get my indoor garden set up this fall as planned.

**sinopa27** · 09-19-2011, 02:56 AM

SpiritDeer....awesome pic!!!!
Thanks on the info how to pollinate the tomato plants.

I have tomato plants growing in bags. Maybe I can put them in my bathtub that I don't use over the winter. It has a window right in front of it. Hmmm.........maybe I can put the tomato plants on a table in my bathtub so it can get better sunlight!!

**sinopa27** · 09-19-2011, 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by Daisygirl

I'm making my plans to try some indoor gardening this year. I have a VERY sunny window in my kitchen. I'm going to put shelves across it and start some seeds.

The things that I think will doo well indoors are lettuce and herbs. I'm still doing a little research to see if there are other items that I should try.

It will be very nice to have some fresh produce over the long winter without paying my firstborn child for it at the store.

Is anybody else trying this?

I will try some lettuce and herbs indoor too!! Keep us posted!

**NicJean** · 09-19-2011, 07:21 AM

Daisy - have you tried sprouting at all? A scant 1/4 cup seed (or wheat, or beans) in a quart mason jar. To start, soak seeds for 15 minutes in water. Place cheesecloth over opening, hold with rubber band. Dump water out. Rinse 2-3 times a day. I keep mine in my dish drainer - in 3-4 days, the sprouts are long enough for salad, adding to all kinds of other meals, or for snacking. If I forget them and they get too long, they're for the chickens.
I know it isn't the same as "gardening" but it helps. Radish is great, wheat is sweet.

**Sara Noel** · 09-19-2011, 09:15 AM

Spirit Deer, what an awesome setup. Your kitchen (?) is lovely and those windows are wonderful!! Thanks for sharing.

**mh3rdwheel** · 09-19-2011, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Daisygirl

I'm making my plans to try some indoor gardening this year. I have a VERY sunny window in my kitchen. I'm going to put shelves across it and start some seeds.

The things that I think will doo well indoors are lettuce and herbs. I'm still doing a little research to see if there are other items that I should try.

It will be very nice to have some fresh produce over the long winter without paying my firstborn child for it at the store.

Is anybody else trying this?

I would love to try but I don't know. My uncle had green peppers and hot peppers that he had outside transplanted them into a planter and brought them inside and they did great.

**HappyMama** · 09-19-2011, 10:52 AM

I sprout as well, do herbs, and lettuce, tomatoes ( I bring some of mine in the winter same as Madhen) and whatever else catches my fancy.I have an indoor set up for starting my seeds as well.Love it. Blessings to you all , great ideas. Great post Daisy.

**Spirit Deer** · 09-19-2011, 08:56 PM

I like to sprout stuff in the winter, too. Our favorite so far is mung bean sprouts. We've tried alfalfa and some others, and I'll continue to experiment with others. I use a small (quart size) enamelware coffee pot to sprout beans, and keep it on the window sill over my kitchen sink. Otherwise, I forget to rinse the beans. I have a ceramic candy dish I use, too, and I sometimes use canning jars.

Here's some info on pollinating peppers and tomatoes on Aerogrow's website. The plants they're talking about are grown hydroponically, but the pollination process would be the same if they're grown in dirt.
Pollination for indoor gardening.
I've never had luck pollinating peppers by shaking them, so I just move pollen around by sticking my little finger in all the flowers. Others I've talked to who grow with AGs can't get their tomatoes to bear fruit by shaking them, but I've always had good luck with that method. You may have to experiment a bit to see what works best for you. I try to remember to pollinate every day.

**jacqueline** · 09-29-2011, 06:38 AM

i didn't get to have garden outside this summer -- and i missed it. i'm going to try herbs, maybe something else. this is a great thread!!
i don't have much sunny window area, but will have to pay attention and see what i can do.
great pic spirit deer