During the winter, many miss fresh garden produce and some are even willing to try growing it indoors so they can enjoy eating it. One local gardener seeded ‘Early Girl’ tomatoes in October in a greenhouse. They grew well but did not ripen until March. The tomatoes tasted excellent, but were very expensive after having to heat the greenhouse for the entire winter to ripen them. Some gardeners have successfully grown other crops indoors more cost effectively using basic techniques such as providing additional light and optimal temperatures. Consider these tips.
• West or south-facing windows provide sufficient light for many crops. Another option is inexpensive florescent lighting. The key factor to using this is that the light must be within approximately 6 inches of the plants. Incandescent bulbs should not be used since the wavelengths of light they produce are not readily utilized by plants. Additionally, grow lights do not work any better than florescent bulbs and are much more expensive.
• Grow plants at an appropriate temperature. Some gardeners have attempted to grow plants in an unheated garage during the winter with no success. This is not surprising since the garage acts as a natural refrigerator in the winter. A good temperature for most plants is around 70 F.
• Grow plants in potting soil rather than soil from the garden. Inexpensive seed starting supplies are available from local retailers. Once plants have been growing for about a month, they often require fertilizer to keep them healthy. Mild, liquid house plant formulations or slow release granular products such as Osmocote™ work well.
• Monitor plants closely for insect pests and diseases. When a plant appears to be infested, isolate it from the others to prevent further spread. Heavily infested plants should be thrown away.
• Lettuce, peas and many herbs generally work well when grown indoors. Dwarf varieties of peas or other crops that may grow too large for limited indoor spaces can be used. These are often available from online seed companies and sometimes from local retailers.
The USU Crop Physiology Lab has specifically researched growing crops in artificial environments such as indoor spaces for many years and has identified several “super dwarf” species, including Early Green Pea and Microtina Tomato. These varieties and others have actually been grown on space shuttles or the space station. For more information about starting seeds indoors and how to purchase these specific crops, visit the USU Crop Physiology Lab webpage at: http://www.usu.edu/cpl/outreach.htm.
By: Taun Beddes - Jan. 13, 2012