Indoor Gardening

sunflowerstressrelief

Aloha, Grow Network friends and family!

I am very grateful to participate in this wonderful forum!

I recently relocated from the beautiful garden island of Kaua’i, to the mainland (east coast, PA) to be with my family during the COVID crisis. What an interesting transition it has been living in the city again.

I’m starting off with an herbal kitchen garden & have been gathering starters & seeds. Things are looking great so far!

Looking forward to sharing information on herbal concoctions & tinctures & other wellness treats. Will be posting updates on our progress.

Many thanks for your support & encouragement!

Torey

Welcome to TGN @sunflowerstressrelief! What a huge change for you.

Great group of people we have here with lots of people sharing herbal medicine information.

annebeloncik

I'm sure caring for your plant babies will be grounding and comforting to you! Glad you are here!

VermontCathy

You can easily grow shoots and sprouts that make good salads and sandwiches, grown indoors under lights. It doesn't even require very much light, not as much as you'd need to get a solid start on transplants for outside. Very little space is needed

Try buckwheat, black oil sunflowers, peas, Daikon radish, scallions, and broccoli as shoots, and mung beans as sprouts. Nasturtiums provide a bit of pepper flavor.

This is what I do to keep having fresh greens in the Vermont winter.

sunflowerstressrelief

Thank you for the advice and warm welcome! Fortunately I have large windows with lots of sun in my kitchen so the environment gives me a bit of flexibility in what I am able to grow this summer.

Initially my intention was to create an uplifting healing space indoors by incorporating aromatic, medicinal and culinary herbs like cilantro, oregano, lavender, Thai basil, lemon balm, garlic, sage, dill, several mint varieties, lemon thyme as well as some edible flowers and I am super pleased with the results!

Every morning (before my coffee) I take a whiff from each potted plant just to sense for any effects and the impact on my nervous system and general mood and energy levels has been amazing! Plus how sweet it is to wake up to these super sweet guys every day...so grateful.

smik123

And don't forget sprouting. Some great nutrition in sprouts.

sunflowerstressrelief

Yes! A great way to make the most out of a small space for growing and far more nutritious, so thanks for the reminder!

I found the nicest folks for sprout supplies as well as how-to’s: https://sproutpeople.org/. Like many seed providers they are totally backed up on orders til mid-July but they seem to be up for the task and are excited to be up and running again. In the mean time any referrals for other resources for sprouting seeds are greatly appreciated!

VermontCathy

I purchase most of my sprout and shoot seeds from Johnny's Select Seeds. I've had very good success and high germination rates.

sunflowerstressrelief

Thanks so much! I will check them out 🌼

KimWilson

I have grown many a salad under grow lights indoors. One thing that I have noticed is that the lettuce leaves are quite soft as compared to when they are grown outdoors. I have grown them by many different methods, but I do so yearn for that crisp leaf of lettuce that I remember from days at the grocery store gone by. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have many plants of many different varieties of salad greens.

VermontCathy

I don't think I've ever had sprouts or shoots be crisp and juicy. That juicy crunch when you bite it means the leaves or stems have a lot of water in them, and I don't think sprouting gives plants time to take up that much water even if it's available.

I haven't grown lettuce indoors in winter because it's just too slow. I have limited space, so I focus on things that can be eaten within a week and a half of starting. Buckwheat, black oil sunflowers, peas, Daikon radish, and broccoli all meet that criterion. Scallions are a bit slow, but we love them anyway.

sunflowerstressrelief

I’m getting ready to order some sprouting seeds and wondering what sort of grow lights you use. Thanks!

VermontCathy

@sunflowerstressrelief For sprouting seeds, you don't need much light. Some will actually sprout fine in the dark. If you are going to eat them at the sprout level, as you would do with mung bean sprouts, almost anything will work.

I've been using a cheap one-fluorescent fixture bought from a local hardware store, mounted on the bottom of a shelf, lighting up the shelf below. They are quite dim, cool white 18W 4100K (color temperature), and weren't designed to be grow lights at all. But that's enough to easily bring shoots to edibility.

However, it's not enough to start transplants properly without having them get leggy. So I just ordered a couple of LED lamps, 30W each, T5 high output. I haven't used them yet so I don't know how well they'll work, but they have very positive Amazon reviews. It's likely that these will solve my weak-leggy-transplant problem and speed up growth of anything I'm trying to start inside. We'll find out how well they work this winter, when it's too cold and snowy to grow anything outside.

COWLOVINGIRL

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/864200#Comment_864200

That is so cool! I've never thought of that!

happy-trails

sunflowerstressrelief your setup looks great! I recommend the VivoSun grow light for growing indoors. It has given me excellent results with tons of greens through the winter! I believe my climate is similar to yours (upstate NY). I cant believe you would ever leave Hawaii! It is Heaven on Earth! When I visited last year, I didn't need love, didn't need food, nothing.... all I needed was the beauty around me, as I sat in awe... admiring God's handiwork. hahah... I'm serious though. =) Blessings!

sunflowerstressrelief

Ah yes, there is so much mana flowing you can almost live on the sunshine alone! Mahalo NUI for the tip on the lights. Will check them out 🌈