Appetizing Indoor Gardens
by Mona Ankeny

Description: Tips for growing vegetables and herbs indoors.

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Growing the ingredients for your salad is a fresh delight. Doing it indoors where the picking is easy is even better. An indoor harvest may not be large, but what you do get will be tastier than anything at the market.

To begin you need a sunny window. A window that faces south is preferable one that is not obstructed by buildings or trees, so the plants can get plenty of light. Be aware of the temperatures of the window, if the glass is very cold, do not let leaves touch it, or they will be damaged. Tomatoes and cucumber need a little more light than other plants. If necessary, you could easily put up two fluorescent lights (40 or 20 watts), over a shelf or bookcase or any where you have some room.

Leave the lights on 16 hours a day to give extra illumination. To grow vegetables and herbs indoors what you need is hanging baskets/planters, 4 inch pots, soilless mix or packaged soil. For plants; fill the hanging planters and pots 1/3 full of soil. Place the plants and fill in firmly with more soil up to 1 to 2 inches of the rim, then thoroughly water the plants. For seeds; if you are planting cucumbers from seeds use a planter, fill pots 2 inches from the rim. Plant 4 to 6 seeds in each pot, cover with 1/4 to 1/2 inch of soil. Pat the soil down and water, keep moist. Turn pots and planters weekly about a quarter turn. Feed cucumber and tomato plants when they flower then again when it forms fruit, then monthly thereafter. Replant lettuce and radish as you harvest. For herbs; fill pots 2 to 3 inches, taking the herb's rootball size into consideration. If you use soil mix put in each pot a handful of vermiculite. The soilless mixes have vermiculite, perlite, compost, and peat moss in it and it weighs less, so it is good for windowsill boxes. Plant the herbs in 4 inch pots leaving 1/2 inch space from the rim and water well. Then set the pots in a window box. Do not over water, and feed with a water soluble fertilizer only once a month. If you have problems with spider mites or the such do not spray with insecticide, just take the pot to the sink and spray it with water thoroughly from the sink spray. If your windowsill is not large enough for a window box you can sit the pots in matching saucers on your small sill. Clip herbs as often as you please.

Reprinted with permission.

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