Indoor Container Garden - City Living

brianj555 wrote:Pictures El, Pictures please!

Sadly, this is from 2010 and El is long gone.  I'm over my snit and ready to roll up my sleeves and get this figured out. If she can do it, we can do it!  Let's start with what works.

Basil -- I took cuttings from my outdoor basil plants to keep in water in the house. In a couple of weeks they were loaded with roots, so I planted them in brand new, store-bought, high-end potting mix with fertilizer built in. I am now convinced that this is the secret of success. Old, used dirt or compost does NOT do well for me in the house. I wind up with aphids, gnats, powdery mildew, etc. My new philosophy is sterile indoor gardening.

After potting, this plant was ignored except for watering. Yesterday -- before this pic was taken -- I harvest a couple of sprigs of leaves and blossoms. I air-fried them with squash pieces and they were awesome. from now on, this baby will get all the love it deserves. I'm also going back to Miracle Gro for inside plants. Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Cherry Tomatoes -- any of the small varieties work well for me inside, but none of the standard sizes have ever produced anything but a hard time.

This crazy plant has over a dozen tomatoes and another dozen blossoms.

Celery "Stumplings" -- https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t18903-stumplings?highlight=stumplings

I tried this technique with several refrigerator veggies. Onions and celery were the only ones that were worth it to me. I bury the bases of onions into outside containers, but I "baby" the celery in the house for a few weeks, first. I did one of these last summer and planted it in BTE along with a 6-pack of store-bought celery plants. It's holding its own, but still not as big as the others. Compared to celery grown from seed, it's a whole different story. After about a month, this guy is twice as big and strong as my celery seedlings. It will be interesting to see how they compare at harvest time. Will the stumpling really produce a new stalk? Stay tuned for further developments.

Looking good Suz!  My two “experimental” indoor Cherokee Purples that were started in Kurig pods with MM from the outside bed.  Transferred into 4” peat pots with seed starter and miracle grow, then moved to 7 gallon pots with fresh MM.  They both look pretty good (so far). The one that I didn’t cut and root has a bloom.  


I decided not to pinch off the first bloom in case it’s the only bloom!

Good job, Brian. Are you having any problems with aphids, mildew, or gnats?

countrynaturals wrote:Celery "Stumplings" -- https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t18903-stumplings?highlight=stumplings

I tried this technique with several refrigerator veggies. Onions and celery were the only ones that were worth it to me. I bury the bases of onions into outside containers, but I "baby" the celery in the house for a few weeks, first. I did one of these last summer and planted it in BTE along with a 6-pack of store-bought celery plants. It's holding its own, but still not as big as the others. Compared to celery grown from seed, it's a whole different story. After about a month, this guy is twice as big and strong as my celery seedlings. It will be interesting to see how they compare at harvest time. Will the stumpling really produce a new stalk? Stay tuned for further developments.

Here are my celery plants, started from seed on 9/5. They have a looooong way to go.

countrynaturals wrote:Cherry Tomatoes -- any of the small varieties work well for me inside, but none of the standard sizes have ever produced anything but a hard time.

This crazy plant has over a dozen tomatoes and another dozen blossoms.

Here is just one cluster of blossoms.

That pic of the blossoms is great Suz !  I don’t think I’m having problems with any of those you mention, but then again I don’t know if I would know .  I’ve not had problems with them to know how to identify them .

Microgreens -- this is a commercial term, not a scientific one. It's basically sprouts with their first true leaves. https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t19999-microgreens-gardening?highlight=microgreens If you can only grow one thing inside or you're new to indoor gardening and just want to dabble, this is my strongest recommendation for beginners. I "accidentally" started with cilantro. When the microgreens thread was going strong, someone suggested cilantro. I had a few starts that had just gotten their first true leaves, so I sacrificed one to munch on. WOW! Today I'm starting a new box (should have done it weeks ago). The only downside to microgreens/sprouts is that seeds can get pricey when you need so many. The upside is that you'll be eating them in a couple of weeks.


Do you need a heating pad for these? You bet your bippy! I've had seeds sprout with a heating pad in 2 days that should have taken 5-10 days otherwise.

What I've learned in 3 years of indoor winter gardening:

1) Don't over-plant. Too many plants too close together breed disease.
2) Plants need air circulation and exercise. Move them around a little and/or use a fan on them once in awhile. Shake their stems, gently.
3) Indoor veggies grow much slower than in-ground, in-season outside plants.
4) Use sterile soil/mix. Bugs and disease thrive inside. Let's not help them.
5) Use plant food like Miracle Gro weekly. Sterile planting mix has no microbes, so indoor plants have a disadvantage compared to outside plants in nice, wormy compost. They need a boost.
6) Plant lights help, but they're no substitute for sunlight. https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t18576-led-grow-lights-any-advice?highlight=grow+lights
7) Choose early, bush varieties of seed.

I'll post more as I learn more. Now it's time for you experts to jump in and teach us all the rest of what we don't know, yet.

brianj555 wrote:That pic of the blossoms is great Suz !  I don’t think I’m having problems with any of those you mention, but then again I don’t know if I would know .  I’ve not had problems with them to know how to identify them .

I know what you mean, Brian.  That is the trouble when you are asked, "Any questions?"

So happy to find this thread!  I am just beginning my run with indoor gardening (even planning to build a new home soon, and hubby HAS to make me a garden room)!  We are struggling with the plans/elevation of the land/and practicality to get the garden room on the south side, but if we can't, that's what grow lights are for.

Just started my celery stump plant as well as the tops from several beets to grow greens.  The compost for the MM is still in the tumbler, but doing nicely.  We will be using IBC's for the "catch pan" and that will have the bottom part of 30 gallon drums with drain pipe and coarse sand as the "self watering" part, then home made grow bags (made from weed barrier) as the actual pot.  We are hoping for success, but sometimes half the fun is in trying.  Getting success is just a big beautiful cherry on the top!  I will be staying tuned to see how this thread progresses - thank you all for your wonderful posts!

Triple digits are forcing me indoors for the summer. I just ordered a shelving unit to put in front of the left side of slider to the balcony on the south side of the master bedroom. This will be my indoor garden spot. I'm bringing the lettuce in from the kitchen balcony today, since it could be well north of 100 by tomorrow and getting worse after that.

I just cut a sucker off a tomato plant to root in water.

I forgot to hold back a bush cuke, and put them all in the ground, so I'm starting over with new seed, today.

I'll be potting up some purple basil, grown from seed, and I have some baby lemon balm I'm starting from cuttings to grow out for Christmas presents. I also have a baby fig tree that's still too small to go outside.

That's it for a start. I'll post pics when the shelving unit gets here and set up. Right now, everything is all over the place and not photo-worthy.

Anybody else doing indoor gardening? Please share.

sanderson wrote:Yes, the heat and air pollution is preventing me from getting everything done outdoors.  Yes, post a photo when you get everything set up.

I'm expecting everything I need to arrive, today. I'm also hoping the folks at this new garden center will have some helpful hints to get me going. The big thing I must remember is ventilation. I have a little fan -- I just need to remember to use it, frequently.
Do you have a spot for an indoor garden, S? Wanna join me in this experiment?

sanderson wrote:CN,  I got rid of every indoor plant some time ago.  The only time there are live plants are in the early spring when I start everything from seed.

I absolutely love mine. The first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning is my indoor garden. I'll post pics as soon as I get it finished, but right now it's competing for my attention with the miles of irrigation system I'm installing with Katie. We're making good use of every minute of this mild weather, knowing what's coming next. 

El wrote:I put DE on all the plants, actually, because we're indoors so I'm not worried about bees, and because NYC is very prone to fungus gnats. They come in through the teeny holes in the window screens and make themselves at home, and DE is one of the things that keeps them under control.

Just for grins, I went back through this thread and found something I missed before. I have an awful time with these gnats, and I can't use chemicals because the cats help with my indoor gardens. Fingers crossed DE will do the trick. (Food grade of course.)

countrynaturals wrote:

sanderson wrote:CN,  I got rid of every indoor plant some time ago.  The only time there are live plants are in the early spring when I start everything from seed.

I absolutely love mine. The first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning is my indoor garden. I'll post pics as soon as I get it finished, but right now it's competing for my attention with the miles of irrigation system I'm installing with Katie. We're making good use of every minute of this mild weather, knowing what's coming next. 

Turns out the sun is too high in the summer for my mbr indoor garden, so I won't be using it from July -- through September. Even in the winter I need a little help from Mother Nature, which I'm not getting this year. My plants are doing okay, but nothing is thriving, with no sun for 16 of the past 19 days. My LED lights are keeping it all alive, but that's about all.

dansutelman wrote:

Hi EL,
You have a nice collection and they are looking so beautiful. I'm thinking about to get some of these at my house!

I've never been able to duplicate El's successes, but I'm not giving up. Right now I'm battling fungus gnats.  

to the forum from Redding, CA.

countrynaturals, I just started reading this thread but as far as herbs go, I am going to recommend the book by Sal Gilbertie and Larry Sheehan, Herb Gardening at its Best. I know, it is about 40 years old but Sal has been growing herbs longer than that. I have to go out now and find some clay terra cotta pots as he recommends growing herbs in these. I got rid of mine because I thought they tended to dry out the mix/medium too quickly, come to find out most herbs do not like wet feet and the terra cotta pots helps to wick away excess  moisture. Fungus gnats like and thrive when moisture is high. He also recommends skim milk in his fertilizing regime and not over fertilizing for most herbs, spoils the flavor. He also has a formula for a soil mix, very similar to Mel's Mix. The problem I am having is I brought in my two tiny fig trees this fall, one got enough sun sitting on the desk in the ex-computer room, now the grow room, to leaf out and I don't know what to do but turn on the led grow lights and hope for the best. The great thing about gardening is the constant learning and the relearning of a better way of something you thought you knew. I have had some success with some herbs but I am going to give a go in February to growing about or at least 15 different herbs. I am still a beginner with herbs and a neo-novice with fig trees as far as I am concerned. The hard part for me is how moist is wet, is some water wetter than other water and if rain water is good for my hair is it better for the plants?

Thanks, Dan. I have the big Rodale herb book and I love it. Right now, the only herb I have going inside is purple basil. It's in bloom and very happy. I'll pinch the blossoms off today, but they're so pretty, I just had to take a pic, first. (The grow lights give it even more color.)

countrynaturals, Thank you, I just ordered Rodale's Herb Book. I feel you can never know too much and at the rate I am forgetting things I am just trying to keep an equilibrium or better said as intelligent as I was yesterday. This is my season of research and read.

Dan in Ct wrote:countrynaturals, Thank you, I just ordered Rodale's Herb Book. I feel you can never know too much and at the rate I am forgetting things I am just trying to keep an equilibrium or better said as intelligent as I was yesterday. This is my season of research and read.

The one I got is The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. At that time they had several titles to choose from. This one is a joy to curl up with -- lots of pictures and info.

I paid a fortune for mine -- new and hardcover. Now you can get it for almost nothing online.

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=The+Illustrated+Encyclopedia+of+Herbs