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Indoor Garden

717 views 17 replies 5 participants last post by  RJ2019 
#1 ·
Hello! I am preparing to start an indoor garden (I live in an apartment). I want to grow a few veggies and fruits. If anybody had any tips for successful potted gardens, I’d love to hear them!
Thanks!
 
#3 ·
A lot depends on your specific setup. What kind of pots are you using, room, lighting, do you have means to exhaust excess heat and humidity? You're going to have to be a lot more specific than "starting a garden indoors".

Biggest advice is don't overwater.
 
#5 ·
I’ve got a mix of plastic and terra cotta pots, from 8”-10”. Room lighting isn’t that great, so I have a plant light.

What kind of exhaust are you meaning? I have one window in each room and the air units (window unit) have dehumidifiers on it.

I mostly want to grow salad greens and some herbs. Im looking at a couple fruits as well.

And thanks!
 
#6 ·
Do you have a South or west facing window? Put the stand near window, close as possible so they get outside light as much as you can. Give the plants plenty of fresh air through the open window. Fungus and mold are fairly common problems inside.

What kind of plant lamp? There are a whole bunch of different kinds. Some of those put out a LOT of heat, you need to keep that in mind when using it because the excess heat causes it's own set of problems. If you are in a really cold climate that may actually be helpful.
 
#8 ·
Don't waste money on "plant lights."...but you do need artificial lighting. A window won't do it. (neither bright enough nor are winter day light hours long enough.) An LED "shop light" (~$15) will work just fine.
Herbs & spices are doable, as is lettuce &/or spinach. Unless you devote a 10x10 room with 20 lamps to your garden, you won't grow enough of any fruit or veggie except for a serving or two. (Not to mention, any "real" crop plant will need deep soil to thrive.
 
#10 ·
Indoor plant lighting has really come a long ways in the last several years. There is a wide variety of appropriate lighting options these days. For a little supplemental light or for starting seeds I like a small T-5 light. Haven't played too much with the LED grow lights. And then the higher end options can actually grow you an amazing amount of food. Shop lights are pretty outdated, no offense or anything
 
#9 ·
I have some "plant lights" that work really well in my basement - in a part of the basement that gets almost no light. I specifically got them because the light output is significantly higher, letting me put them higher and get more use out of them. I would be interested to see what you mean by "plant lights" too, there's a lot of difference.

Air circulation is pretty important, and definitely make sure you have plenty of good drainage!
 
#13 ·
I'm well aware of the growing trend of indoor farming...but there's a big difference between one grow light in the living room and a $20,000/month electric bill in a 10.000 sq ft converted ware house.

Here in WI, our last frost date in the spring is late in May. I keep my "seed start" tomatoes & peppers in the garage until they're flowering and 3 ft tall-- nothing but the cheapo LEDs-- $12 at Menards.
 
#14 ·
I haven't looked into the newer LED lights. Might be something to take a look at. A couple of the 5000-lumen lights I have hanging in my woodshop might give a pretty big growing area.

The plant lights I have are wavelength-specific, bluer light for vegetative growth, redder light for budding. That would be my biggest concern with "white" LEDs - what wavelengths are they emitting?

Looks like I might be doing another experiment this year.
 
#15 ·
I haven't looked into the newer LED lights. Might be something to take a look at. A couple of the 5000-lumen lights I have hanging in my woodshop might give a pretty big growing area.

The plant lights I have are wavelength-specific, bluer light for vegetative growth, redder light for budding. That would be my biggest concern with "white" LEDs - what wavelengths are they emitting?

Looks like I might be doing another experiment this year.
The "new" grow light LEDs are pretty crazy. They use red and blue little LED diodes, wavelength specific for plant growing. It's hard to say what the output is on the LED shop lights.
 
#17 ·
So I did a little looking and it seems there's been some advances in LED technology since I last looked. It used to be that LEDs emitted a very specific wavelength, and "white" light was created by combining ones in such a way that it appeared white. Apparently, they now have "phospher-converted" lights that produce a fuller spectrum:

No argument about "practical" being the guiding principle - obviously, that will be different for everyone, but agreed that price-point is certainly part of the equation.

I was totally serious about doing that experiment. I get my starters going around January, so they get a good bit of growing before I plant out. Where I grow them, I have 100% control over the light they get. It will be interesting to compare the results of a white shop-light vs. the spectrum-specific grow lights. I'll report back on the results around March / April.
 
#18 ·
I'm really interested in your results! I am not able to do a comparison with my setup and space, and have to keep supplemental light to a minimum. But yes, there have been enormous advances in LED grow light technology and my own hands on experience is like 5 years old now
 
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