Craig Conner's List: Indoor Gardening

Welcome to Indoor Herb Garden dot Org!

I decided to put this site up because I know a lot of folks out there are in the same boat I'm in.

I grew up in the Garden State of New Jersey, with a beautiful victory garden. In my day, I grew beautiful sweet tomatoes, watermelon, snow peas, lettuce, cantalopes, corn, marigolds, carnations, pansies, you name it in the beautiful little garden I had growing up.

Well, adulthood set it, and I moved to New York City area. I live in an apartment on the third floor, and I MISS being able to sow my seeds, till my soil, and reap a bountiful harvest. And worse, when I need fresh herbs for my cooking, I have to go to an overpriced supermarket, spend $5 for a handful of herbs, most of which I'll throw away.

Growing plants indoors is especially fun and rewarding. When you are able to eat delicious vegetables from your plants it is even more exciting. Indoor gardening is a wonderful tool for those who have very little space and for those who are unable to bend. Indoor gardeners also love the fact that there is very little weed problem, no hot sun shining down on them, and it is so much easier to have good soil without covering a large area.\n

Best Plants for Indoor Gardening
Another great part of indoor gardening is the variety of plants you can grow. The year-round capabilities of hydroponic growing systems allow you to rotate your crops in any way you choose, not at the whims of the weather. Vegetable such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and lettuce are a natural fit for indoor gardening. Herb gardens can also work well for very small spaces (even as small as a windowsill).

About Growing Houseplants - Care and Maintenance
Houseplants, also called indoor plants, brighten up your home or office. Caring for houseplants makes for a great hobby during the long inclement months of winter, and even throughout the year. And, growing houseplants is rather easy. Many gardeners refuse to twiddle their green thumbs, for months on end, a winter keeps them indoors. Rather, they actively extend their gardening pleasure through the winter months, tending to a wide array of indoor plants.

1. Vines around Windows. Have you ever considered using your houseplant vines to decorate your windows instead of using curtains or blinds? The idea is simple, and it shouldn’t take too long to achieve the effect you’re looking for. In general, you’ll want to grow vines alongside, and/or between your windows, then train them to climb up the sides onto the curtain rods hanging above.

Care tip - placing cactuses and succulents outdoors during the summer time:
They thrive in morning sun and afternoon shade. If you place them in direct afternoon
sun they will burn and not thrive, most potted cactuses and succulents are considered
Jungle Cactuses and not Desert Cactuses. If temperatures are hot water them about
twice a week, it's a myth that cactuses and succulents don't need much water. The type
of soil is important for good drainage to keep them from rotting, mix sand and small pebbles
into the soil.

Surviving the great indoors
The indoor environment can be quite a shock to plants that are accustomed to cool nights, breezes, rain, and direct sunlight. To help with the transition, you need to reverse the "hardening off" process. Begin by setting the plants out of direct sun for about a week. This gets them used to the lower light conditions indoors. After a few days, bring the plants inside for a few hours, then return them outside. Repeat this "in and out" routine for 5 to 7 days, then bring them indoors for good. Believe me, this will make a big difference in how well the survive the great indoors.

Mushroom Growing Supplies!

PROPAGATION BY SEED
Propagation by seed is the most commonly known method of producing new plants. Common annual and biennial vegetables and flowers are grown easily from seed. Perennials grown from seed may take more than one season to flower. Lawn grasses are commonly grown from seed by the home gardener.

Because of the low-light levels, maintaining healthy plants can be a challenge. A northern windowsill can measure light levels as low as 200 ft-c on a clear winter day, which is optimal for some plants, such as the African violet. This exposure is best for plants with green foliage because the coloration on variegated foliage tends to disappear under low-light conditions. Although most plants grown indoors will not grow in a northern room, they may tolerate it for short periods of time.\nSeasons change the amount of natural light entering through windows. For example, the summer sun reaches a higher zenith compared to the winter sun (Figure 2). Therefore, sunlight penetrates farther into a room during winter.

Though chemicals such as formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide are anathema to human health, plants can thrive on them, while also removing them from the air. Plants that top the clean-air list include peace lily, bamboo palm, English ivy, mums, and gerbera daisies, all of which are both easy to find and easy to care for, so even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can still have a green home or office.

Here is the recipe for Hoagland's solution that I have been using:

Make up the following Stock solutions:

1. Ca(NO3)2.4H2O 236.1 g/l
2. KNO3 101.1 g/l
3. KH2PO4 136.1 g/l
4. MgSO4.7H2O 246.5 g/l
5. Trace elements (make up to 1 L)
H3BO3 2.8 g
MnCl2.4H2O 1.8 g
ZnSO4.7H2O 0.2 g
CuSO4.5H2O 0.1 g
NaMoO4 0.025 g
6. FeEDTA -
10.4 g EDTA.2Na
7.8 g FeSO4.7H2O
56.1 g KOH