Every day Northview gets a number of hits from people looking to grow lettuce and carrots indoors. We have done both with good success and in fact found the task surprisingly easy.
This year we tried a new "in house" crop. Walking onions, or top onions, (those big eclectic critters that perpetuate themselves by growing little onions on their tops and dropping them to root and grow new plants), thrive in a number of large clumps around the yard (will share if you are local and want some).
Thus last spring I planted some in an ordinary dollar store hanging basket in plain dirt and let them take care of themselves all summer. Last fall I brought them in, fed them a little fertilizer and stuck them in the kitchen. No special lighting, they aren't even in a window, no special care. (Although we do dump the coffee grounds in the pot when Liz makes "real" coffee).
They have thrived and we have had all the green onion tops we could use. Last week during the thaw I spotted a handful of last year's top bulbs that had melted up out of the snow, so I started a second basket. They sprouted brisk growth in four days and will be ready to join the ongoing harvest in another week or so.
I have always gone outside whenever the snow was low and chopped off a few stems, but having them flourishing indoors is wonderful. Soup, stew, whatever, it just looks (and tastes) better with little green rings of fresh onion floating on top.
We also added a bucket of parsley to the pot of chives that has been spending summers out and winters in for years. We solved the problems we have had with the parsley bringing in a healthy crop of nasty insect pets like white flies and mealy bugs by letting it freeze good and hard and then bringing it in. Not a bug in sight and lots of tasty green for cooking.
If any of you have other ideas for growing food plants indoors I would sure love to hear them. It is terrific to cook with fresh vegetables and herbs that don't cost the earth because they are out of season.
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9 comments:
Here are my thoughts:
Bush sugar snap peas
Swiss chard (ick but do able I think)
Radishes
Spinach
If your daring Bush Tomatoes and Cucumbers...
And when are we getting pictures of Goliath? :) I would love to your monster calf of yesterday.
I have a patio tomato plant in a 2 1/2 gallon bucket, setting in the window of the kitchen. The tomatoes on it grow very slow. I use a Gro Lite on it at night. Sure are tasty when they ripen, this time of year.
I don't have much "good" light in my house so have never tried to grow anything other that a few houseplants. The onions sound like something I'll try.......if I can dig some. We call them winter onions here. They survive the winter and are ready to grow again first thing in the spring.
I ain't much on house plants, but I've got a dust bunny under the couch that's about big enough to butcher.
I have a few of those onions under all the snow somewhere - your idea is awesome. I'm definately going to try that next winter :)
I bet you could grow radishes or parsnips or any kind of root type plant. What fun - let us know what you try next :)
The only food type plant I have in the house is an orange tree that has yet to produce an orange.
Pretty plant though.
That is a good idea. The only problem is that with so many plants that I have in the house, I have no place for the garden in the house too. I sure wish I did though. Maybe when we get the heat to the barn next year, I will have to take some up to the barn for the winter.
Sara, I may try some of them...especially maybe a tomato..don't know on the pics. I have to remember to take the camera to the barn. lol
JB, sounds great. Do you have to pollinate the blossoms? I had one way back when I was in college and we had to pollinate it with a paintbrush
Linda, I have had my plants for over thirty years. I have moved them here and moved them there and they always reliably come up very early in the spring and last well into the fall...having them indoors is a nice bonus
aka, I know a lot of good wild game recipes
Deb, I have never managed to get a citrus to even bloom indoors let alone set fruit. maybe too cold or something I don't know. I have to get a big pot before I can do more root crops but I want to. I used the one for carrots to plant one my Norfolk Island pines. lol btw I envy your Jasmine!
LIsa, I'll bet you could grow some really nice plants by that nice bright window on the end.
I'm not sure about growing things but that first pic is fantastic..:-)
Thanks Ed, I am so grateful for green!
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