Shelves is one of the things I would recommend you start with. I was able to locate some great ones at garage sales. If you are too busy for that I have some on the website you can purchase a la carte or as part of a growing kit I supply. Make sure you get sturdy one. My first set collapsed and it was a travesty.
One of the first things I found out is that it’s not starting the plants that is the most difficult it is keeping them alive.
#1 – Plants Need Light – Sunlight or Artificial Light
Vegetables and greens can grow well in front of a window with good sun exposure. Sometimes you may need to supplement with a little artificial light for optimal growth.
Optimal growth will occur with at least 12 hours of light each day. During the short winter months, plants may require supplemental lighting. I use a grow light from the local hardware store on my kitchen rack. You can do either a grow light bulb or an actual grow light from the lighting section. It should have an output of at least 2500 lumens a a kelvin rating of 5,000-6,500. We have a number of options on the website if you want to purchase them here to save time. Four shop lights is 7000 lumen. You want your lights to be the daylight series for your vegetables in this scenario. Power strips and timers help to make this automated. Your seedlings will do best if started in an individual container like a dixie cup. After they have been planted cover them with plastic to make a greenhouse effect until they germinate. Water them with a squirt bottle so you do not disrupt the soil. When they get big enough they spend the day on the patio in the shed for a few days. Then they are able to go into the grass for a while to harden them more. They cannot get full sun for an entire day in the beginning. Planting in succession is key to keeping plants rotating through to keep you fed.
- Organic Starter
- 2 parts compost
- 2 parts coir
- 1 part perlite
Coir comes in dehydrated, compressed blocks, so you’ll need to soak it in water before using it. Mix all ingredients in a wheelbarrow or garden cart.
For homemade potting soil according to HGTV
Basic Blend
This is an all-purpose mix that’s easy to make, affordable and good for most plants.
Ingredients
- 1 part perlite
- 1 part compost
- 1 part garden soil (aka, plain dirt)
- 1 part peat moss or coir
Optional, for extra nutrients
A handful of each:
- Kelp meal
- Rock phosphate
- Blood meal
- Garden lime
Potting Soil for Annuals
This one is chockfull of nutrients so your annuals can crank out flowers without extra feeding.
Ingredients
- 1 part composted chicken manure
- 1 part worm casings
- 1 part composted bark
- 1 part expanded shale, hydroponic grow rock or pumice*
- 1 part coarse river sand
The worm casings and chicken manure will feed your plants throughout the season, and the pine bark decomposes slowly, keeping soil fertile so you won’t have to pour fertilizer on your plants all season.
Potting Soil for Tropical Plants
This soil mix packs a ton of nutrients and is the right pH for tropicals, who generally like well-drained, acidic soil packed with organic matter.
Ingredients
First, combine:
- 2 parts composted bark
- 2 parts pure pine bark
- 1 part rice hulls*
- One handful of charcoal pellets
Then, in a second container, mix up:
- 3 parts of the above mixture
- 1 part peat moss or coir
- 1 part perlite
- 1 part calcined clay*
Potting Soil for Succulents
This soil is fast-draining. Use it for cacti, too.
Ingredients
- 5 parts perlite or pumice
- 4 parts bagged potting soil
- 1 part coarse sand
For best results, put gravel or aquarium rocks on top of the soil to protect the crowns of the plants from rotting. The stone keeps water from gathering around the base of the plant.
*Remember, you can get the weirder ingredients, like rice hulls and calcine clay, online.
#2 – The bigger the container the bigger the plant! Give your roots room to grow.
Starting in a small container gives you much more control than a large one and you can start more at one time in order to nix the weak links. Transplant them into larger containers so they have plenty of room to grow. It is important to harden them with a fan or some time outdoors.
#3 – to Prevent Root Rot Provide Good Drainage
I initially thought it would be a great idea to grow my plants indoors with dirt from the local gravel pit. Nope! Potting soil when growing indoors is going to produce the best results. Start out with soil for seeds then move on to potting soil. I use the tubs from the dollar store. I use two dishpans. One has holes about 12 and I put drain rocks in the lower one to elevate it. This keeps my guys from getting root rot.
#4 – Don’t Cook Your Garden!
The ideal temperature for growing lettuce is 65-70°. It requires an average temperature of 50° to grow. Too cold will slow growth and too hot will encourage the plant to bolt. Bolting is when the center leave begins to grow longer than the others and the lettuce become quite bitter. This is due to the lettuce preparing to drop its seeds. It is important to know the appropriate temp range of your plants so you can position them appropriately in relation to your light and what is in your tropical greenhouse area.
Peppers on the other hand require a temperature of 85° to germinate. After the seedling stage, they are incredibly happy to live in a wider range of temperatures as long as they don’t freeze. It is important that all of these get lots of light. Put your plants in the window if you can so they are able to get direct light!
#5 – Fans Build Strong Plants
Plants stems grown outdoors are stronger because of the constant exposure to air movement. I used to have a lot of spindly bases and you need these to be healthy enough to hold the products of your labor. You can mimic that movement by using fans to create a gentle breeze. If possible use a fan that rotates just to increase your success. If your garden is in a room with windows, open the windows to let the natural breezes come through when temperatures are right. Do not mistake drafts for healthy air movement. That means cooling a room off is not the same as having a breeze blow through. Remember to be cognizant of temperature.
#6 – Fertilize Regularly
Indoor plants do not have access to the natural fertilization that Mother Nature provides. They only have the nutrients that you provide for them.
Some potting soil comes with slow release fertilizers, so you do not have to fertilize for a few months. I usually fertilize every few days with an organic fertilizer that is designed for edible plants.
These are some fertilizers that are suggested by The Provident Prepper who we love to follow. We use organic products on the farm so our go to as of late has been a combination of; banana peels, eggshells, worm tea, cooking water, coffee grounds, green tea, epsom salt, fish tank water, hair, molasses,. It is important to follow the directions when using these methods because each one is specific to a particular type of plant. Please check the site for directions. Fish tank water is same no matter what as is; hair, banana peels cut up, worm tea, & cooking water.
- Neptune’s Harvest Fish Fertilizer (not stinky)
- Dr. Earth Organic 5 Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer
- Jobe’s Organics Vegetable & Tomato Fertilizer Spikes
- Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules
#7 – Harvest Daily
Just like cutting your hair you have to keep the plants on their toes. It is normal to hit lettuce at about 4″. Do not take more than 1/3 of the plants at a time or it can cause shock. Trim off any unhealthy parts when you see them so your plants are not putting a bunch of time into trying to “raise the dead”. Cut the outer leaves at the base of the plant first, about 1 inch from the soil. The plant will continue to grow new lettuce in the center for a while longer. Harvest in the morning for best flavor and texture.
#8 – In This Indoor Scenario You Never Stop Planting
This is because you never stop harvesting. That means if you are a non GMO seed user like us make sure you have enough and make sure you know how to harvest your own seeds. You do not have to use all your seeds at one time. Get a shoe box or a recipe card box and start storing your seeds in there with tabs so you are hanging onto that gold. This is your future!
Continually Plant New Crops
Eventually, all annual varieties of lettuce and greens will bolt and go to seed. Some varieties last longer than others. Most greens and lettuce plants have a limited productive life. Use the cut from the outside method to prolong the life of your lettuce.
You can ensure a constant supply of greens by having plants growing at all stages. When you begin to harvest from one set of greens, it is time to plant a new container to ensure that you have a constant supply of fresh greens for your dinner table. Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers do not need to be replanted as frequently as greens.
Clone your plants! I cannot stress this enough. It is August and my tomatoes are doing stellar. This means it is critical that I take some of the branches and put them in water so they can begin to root. Save the seeds from your fruits such as; tomatoes, cucumbers, & peppers. The hybrids will not grow the same as the mother plant so those clones are your solution to that. When you lettuce begins to bolt put it in the garden outside so you will be able to collect the seeds. Do not let it take up valuable shelf space you could be using to eat with.
These plants can go outside for some time not in the burning hot sun if you do not have access to power for lighting. They will survive a few days without their indoor grow lights if that becomes an issue. Move them to the window asap however. Good Luck!!