Towards the end of
the fall season, there’s a scramble to wind up the gardening chores. But even
as the temperature dips, you can continue your food generating enterprise by
shifting the venue indoors.
Most homes are
heated to a comfortably warm temperature range of 65 to 75F during winter. This
is ideal for growing many vegetables, so the winter cold is not as much of an
issue here as low-light conditions. Your choice would be limited unless you
provide sufficient grow lights to imitate the sunny outdoors.
As a general rule,
leafy vegetables can manage with much less light than root vegetables. Fruiting
vegetables such as tomatoes and eggplants need more light to ensure a good
yield. Try growing some of the following edibles indoors to ward off the winter
blues and get your gardening fix this-year.
1.Spinach. Out in
the garden, spinach does best in partial shade and gives a continuous supply of
leaves. The same can be replicated indoors by growing it near a window where it
will get 3-4 hours of sunlight. Select a cool spot since spinach has a tendency
to bolt in heat. Keep harvesting the outer leaves to encourage the plant to
produce new leaves. Spinach can be grown successfully under grow lights too.
2.Lettuce. You can
grow different varieties of lettuce indoors. They need no more than 3-4 hours
of dappled sunshine through a sunny window. The loose leaf varieties are ideal
for indoors as you can pick the outer leaves for a long and continuous harvest.
Lettuces can adjust very well to growing exclusively under artificial lights.
3.Swiss chard. These
colorful plants would be a cheerful addition to your home’s ambiance, but they
need 4-5 hours of sun to produce long stalks in rainbow colors. Indoor chard
plants are much smaller, but you can harvest the leaves all through winter. Use
the older ones in stir-fries and the tender ones raw in salads.
4.Arugula. This
salad green with a sharp taste is a high yielder even when grown indoors. The
large rosette resembling dandelion can give a continuous supply of leaves. The
more you cut, the more it grows. Arugula is a cool season plant and tends to
bolt earlier if grown in a warm spot.
5.Mushrooms.
Mushrooms can be grown indoors not only in winter, but it is an enjoyable
activity when outside gardening activities come to a standstill in the chilly
weather. Growing button-mushrooms or oyster-mushrooms from ready-made kits is
extremely easy. All you need to do is water the medium as instructed and keep
it in a cool, dark place to develop. You can have several harvests from the
same bed.
6.Potatoes. You need
large plastic bags for growing potatoes indoors. Fill them with good quality
potting mix and plant the potatoes. Potato plants need 5-6 hours of sunlight to
give you a satisfactory yield. You can check for baby spuds and use them in
your cooking instead of waiting for the tubers to mature.
NOTE: The materials and the information
contained on Natural ways channel are provided for general and educational
purposes only and do not constitute any legal, medical or other professional
advice on any subject matter. None of the information on our videos is a
substitute for a diagnosis and treatment by your health professional. Always
seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to
starting any new diet or treatment and with any questions you may have
regarding a medical condition. If you have or suspect that you have a medical
problem, promptly contact your health care provide.
No comments:
Post a Comment