I live in a very small studio right now with no patio or balcony. I would love to grow some of my own food!

Does anyone know of any edible plants that grow well indoors?

what are your going to use as a light source?

some small stuff easy to grow indoors...

baby carrots, lettuce, spinach, strawberries

While it's not really a plant, per say, you can sprout. I sometimes sprout alfalfa in a glass jar. I've heard of people doing it in bowls, too.

I've done the herbs, too. They don't last too long as they really need good soil and sunshine to grow well but they are pretty to look at.

Hope that is a start, anyhow. Therese

My problem is that I really don't have much of a light source. Maybe I should by one of those special bulbs for plants.

A good grow light is good (from my experience for about 9-10 sq.ft) which is really not a bad amount of room (3' by 3' )expecially if you u stagger the plants with 2 or 3 free standing shelves (taller plants at bottom , shorter plants uptop)

ive grown all manner of things inside my living room, from peas to corn even potatoes

problem is most root veggies need alot of underground growing room wich is just not feasible for most indoor areas due to sq. footage. and some stuff like corn will just produce a nice decorative plant but no corn without proper cross polination

mostly now i just stick to the leafy stuff like lettuces and spinach

although i had a spectacular zuchini growning in my living room one year which freaked more then a few people out lol

Yeah....even basic veggies need a certain amount of sunlight to produce well. You may want to ask the owners if you can use a small portion in the front or back of your apt. (or on the roof) to have some potted plants. A small herb or sprout garden will work well in just a window that gets a bare minimum of light - but not too much else. Growing stuff under grow-lights can be fun, but it is not very economical. The cost in electricity alone can be $20...$40....or even more a month....that doesn't even include the equipment and time involved. It's no small investment.

-The last option would be guerilla gardening: finding an empty field or lot or rooftop that is not really ever visited......and scattering around seeds for radish, lettuce, or whatever else you are going to be growing....or setting out a couple of old containers of soil with your plants in them. Of course, you have to walk over there and water them daily....especially in warmer conditions.

-Just some suggestions / experiences / opinions - which I hope are helpful to you.

-David Z. Mason

hehe i like guerilla gardening and most folks accept ..problem is ive been robbed of my efforts in some cases .. but hey as long as someone benefits its all good karma

Are there any community gardens in your area that you could join?

Hi!

In relation to growing plants indoors: does anyone has a construction plan for a self-made water drip/irrigation system? Or any links? ... I tried with google without success!

Thanks

Andreas

a 5 gallon bucket (or rubbermaid container if wanting bigger)... drill hole about 3/4" from bottom.. insert a plastic shut off valve.. (gate valve i think its called) ... rubber washers on both sides so water doesnt leak out.. if it leaks just use some plumbing glue of some sort to seal it ... then a pipe to valve .. poke holes in the pipe ..insert spagetti lines in the holes .. then the other end into the plant pots .. fill bucket with water...open valve..

you will probably experience leaks the first few times untill you get them glue'd up

and make sure the water source is a bit higher then the end so water gravity flows

here i found this site that shows some of what im talking about i hope this helps

this one says to use a pump which ive never used i just use gravity.

happy garden'in

[www.hydroponics.net]

Johnny's Seeds recent catalog featured varieties that can be grown in places with limited spaces.

Wishing you vibrant health

Al, I made both my own systems by haunting hydroponics stores and taking mental snapshots

there was alot of trial and error lol...


the 4th pic down is what my aeroponic setup kinda looks like very similar
[www.jasons-indoor-guide-to-organic-and-hydroponics-gardening.com]

my hydroponics are simple 5 gallon bucket system with a gravity feed watering system
which is similar to here
[www.hydroponics.net]

the only way i could get the emitters to work was to strain the worm tea through the fineness of pantyhose i have yet to find anything finer although im sure its out there in the wild world wide web lol

the emitters i got here in canada , the internet was not available to me back in the day , but theyre the same as the grocery store ones as you say or very similiar

i love growing things indoors ive pretty much abondoned growing plants that dont give something back .. cept for the spider plants, cactus etc and some purdy flowering thingies

ive modified my sytsems over the years and dont doubt i will continue to evolve them so to speak, any collaboration on modifications id love to hear about, indoor gardening is a passion of mine as i fear someday we may be forced to garden in our attics or basements for fear of prosecution *sigh*

but i digress i am veering this topic into another direction lol

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist