Indoor Vegetable Garden?

[HappyWaterTurtle]

Hello everyone! I would appreciate some advice. I want to start an indoor vegetable garden in my basement. The problem is that I'm not an experienced gardener and I'm not even sure if this project is possible.

Each year, I buy a few vegetable plants from local stores and promptly kill them. In any case, I do fairly well with houseplants and I've started seeds with success. Recently, I've even managed to keep mint and thyme in my bedroom without killing them! My idea is that with an indoor garden, I could control the light and temperature, while protecting the plants from pests. So, maybe my plants will be healthier. Besides, I now live in a rented house where planting an outdoor garden would not be allowed.

My basement is large and has pretty good ventilation. I'll be able to open three windows in Spring and Summer for even more air flow. The windows provide some light, but I expect that I will also need to provide full-spectrum lighting, which is not a problem. The floor is concrete, so a little spilled dirt wouldn't be hard to clean up. I'm willing to put quite a bit of effort into this project, in terms of getting big enough pots, setting up lighting, etc.

I'm interested in the following vegetables: carrots, beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, romanesco, and eggplant (I like the Fairy Tale variety). Can any of these be grown in containers? I would greatly appreciate any advice on equipment, plant varieties, temperature requirements, etc. Specifically, I'm worried that these vegetables will require very deep root systems, which would prevent them from growing well in pots. Also, I live in Colorado and have witnessed the slow death of several more delicate houseplants (such as azaleas) from lack of humidity. Will I need a humidifier?

If someone could point me to a good source of info on fertilizer needs of different vegetables, that would be great, too.

Thanks very much!

[Gnome]

HappyWaterTurtle,

Hello and welcome to the forums. While I admire your "can-do" attitude I have some reservations about your project. This sounds like a pretty ambitious way for a beginner to start. Before I answer any specific questions lets step back a minute and take a look at the big picture.

You say you are in a rented house where a garden would not be allowed. Are you sure? Have you spoken to the landlord, he/she may be more accommodating than you imagine, especially if you bribe them with some fresh produce. If that is truly not an option then the next best situation would be to grow in pots outside. Trying to grow vegetables inside would be my last choice.

[nan1234]

Light and tempresure are essential for indoor growing. I also have a lesson this year: do not take any plants from outdoor to indoor. Otherwise, you'll get anoying aphid problem. Aphid reproduce quickly indoor. I released hundreds of lady beatles and can only keep the balance but cannot get rid of aphids completely.