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applestar
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Applestar’s 2020~2021 Winter Indoor Garden

I might as well start this annual thread, even though I’m not sure if I will have a lot to talk about this year.

To start us off, here’s photo of one of my Fish peppers that is showing extraordinary amount of variegation. It was at deaths door during the summer when it was infested by mites as it was emerging from last winter’s indoor stress, but it’s come back. :D

Starting to bloom and hopefully bear some fruits now.
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Fish Pepper (Location:WPPH)
Fish Pepper (Location:WPPH)

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applestar
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Here are some seedlings of dill, Asian greens, microdwarf tomatoes in cells as well as in a shallow tub (part of pseudo aquaponic setup — you might remember it from last year) — carrots, red dragon Chinese cabbage, etc.

Plus those fuzzy leaves are eggplants (yeah not sure why I’m trying to grow them now — just haven’t tried yet in indoor winter garden) and my celery jungle — red stemmed is Redventure. You can also see another Fish pepper in the back as well as a couple of tiny strawberry starts.
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imafan26
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Looks good. My fish pepper did not live that long. I stil have more seeds. I will try them again, they are so ornamental. Actually my pepper is my Christmas tree this year. It has its own ornaments. I contemplated putting lights on them, but I am to lazy to do that. Not to mention, it would probably be a little dangerous to do that since I will have hot fingers for awhile after that. What kind of eggplant is it? Eggplant does not grow very fast at this time of the year. As long as it does not get mildew and it can get good light, it should do o.k.

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applestar
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applestar
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pineapple 🍍 on left, orchids on right
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imafan26
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Applestar, have you thought about growing micro greens in winter? The most I have tried is the mung bean sprouts in a jar. That one is easy, you just need a dark space in a cabinet and they only need tending once in a while and it is a quick harvest. Humbug to separate the skins from the sprouts, and I still have the problem of having to plan my meals so they are ready to harvest when I need them.

Danibdo
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So cool to hear about micro dwarf tomatoes. Is it a specific variety or can I find it by searching for micro dwarf? For indoors it must be a great choice, right?

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applestar
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- Eggplant wants to bloom! ...what do you think? Walnut-size? Egg size?
- carrots, Red Dragon Chinese cabbage, etc.....
- Some new guppie beauties — especially intrigued by “zebra? body-pattern”
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applestar
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BTW - I’ve given up on buying fish/guppie food — after some experimentation, I have found they respond very well to frozen peas and frozen corn, a little nori, and natural yogurt left in the yogurt cup.

- yogurt — let the un-spoonable bits dry on side and bottom, then submerge the cup for them to pick clean. Added benefit — the water clears up after they get the yogurt treat... don’t know why. We tend to like Fage Total with fruit preserves in the side cup. This is perfect for the fancy guppies since the fruits we like are generally high-colored like blueberry, blackberry, mango, etc.

- Peas and corn — I just let thaw then squish between fingers then basically rinse off in their water. To make extra, I use a small pestle to push through a medium mesh strainer, then spread on parchment to dry.

- I’m also giving them those end of bread and cereal bag crumbs.

- also, I have excessive duckweed growths in these reservoirs, so I scoop them up, dry and then crumble.

- also, I had a leftover hard boiled egg nobody wanted to eat, so I pushed that through the strainer - shell and all - and dehydrated

...now I have more than enough ready-to-use dried fish food :D

... I did have to re-think the nori — Not as often, not in too-big pieces — because two of the big-fantailed males with black or black-patterned tails were attacked and have chunks bitten out of their tails now.

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applestar
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My little pineapple and kumquats :D
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C5208749-EAAB-481F-9A12-A374F501E810.jpeg

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applestar
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Pineapple update :()
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My DDs have been enjoying the kumquats — “Sweet and yummy!” “Grow more!” — only 2 fruits left. :wink:

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applestar
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My very modest Winter Indoor Garden experiment —
- a daikon and a carrot
- red napa cabbage and other Asian greens (I think light green one is Tokyo Bekana or maybe Funjen?
- a little yellow cherry tomato and a red Fish pepper in the back
9948AF91-EE95-4E0B-AC99-982882D8BBC6.jpeg

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applestar
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I still have some sprouting broccoli growing in the GarageV8 nursery, and they throw a few tidbits for harvesting now and then. Ordinarily, I would have planted these outside by now to finish up, but my outside garden is still very slowly being readied.

So here is breakfast — egg fried in the toaster oven in a small donburi lid with leftover roasted chicken pieces and pan drippings, garnished with a couple of broccoli shoots :D
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Vanisle_BC
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Talking about overwinter survivors; I just dug up a parsnip (Hollow Crown) that was planted exactly one year ago. Tastes fine, if anything a bit bland. Its twin is still in the ground for seed production. If I remember right it will likely be the size of a small tree before that happens. I'd like to move it but wouldn't be able to get it out of the ground intact.

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applestar
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Carrots and greens from the Winter Indoor Garden The biggest carrot disappeared almost immediately after I scrubbed it clean. When I asked my DD is she wasn’t going to share or show it to her sister, she ran upstairs and came right back, saying “Nope, she’s still sleeping!” ... and that was that :lol: (She said it was “GOOD and SWEET!”)
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...I had some of the greens blanched and chopped in a cucumber and corned beef cold noodle salad with blue cheese dressing for lunch :D



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