Hi. A newbie to this forum and to growing veggies. Need some expert help/advice.
I have a very small area (5ft by 12ft) that I want to grow a few veggies. The area is enclosed (indoor). There's skylight (filtered afternoon sunlight). So, its partial shade I guess.
I think it would be great for container veggie gardening since I don't have to worry about insects and pests.
Since the area is small, I plan to start with 3 or 4 veggie types. I am thinking of growing:
1. spinach
2. lettuce
3. celery
4. okra
5. sugar snap peas
Since space is limited, I can't afford to grow large leafy veggies that will take up space.
A) I wonder if my selections above is good enough for the conditions I have. If there are other veggies I should consider, please do let me know.
B) Also, for the above selections, what size of planters I should get? I have bought a few rectangle planters but not sure if its good enough.
C) Given the choice, I prefer to grow veggies that keep producing continuously rather than one time harvesting and have to replant again from seed. Can spinach, celery and lettuce produce continuously? I have seen spinach sold in markets with roots on, so I am thinking perhaps not.
Genchan, if space is limited, leave the okra alone. One or two plants won't give you enough for a meal on any given day. I grow okra and the plants can get huge. My okra plants grew to over 8 ft. tall and had a canopy of about 3 ft. across.
Stick with the smaller stuff since space is at a premium. If you are only getting some afternoon sunlight, you may need to go to growing lights to supplement your needs.
Stick with the smaller stuff since space is at a premium. If you are only getting some afternoon sunlight, you may need to go to growing lights to supplement your needs.
[quote="genchan"Since space is limited, I can't afford to grow large leafy veggies that will take up space.
A) I wonder if my selections above is good enough for the conditions I have. If there are other veggies I should consider, please do let me know.
B) Also, for the above selections, what size of planters I should get? I have bought a few rectangle planters but not sure if its good enough.
C) Given the choice, I prefer to grow veggies that keep producing continuously rather than one time harvesting and have to replant again from seed. Can spinach, celery and lettuce produce continuously? I have seen spinach sold in markets with roots on, so I am thinking perhaps not.[/quote]
Stuff like salad mixes, leaf lettuce varieties, spinach, chard, kale are all low growing plants that can be grown fairly densely. With all the above, you can simply pick individual leaves and leave the plants grow to continue producing until they go to seed.
A container to grow the above plants doesn't need to be real deep---maybe a foot or so. Sow the seeds and when the plants get 3-4 inches tall, thin them to about 4" spacing all around and they will do fine. That is how I have my salad greens planted and I've been harvesting them for a couple months now with no end in sight.
Things like Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. etc. will need larger growing pots with tomatoes needing some type support system. Also tomatoes need LOTS of sunlight. To grow larger plants like these, I'd not have them in a pot less than 18 inches deep and at least a foot across in all directions. Something similar to a 5 gallon bucket.
A) I wonder if my selections above is good enough for the conditions I have. If there are other veggies I should consider, please do let me know.
B) Also, for the above selections, what size of planters I should get? I have bought a few rectangle planters but not sure if its good enough.
C) Given the choice, I prefer to grow veggies that keep producing continuously rather than one time harvesting and have to replant again from seed. Can spinach, celery and lettuce produce continuously? I have seen spinach sold in markets with roots on, so I am thinking perhaps not.[/quote]
Stuff like salad mixes, leaf lettuce varieties, spinach, chard, kale are all low growing plants that can be grown fairly densely. With all the above, you can simply pick individual leaves and leave the plants grow to continue producing until they go to seed.
A container to grow the above plants doesn't need to be real deep---maybe a foot or so. Sow the seeds and when the plants get 3-4 inches tall, thin them to about 4" spacing all around and they will do fine. That is how I have my salad greens planted and I've been harvesting them for a couple months now with no end in sight.
Things like Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. etc. will need larger growing pots with tomatoes needing some type support system. Also tomatoes need LOTS of sunlight. To grow larger plants like these, I'd not have them in a pot less than 18 inches deep and at least a foot across in all directions. Something similar to a 5 gallon bucket.
Thanks Mike for the great suggestions. I like pole beans, so will certainly consider it. Not a big fan of bell pepper but adding color to my food is important too I suppose.
Thanks for the other advices. I have a better idea on what I need to do to grow them in pots.
Will celery produce continuously too?
I was wondering if its a good idea to buy some fresh spinach (for example) with roots attached from a local market, cut off the leaves and replant the roots, instead of planting from seeds... will it work?
Hi Gumbo. I love okra but you are right, it won't be enough for a meal. I also read it needs full sun.gumbo2176 wrote:Genchan, if space is limited, leave the okra alone. One or two plants won't give you enough for a meal on any given day. I grow okra and the plants can get huge. My okra plants grew to over 8 ft. tall and had a canopy of about 3 ft. across.
Thanks for the other advices. I have a better idea on what I need to do to grow them in pots.
Will celery produce continuously too?
I was wondering if its a good idea to buy some fresh spinach (for example) with roots attached from a local market, cut off the leaves and replant the roots, instead of planting from seeds... will it work?
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jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7447
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
I hate to be a wet blanket, but garden produce really needs lots of full sun to produce anything worthwhile. Grown under the conditions you describe, the plants will be leggy, and light in color. I would try a few things in the containers you have before going on. See how it goes, then decide if its worth expanding.
genchan wrote:Will celery produce continuously too? I was wondering if its a good idea to buy some fresh spinach (for example) with roots attached from a local market, cut off the leaves and replant the roots, instead of planting from seeds... will it work?
I've not grown celery but I wouldn't think it would do good if you harvest the outside stalks as it grows. All the celery seems to grow at the same rate of growth.
As for the spinach, not sure if it would root and produce but I do know green onions with just a bit of root left on them will root and grow new green onion tops. I've done this for many years. I'll sometimes buy a couple bunches at the market, cut about 2 inches above the root, put them in a glass of water for a couple days and transplant them into the garden and they take off like wildfire.
Jal_Ut has a valid point and he experience and knowledge to back it up. That is why I mentioned growing lights in a prior post. Not enough sunlight with filtered afternoon sun.
The amount of light is very important for most of your plants, though lettuce has a lower light requirement. Trying to keep it simple, plants need a certain amount of light waves they can use (called PAR light) per day. If your plants get an average 30,000 lux of light for 10 hours per day (ambient light on a clear day in early spring or late fall), you will have enough light.
I'm a firm believer that there are three meters one needs (if you are trying to grow hydroponically, which you are not): a light meter, a ppm/TDS/EC meter and a pH meter.
Personally, I find growing plants in water inside much easier than trying to deal with potting soil/dirt (except for seedlings). I can also grow many more in a much smaller space. Even large plants like tomatoes do not need much more than a square foot of space, though I tend to grow determinates.
Mike
I'm a firm believer that there are three meters one needs (if you are trying to grow hydroponically, which you are not): a light meter, a ppm/TDS/EC meter and a pH meter.
Personally, I find growing plants in water inside much easier than trying to deal with potting soil/dirt (except for seedlings). I can also grow many more in a much smaller space. Even large plants like tomatoes do not need much more than a square foot of space, though I tend to grow determinates.
Mike
Thanks guys for the kind advice. Appreciate them.
Thanks to Jal_Ut for bringing me back to reality. Its frustrating when you don't have all the right conditions to grow the crops you want.
As for the spinach, will do some experiment to see if I can regrow them from roots. Thanks Gumbo for the tips on green onions.
Mike, I did think about hydroponics, actually was doing a lot of reading about aeroponics. But the setting up of the system takes more time and effort than simply using potting soil. Water containing the nutrients will have to be changed regularly. And plus electrical usage for the pumps. I guess that's also the reason I'm not very keen to use grow lights. Having said that, I might have to eat my words since I don't have all the right conditions to begin with.
As Jal_Ut said, I will experiment with a few veggies like spinach and lettuce and see how it goes.
Thanks to Jal_Ut for bringing me back to reality. Its frustrating when you don't have all the right conditions to grow the crops you want.
As for the spinach, will do some experiment to see if I can regrow them from roots. Thanks Gumbo for the tips on green onions.
Mike, I did think about hydroponics, actually was doing a lot of reading about aeroponics. But the setting up of the system takes more time and effort than simply using potting soil. Water containing the nutrients will have to be changed regularly. And plus electrical usage for the pumps. I guess that's also the reason I'm not very keen to use grow lights. Having said that, I might have to eat my words since I don't have all the right conditions to begin with.
As Jal_Ut said, I will experiment with a few veggies like spinach and lettuce and see how it goes.
genchan,
I don't want to talk you into hydro, but once you get past the idea, it is really simple. A small water pump, a Sterilite container, a few feet of PVC piping and you are good to grow. It's a fallacy that the nuits need to be changed - they don't. Maybe once every 3-4 months if one really wants to. Not to mention, an aeroponics system is soothing to listen to - sort of like a gentle waterfall!
If you think you may be interested, I have some plans for different type of systems I can e-mail to you.
Mike
I don't want to talk you into hydro, but once you get past the idea, it is really simple. A small water pump, a Sterilite container, a few feet of PVC piping and you are good to grow. It's a fallacy that the nuits need to be changed - they don't. Maybe once every 3-4 months if one really wants to. Not to mention, an aeroponics system is soothing to listen to - sort of like a gentle waterfall!
If you think you may be interested, I have some plans for different type of systems I can e-mail to you.
Mike
Yes I am. Thanks Mike! Will p.msg you my email address.wordwiz wrote:If you think you may be interested, I have some plans for different type of systems I can e-mail to you.
I have always wondered if those sterilite containers are safe to use. Soaked in nutrient water, wouldn't they give out certain toxics over time?
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jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7447
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
About the spinach and lettuce, just clip some leaves, don't pull the plant. They will last quite a while doing that. Replant from seed now and then to keep the crop producing. It is not likely you can keep the original planting in production for more than a month or six weeks.
If you try tomatoes, get determinate types. Something like Burpee's Pixie would be a good one. They don't get large and have small fruit but are early. I don't grow Okra, no advice there.
Celery is a long season plant. I can't even grow it outside in my climate. Not long enough season. The stalks get about as big as a pencil when it gets frozen. I don't know what it will do growing inside.
Some grow lights will definitely help.
If you try tomatoes, get determinate types. Something like Burpee's Pixie would be a good one. They don't get large and have small fruit but are early. I don't grow Okra, no advice there.
Celery is a long season plant. I can't even grow it outside in my climate. Not long enough season. The stalks get about as big as a pencil when it gets frozen. I don't know what it will do growing inside.
Some grow lights will definitely help.
You can also try things like carrots, radishes, and swiss chard. Perhaps beet, but they may take longer to grow to harvesting size. Really, what you are talking about is container gardening and there is a lot of info out there on it.
As far as the lights go, depending on your local electricity rates, it may only be $2 or so a month more on your electric bill for each light fixture. One T-8 shop-light with 2 32 watt bulbs in it will consume about as much electricity as 1 60 watt incandescent lamp bulb hour-for-hour.
As far as the lights go, depending on your local electricity rates, it may only be $2 or so a month more on your electric bill for each light fixture. One T-8 shop-light with 2 32 watt bulbs in it will consume about as much electricity as 1 60 watt incandescent lamp bulb hour-for-hour.
Thanks guys.
I wonder if I have to do something with air circulation too. The area I have is enclosed and while there's air flow, its rather minimal. Not the kind that will rattle the leaves.
I understand that tomatoes need proper air flow to prevent damping off. But I was wondering how much air flow is required in order to decide if I really need to put a fan in growing my veggies.
I wonder if I have to do something with air circulation too. The area I have is enclosed and while there's air flow, its rather minimal. Not the kind that will rattle the leaves.
I understand that tomatoes need proper air flow to prevent damping off. But I was wondering how much air flow is required in order to decide if I really need to put a fan in growing my veggies.