HelpfulGardener.com

Hi all,

This might be a stupid question, but I'm new to this indoor growing lark and could use some wisdom!

I have before grown my own herbs successfully with a greenhouse and container garden (outside), however I now live in an apartment with no garden so have to get creative. I would love to grow some herbs from seed, I was thinking something like the classic basil, and then maybe also those more used to warmer climates so they don't overheat indoors (although not sure what yet!). I now live in Finland, which is very northern, and at the moment we don't have very much light so I'm not thinking of starting right now. However, as they are inside, the warmth shouldn't be a problem (or will it?), so how much light do you think I would need to wait for before I could start some seeds on the windowsill?

Or, more generally, is this a really bad idea? I just have the major winter blues and am itching to start growing something, but having never seeded indoors I have no idea if it would work or whether everything would just either bolt or wither up and die! I saw the other day that the shops are starting to stock seeds, but I still think it's a little early, but what do you think?

Also, I don't really have the chance to add a grow light or anything industrial as my other half would throw a bit of a fit if I turned the house into a garden centre. It needs to stay aesthetically pleasing if at all possible (it's a relatively small flat). See, it's a challenge eh!

Thanks for any advice,

S

Do some browsing around in this section, there's lots of good info!

I think you will have a difficult time growing very many herbs with just window sill light. You might try some parsley, which can manage with lower light levels.

Otherwise you need to find some way to add supplemental lighting that is design acceptable to the better half. It does not need to be special grow lights. Any fluorescent light that you can have pretty close to the plant will do. (Lighting that is more than 6" away from the plant does not add very much.)

For something really inoffensive, I have one of these in my kitchen

https://www.aerogarden.com/aerogardens-cat-index

with oregano, parsley and basil in it.

But any table lamp would work.

Does your flat have a closet anywhere with a high shelf that you don't use very much? If you could rig lights over that, it would make a perfect seed starting space, out of the way, out of sight once the closet or cabinet door is closed, and warm.

Thanks for you reply. I am now in love with the idea of those growers the link shows, they're amazing! Sorry to be a total idiot but when you say any table lap, do you mean literally any table lamp? Does that mean it doesn't have to be full spectrum bulbs or special growing lights?
I'll look into the cupboard idea...!
S

Any fluorescent, does not need to be special grow lights.

But not the old style incandescent; they give off too much heat and will burn your plants up if they are close enough to do any good.

The light does have to be just a few inches above the plant.

The Aerogarden has an extendable arm so you can raise the hood with the bulbs in it as your plants grow.

I am trying herbs from seeds again the year, I started seeds 3 days ago, of 4 different Basil's, Rosemary, unique Thai peppers and a few other peppers. This is very early to start here in the North East, but these seeds took 3 weeks to come up and then grow very slow. Last year by May I gave up with them too slow, I have lights I use for my Tomatoes, so I should use them now.I hope!!!!!!
[img]https://i581.photobucket.com/albums/ss256/filmnet1/cucs.jpg[/img]

shot from last year on the left is some

I posted details on which flouro bulbs to use on the blog.

I grow herbs and lettuce hydroponically, and it is actually very easy once you get the basics understood. It also produces much faster than soil based methods.

24" flourescents with 6500K bulbs will do just fine in your available space.

Good luck with indoor growing!!