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Thursday, July 31, 2008

10 Things To Consider When Growing Vegetables Indoors

I'm starting to look into growing food indoors, since we don't have a very long growing season in Vancouver. Here are some of the points to consider that I've been reading about:

1) stock up on seeds while they're available (by mid summer, many stores no longer have seeds in stock, since most people have already started their gardens)

2) be aware of temperature and light requirements of your crop (leafy plants are happier with cool temps, whereas fruit bearing plants like tomatoes require a warmer environment)

3) never use garden soil indoors because of the pests and diseases it can contain

4) supplemental feeding will be required (because of the extra watering and misting you'll need to do to maintain humidity, the nutrients in the soil will become depleted more rapidly)

5) pollination, normally done by the bees, will have to be done manually

6) maintain humidity by misting the plants regularly

7) don't keep plants right beside a cold window

8) you can grow crops from kitchen scraps - i.e. garlic and onion are two examples (I've grown potato plants in my backyard garden from pieces of store bought potatoes that have "eyes")

9) never bring outdoor plants in, or you'll bring the aphids and other pests in as well

10) you can use reflective surfaces around plants (i.e. foil, white painted surfaces) to increase light exposure

Some sources:

http://gardengal.net/page44.html
http://www.househunting.ca/outdoorliving/story.html?id=3c01124f-da92-4f18-88a6-783e73692d97
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-1490,00.html
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-336/426-336.html

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