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You may pride yourself on eating only locally grown food. But your food can get even more localized. It is possible to grow some food in the comfort of your own home. This is a great idea for people who like to garden but live in apartments. There are several different plants that can thrive inside the home, and I’ve found various sites that can walk you through how to grow them.
How to Garden Indoors:
She Knows has a great article on how to garden indoors: How to grow food indoors, what you will need to do, the materials that you’ll need and other tips are featured in their article, a great place to start if you want to garden in your living room. Here are their tips for creating a prosperous environment indoors.
"If you have a naturally lit area, you won’t have to do much garden prepping; however, if you need to boost the light quotient, then you should:
- Cover walls with reflective Mylar or white paint in order to allow light to reflect onto your plants so they can absorb more energy. Turn on an oscillating fan to create air and humidly flow around your plants because if an air supply fixes directly on your plants for too long, it can dry them out.
- Protect your household surfaces by putting drop cloths or plastic trays underneath your plants in order to prevent water damage.
- If using artificial light, it’s suggested you utilize HID (high intensity discharge) lights, which hang down from the ceiling and convert electricity into usable energy for plants. "
Indoor Tropical Fruit:
Martha Stewart had a guest on her show who specializes in growing indoor tropical plants. Foods featured in this video include the sunquat, dwarf papayas, coffee, tree tomatoes and cinnamon. All these foods were grown indoors.
Herbs and Sprouts:
The Vegan Organic Network suggests growing salads, sprouts and herbs in your own home. Visit their site for further information. Here are their tips on growing spouts. "When growing sprouts, if you are short of space, then try one of the tiered tray systems such as the Beingfare Salad Sprouter, which allows you to grow several varieties of sprouts on top of one another. It is also possible to buy special sprouting jars with mesh lids, which allow easy rinsing and draining of your sprouts. Of course if you are hard up for cash you can simply use clean jam jars, covered with a piece of cheesecloth (muslin) and held in place with an elastic band. It is possible to buy nylon sprouting bags from the Fresh Network, which are more portable than most sprouting systems and are useful for taking on holiday."
Lettuce and Tomatoes:
This article from Suite 101 can teach you how to grow tomatoes, and lettuce in your den, bedroom or attic. Here's their advice on lettuce: "Lettuce will do well indoors. One head per large ice cream container. If you understand how plants propagate then you have begun to gain the knowledge that enables you to garden with success indoors. You may not grow, a lot of food, but you will be able to add to your table fresh food that may have traveled as little as 3 feet. Indoor gardening requires your constant attention, both tomatoes and lettuce, love water, but if you over water, they may rot. Get to know your space where the garden will be and then get to know the plants."
Bananas and Pineapple Guava:
Last but not least, Gomestic will help you grow bananas, pineapple guava and dwarf citrus fruits without ever leaving the house. Here's how to grow a banana in your house: "The Musa banana plant is small enough to be grown indoors, it produces fruit then dies, but leaves you will have new plants growing for the future. Banana plants do not like direct sunlight but require several hours of indirect light. They can be set outside in the summer, again provided they are protected from the sunlight."
More on Gardening:
How to Go Green: Gardening
Renovation Nation Episode: Gardening with a Canoe
Grow Your Own Veggies : Gardening Money Vegetables
Find the best in organic, local and sustainable recipes and eco-friendly health tips you can use everyday with Planet Green Food & Health.
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