User Panel
Posted: 10/13/2021 1:33:41 PM EDT
My office is downtown and has 4 HUGE windows that face SE.
In the cold dead Michigan winter, I turn the furnace off after the sun comes up as I work in a giant magnifying glass. Its warm in the office even if its below 0 outside. I've rooted celery butts, but would like to grow a lot more and actually use it. I was thinking of lining the widow ledges with pots and growing lettuce in them. There is a little over 20 feet length of window sill I can put planters on that will get full sun for most of the day. the ledge is 10 inches deep, so it can hold some large pots. What do you guys think? |
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[#2]
Looks good. Hot peppers do well inside. I have done them before. You can dry them in the oven or a dehydrator and they will keep forever. Other option would spices like basil, cilantro, thyme ect.
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[#3]
Quoted: Looks good. Hot peppers do well inside. I have done them before. You can dry them in the oven or a dehydrator and they will keep forever. Other option would spices like basil, cilantro, thyme ect. View Quote I love Thai chillis, so that will be one I want to grow for sure. I might save some seeds from a pepper from the asian store next time I buy some. I like salad at work, so thats why I was thinking lettuce. I'm not a tomato fan, plus tomato plants stink, so those are out. :-) |
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[#4]
Hot peppers.
Like a row of little inteligence tests for co-workers. |
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[#6]
Little gem lettuce will grow quickly and is really tender. Great for salads. Hot peppers would do great, and I’d probably do something like radishes in a longer planter. I’d recommend fox farms soil if you can find it locally. All of our indoor veggies are potted in it and they do incredibly well.
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[#7]
If you can get away with it pole beans make really good window plants.
They'll pretty much fill in the window space and help with the greenhouse effect. Had some in an apartment in Atlanta that did really well, better than a curtain and I like green beans. |
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[#8]
A few thoughts based on what I do indoors in my grow tents:
Sweet potato - amazing indoor growers that will often flower if kept moist Carrots - plant a little denser than you would in the garden Radish - very quick to sprout and harvest and are attractive little plants Turnips - quick growers, nice volume of foliage Purple Pak-Choi, Red Rain, etc - lots of colorful asian greens to choose from ETA: I forgot to mention, all the leaves/greens from the above plants are edible... yes carrots and sweet potato leaves are. One suggestion - I've found that these type plants do very well in "grow bags" (breathable soft sided containers). The plants don't seem to suffer from being contained like they normally do in impermeable pots. Below is an example, but you can find smaller sizes as well. Failed To Load Product Data |
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[#10]
A small fan on a timer blowing for a few minutes every day will do wonders to help strengthen the stems of garden plants grown indoors, and help prevent them from getting all stringy reaching for the sun.
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[#11]
A small Meyers Lemon in a pot would be great there too.
You'll get only a few fruits, but they smell great. GD answer: You could do a nice row of corn! Not only will you have a small harvest, you will shade the office, and block the view! |
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[#12]
Your guys' ideas are AMAZING!
I would like a Meyer Lemon tree. I'll check pout those grow bags. I'm not sure what benefit they would have over pots, but I'm open to anything. Root vegetables are a great idea. I need to figure out what to plant those in. Beans and corn as "natural Blinds" is an awesome idea also. I was going to get some blinds anyway, and this idea is BETTER. |
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[#13]
Quick turn, continual harvest and herbs would be my focus for 80% of the space, specifically plants that you can plant relatively dense. With a small amount of effort you should be able to harvest a couple of salads a day. I won't go full ham but this short list may be helpful.
Continual harvest: Garlic, onion and chives: The greens are the goal, not the bulb. Tah Tsai: It's a great producer in a small package. Mustard Greens: Too many to list, I focus on Mizunas specifically red/purple. Parsley Pea: This plant has frilly tendrils that work well in sammiches and soup Malabar Spinach: Is a vining plant that is prolific in it's production (not a true spinach) Lettuce: Again, too many to list. I like playing with funky/cool/ rare varieties. Quick turn: Radish: Radishes grow fast (21-28 days, some specialty varieties may take longer) and you can grow a lot of them as they don't need too much space. Carrot: Focus on Parisian and Chantenay varieties as they are not as long as the others. "Paris Market" is the type I grow as they are nice and compact while producing a wonderful little round carrot. Turnip: Turnips are another overlooked and underappreciated root crop, (30-60 days) Beets: Another underrated vegetable, (50-70 days) Herbs: All of them...If you can't grow all of them make sure to grow the ones you like and those that may be hard to find. Some fun/ interesting below. Cutting Celery: "Cutting celery (also known as leaf celery) is bred expressly for leaf production." Papalo: "Large, bluish green leaves with a flavor reminiscent of cilantro and arugula. Popular in Hispanic communities where it is used like cilantro." Pipicha: "Similar to Papalo but with narrow leaves. Upright plants with flavor reminiscent of cilantro and arugula." Shiso: Seed vendors: West Coast Seeds Adaptive Seeds Johnnys Seeds Kitazawa Seeds Siskiyou Seeds Trade Winds Fruit High Mowing Seeds Deep Harvest Farm Territorial Seeds Resilient Seeds Later I will go over the soil and containers I use. Cheers. |
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[#14]
Quoted: Quick turn, continual harvest and herbs would be my focus for 80% of the space, specifically plants that you can plant relatively dense. With a small amount of effort you should be able to harvest a couple of salads a day. I won't go full ham but this short list may be helpful. Continual harvest: Garlic, onion and chives: The greens are the goal, not the bulb. Tah Tsai: It's a great producer in a small package. Mustard Greens: Too many to list, I focus on Mizunas specifically red/purple. Parsley Pea: This plant has frilly tendrils that work well in sammiches and soup Malabar Spinach: Is a vining plant that is prolific in it's production (not a true spinach) Lettuce: Again, too many to list. I like playing with funky/cool/ rare varieties. Quick turn: Radish: Radishes grow fast (21-28 days, some specialty varieties may take longer) and you can grow a lot of them as they don't need too much space. Carrot: Focus on Parisian and Chantenay varieties as they are not as long as the others. "Paris Market" is the type I grow as they are nice and compact while producing a wonderful little round carrot. Turnip: Turnips are another overlooked and underappreciated root crop, (30-60 days) Beets: Another underrated vegetable, (50-70 days) Herbs: All of them...If you can't grow all of them make sure to grow the ones you like and those that may be hard to find. Some fun/ interesting below. Cutting Celery: "Cutting celery (also known as leaf celery) is bred expressly for leaf production." Papalo: "Large, bluish green leaves with a flavor reminiscent of cilantro and arugula. Popular in Hispanic communities where it is used like cilantro." Pipicha: "Similar to Papalo but with narrow leaves. Upright plants with flavor reminiscent of cilantro and arugula." Shiso: Seed vendors: West Coast Seeds Adaptive Seeds Johnnys Seeds Kitazawa Seeds Siskiyou Seeds Trade Winds Fruit High Mowing Seeds Deep Harvest Farm Territorial Seeds Resilient Seeds Later I will go over the soil and containers I use. Cheers. View Quote Damn!! Thanks! the Paris Market carrots look awesome. I like to do some asian cooking so I would like to see if I can grow asian type cabbage also. Like Bok Choi and China Express. Asian soups in the office in the winter are awesome. |
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[#15]
Quoted: Your guys' ideas are AMAZING! I would like a Meyer Lemon tree. I'll check pout those grow bags. I'm not sure what benefit they would have over pots, but I'm open to anything. Root vegetables are a great idea. I need to figure out what to plant those in. Beans and corn as "natural Blinds" is an awesome idea also. I was going to get some blinds anyway, and this idea is BETTER. View Quote I think he was kidding about the corn. You don't have enough light there to grow corn. You have, although it seems like a lot of light to you, barely enough light to grow some veggies. Plants require direct sunlight. The "frosting" on that glass diffuses the light and cuts back on the available light for the plants. Same as it keeps your office from being uninhabitable when the direct sun hits it. HOWEVER, that does not mean you shouldn't try. Any harvest is better than no harvest. Just don't plan to get any corn. You might try peas. Peas are one of the things that grows best in the UK, with their shorter growing window. They grow here in the early spring, because they do well in cooler weather, partly, but also because they don't need quite as many hours of direct sunlight. Sugar snaps might be a good option to look into. ETA: the poster above who mentioned lettuce... Yeah. A long container with several varieties of green leaf lettuces. Try that. They are also an early spring crop. @Midmo (I think) mentioned a fan on the plants. This is the best advice I have seen in this thread. Do that. A couple of those small 7" fans mounted on the window casing, that can be angled and aimed differently, would help your plants grow stronger. |
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[#16]
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[#17]
I grabbed some of this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MWMYP3F/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2TI5WR4CT30H3&th=1 Dont know if its good, but I will learn. :-) |
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[#18]
I have had good luck with peppers when I had a office with a window.
I have to try the fan trick on some of the herbs I grow to keep them healthy. I have also had good luck growing grape size tomatoes in my home bay window. One year I had so many tomato plants growing in the window that I could not even see outside. |
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[#19]
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[#20]
Check out the Aerogarden hydroponic setups. We got one of the big ones so we can grow herbs, lettuce and other produce inside during the winter, plus get my seeds going early in the spring.
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[#21]
Quoted: Thanks Kitties! Do you guys think I should just use regular potting soil? Got some lettuce sprouting and the celery is growing. I neet some long planters. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/118027/26D8C40A-193C-4CB2-B273-97C0DB644F8D-2142789.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/118027/EA681838-ECAC-41E8-B554-F58B9EF2B22C-2142790.jpg The cabbage butt isnt doing much. It was probably cut too short https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/118027/A714C83B-36F8-4C48-8227-74E63E323944-2142792.jpg View Quote Not potting "soil." It's too fine and becomes hydrophobic if you just look at it crosseyed. You want potting "mix." It's a mix of sphagnum peat, some kind of vermiculite or perlite, and maybe other stuff, depending on what you get. There is ZERO soil in it. You want that, and you will be feeding your plants what they need. Incidentally, if you find your plants dry out every day, you could try bottom watering...a tray with water in it. Especially for the weekends. Lots of ways to do this. |
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[#22]
Quoted: I have had good luck with peppers when I had a office with a window. I have to try the fan trick on some of the herbs I grow to keep them healthy. I have also had good luck growing grape size tomatoes in my home bay window. One year I had so many tomato plants growing in the window that I could not even see outside. View Quote Y'all be aware that the fan is a great tool, but it will also dry your plants out more quickly. Pay attention to the watering. And for anybody new, you want the soil NOT WET. Plant roots need air. Not DRY, not WET. "moist" is what you want. And moist is a thing/status you might have to learn by experience. |
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[#23]
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[#24]
Quoted: Not potting "soil." It's too fine and becomes hydrophobic if you just look at it crosseyed. You want potting "mix." It's a mix of sphagnum peat, some kind of vermiculite or perlite, and maybe other stuff, depending on what you get. There is ZERO soil in it. You want that, and you will be feeding your plants what they need. Incidentally, if you find your plants dry out every day, you could try bottom watering...a tray with water in it. Especially for the weekends. Lots of ways to do this. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Thanks Kitties! Do you guys think I should just use regular potting soil? Got some lettuce sprouting and the celery is growing. I neet some long planters. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/118027/26D8C40A-193C-4CB2-B273-97C0DB644F8D-2142789.jpg https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/118027/EA681838-ECAC-41E8-B554-F58B9EF2B22C-2142790.jpg The cabbage butt isnt doing much. It was probably cut too short https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/118027/A714C83B-36F8-4C48-8227-74E63E323944-2142792.jpg Not potting "soil." It's too fine and becomes hydrophobic if you just look at it crosseyed. You want potting "mix." It's a mix of sphagnum peat, some kind of vermiculite or perlite, and maybe other stuff, depending on what you get. There is ZERO soil in it. You want that, and you will be feeding your plants what they need. Incidentally, if you find your plants dry out every day, you could try bottom watering...a tray with water in it. Especially for the weekends. Lots of ways to do this. I'll look for some potting mix. I dont trust the popular names like Miracle Gro. I'll look for organic stuff |
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[#25]
Quoted: Y'all be aware that the fan is a great tool, but it will also dry your plants out more quickly. Pay attention to the watering. And for anybody new, you want the soil NOT WET. Plant roots need air. Not DRY, not WET. "moist" is what you want. And moist is a thing/status you might have to learn by experience. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I have had good luck with peppers when I had a office with a window. I have to try the fan trick on some of the herbs I grow to keep them healthy. I have also had good luck growing grape size tomatoes in my home bay window. One year I had so many tomato plants growing in the window that I could not even see outside. Y'all be aware that the fan is a great tool, but it will also dry your plants out more quickly. Pay attention to the watering. And for anybody new, you want the soil NOT WET. Plant roots need air. Not DRY, not WET. "moist" is what you want. And moist is a thing/status you might have to learn by experience. More indoor plants have probably been killed by overwatering than underwatering. |
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[#26]
Quoted: I'll look for some potting mix. I dont trust the popular names like Miracle Gro. I'll look for organic stuff View Quote You can easily make your own. A bale of sphagnum peat moss ( don't get the kind ground into a powder. You want it to still have some body to it.) A bale of perlite Something with humates/humus content. Garden compost, even Black Kow (which has fertilizer components too, so don't put in too much of this) You might can find a bag of just "humus" which will be sort of a lie, but not an entire lie--more of a stretch-- so it would work. Now then I will play devil's advocate: 1-I use Miracle Gro Potting mix all the time to good effect. They have it figured out. It is the percentage in the mix that they have figured out. Right now it's on sale everywhere for cheap. I have used this for ornamentals, NOT FOOD. But I will tell you by this time in the season, if the bags have been left outside (per Lowe's, Home Depot, etc) that slow-release fert in the bag has likely leached or lost a good portion of its value. I completely respect your lack of trust in them, so do what you feel is right. 2-If you can get a bale of promix, rather than Miracle Gro, get that rather than mixing your own. By the time you buy all the products, the tubs to store the various components, you will be out more than you will be just buying a bale of something. I trust promix, but it is often hard to find. They include goodies for rooting and root feeding(totally natural microbial stuff) that are beneficial. 3-Whatever product you buy/mix for yourself, if it includes Peat, you need to mix it with water and make sure it's fully moist before you put it in the pot. Don't put dry peat in a pot. It is hyrdrophobic until you wet it, and that requires rubbing the water in with your hands a bit. Just use a garden hose/sprayer, wet down the top, and mix. Wet, mix, wet, mix. You will feel it change. |
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[#27]
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[#28]
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[#29]
Quoted: Quick turn, continual harvest and herbs would be my focus for 80% of the space, specifically plants that you can plant relatively dense. With a small amount of effort you should be able to harvest a couple of salads a day. I won't go full ham but this short list may be helpful. Continual harvest: Garlic, onion and chives: The greens are the goal, not the bulb. Tah Tsai: It's a great producer in a small package. Mustard Greens: Too many to list, I focus on Mizunas specifically red/purple. Parsley Pea: This plant has frilly tendrils that work well in sammiches and soup Malabar Spinach: Is a vining plant that is prolific in it's production (not a true spinach) Lettuce: Again, too many to list. I like playing with funky/cool/ rare varieties. Quick turn: Radish: Radishes grow fast (21-28 days, some specialty varieties may take longer) and you can grow a lot of them as they don't need too much space. Carrot: Focus on Parisian and Chantenay varieties as they are not as long as the others. "Paris Market" is the type I grow as they are nice and compact while producing a wonderful little round carrot. Turnip: Turnips are another overlooked and underappreciated root crop, (30-60 days) Beets: Another underrated vegetable, (50-70 days) Herbs: All of them...If you can't grow all of them make sure to grow the ones you like and those that may be hard to find. Some fun/ interesting below. Cutting Celery: "Cutting celery (also known as leaf celery) is bred expressly for leaf production." Papalo: "Large, bluish green leaves with a flavor reminiscent of cilantro and arugula. Popular in Hispanic communities where it is used like cilantro." Pipicha: "Similar to Papalo but with narrow leaves. Upright plants with flavor reminiscent of cilantro and arugula." Shiso: Seed vendors: West Coast Seeds Adaptive Seeds Johnnys Seeds Kitazawa Seeds Siskiyou Seeds Trade Winds Fruit High Mowing Seeds Deep Harvest Farm Territorial Seeds Resilient Seeds Later I will go over the soil and containers I use. Cheers. View Quote Parisian carrots and radishes have sprouted. :-) |
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