Today is day one of my Winter Recession Garden.

photo credit: thebittenword.com

I have left over seeds from summer, which are still viable so I will not be buying any seeds at this time. Fresh seeds also do not hit the stores until later February or March in my zone 5 climate.

Tip: Order your seeds from catalogs as soon as possible. I always enjoy ordering seeds when he snow is falling and is too cold to want to be outdoors

Today I am organizing my seeds and cleaning my potting containers and raised bed containers.

I clean my pots in a mild bleach and warm water then I also use dish soap for one more cleaning. I let the pots air dry. If there is any staining on the pots I use either red cider vinegar or baking soda to remove it. I want to make sure any dirt or bacteria is not on the pots.

I will also be building indoor raised beds for starting seeds this year. I am using old drawers from vintage dressers that were about to be tossed. I will need to line the drawers to make sure hat if the wood was treated any chemicals will not affect the soil. The drawers do not looked treated and are very old, but I will take the added precaution anyways.

I will need to drill drainage holes in the drawers and make sure the soil drains well. Directions will follow for this project in a few days.

Next I will check my soil. I use a mix of compost and sterilized soil mix but you may want to use just a soilless potting mix. If I feel I might have a soil mildew problem or if I am concerned about my lighting I use a soilless potting mix.

This year I have a strong natural lighting and will use a few watering tricks that have halted any mildew or soggy soil problems.

Once my soil and pots are prepared I will take stalk of my planting area. Its still cold here in NW PA and if I heat the greenhouse it will cost a lot. So this year I am using the basement apartment to grow my garden. The basement was severely damaged in flooding this summer so it’s the perfect place to use this winter as its just sitting there waiting to be redone.

I have two wonderful windows with natural lighting that I will sit my seedling by. And believe it or not, I have a small portable mini greenhouse that I plan to set up by the one window that has a draft to protect the plants and add more heat to the area. This area will be for plants that want more heat like tomatoes and peppers. Leafy greens will do just fine by the other window.

And to make better use of my lighting, my plants will be placed vertically by the windows. The dresser drawer raised beds will be used in the mini greenhouse and pots will be placed on glass shelves I am making for the windows or in hanging pots and baskets.

photo credit: WaveBreaker

So now that I have a plan in place and my seeds set aside, its time to get busy.

And as expected, greens can be easily grown in the winter along with herbs, a few edible flowers, onions and garlic. But I am also growing tomatoes, a few bean plants, peppers, and I am trying a few cucumber plants. A few of these plans will need hand pollinated but its winter and I am trying to distract myself from the snow that is falling and covering the ground.

My next post will tell how to create the dresser drawer raised beds and how to make a warmer climate area in your home, particularly if you have limited space

Technorati Tags: indoor gardening, portable greenhouse, raised beds, winter recession garden, winter recession gardening planning

Indoor Gardening? There are many reasons to consider indoor gardening.

photo credit: Hair Squared

I have been an avid outdoor gardener for many years but each year I find myself growing more plants indoors. For me a short growing climate, weather concerns and the fact I like to be surrounded by living plants has lead to this change.

I also find indoor gardening easier in many ways.

For those who in cities and have limited space the indoor garden is a perfect solution gardening. And it’s a proven fact that plants help clean and purifies air adding health and less stress into many peoples lives.

Some plants are low maintenance and require little light, while others will need constant care. So choosing the amount of time you want to spend on plants will be an important consideration. And remember, all plants require watering and fertilizing.

Indoor growing considerations

First, identify the lighting conditions in each of the rooms where you plan to grow plants. Mark each room as either dim, bright direct or bright indirect. Then, for each room, consider only plants that thrive in that lighting condition.

Palm plants will require direct light, herbs and vegetables grow in bright sunlight, and bamboo plants can grow in dark indoor conditions. With the wide variety of plants and lighti9ng that can be added to the home, it is now possible to grow almost any plant.

photo credit: stevecadman

Temperature and moisture as the next most important factors after lighting. If the temperature of your indoor space ranges from 65 to 80 F, you should only consider plants that thrive within this temperature range. You also need to check for drafts. Many plants will not handle a draft or cold wind.

Look at the space you have available. Some plants vary in height from a few inches to several feet. Fortunately, you can control the height of the plant by the size of the pot. Use small pots to restrict plant growth. And you may want to look into vertical growing or growing walls.

I have seen growing walls that add light, color and even seem to add additional space in a room. Vertical growing makes the most out of available space and has numerous growing advantages.

One overlooked area in plant care is the needs of your favorite plants. Besides watering, most plants need fertilizing, trimming, repotting  and often leaf picking.

I had absolutely no luck growing African Violets until my neighbor told me they need and thrive in northern lighting. I switched my plants location and the plants grew beautifully!

photo credit: Bitman

And last but not least, buy plants that are either practical or appealing to you. If a plant isn’t aesthetically pleasing, consider growing a vegetable that you can eat. Many vegetable and herb plants are beautiful.

Indoor gardening is an area that I will being using more, both for flowers and vegetables. I plan to use container gardening, vertical gardening, small space gardening ideas and greenhouse gardening. I also hope to try a little hydroponic gardening methods.

Technorati Tags: indoor gardening

I plan on doing a lot more indoor gardening this year. One reason is home grown food is healthier and my produce will have no chemicals and the other reason is our summer was pretty much non-existent and my garden was reduces in size to deal with the weather.

photo credit: Handolio

So I am not burned out on gardening this year and there are areas I want to experiment in. One area is small space gardening techniques, growing a variety of plants in a small space to see exactly what I can successfully grow.

Another area is hydroponic gardening.

When I first read about hydroponic gardening I was put off on this style of gardening. The list of chemical made me think the food would be toxic! But as I read more these are chemicals in the soil and are needed to grow. We also need these chemicals in our systems to be healthy.

So this winter I will be experimenting in different styles on hydroponic gardening. Vertical gardening, growing walls and greenhouse hydroponic will all be in the plan.

photo credit: _foam

So if you are a pro in hydroponic gardening join in and offer suggestions.

And if you are a novice, like me, be prepared for an adventure.

In the next few weeks you will see a lot of articles by guest writers who know about this topic than I do. And hopefully in the late winter and spring I will have a wonderful garden to show off.

Technorati Tags: gardening experiments, greenhouse gardening, healthy gardening, hydroponic gardening, indoor gardening, small space gardening