Anyone here grow vegetables indoors under lights??

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Glenda_Michigan Fowlerville, MI(Zone 5b) Oct 15, 2009

If so, could you please tell me what I need to do/have to grow veggies indoors, and what kind of vegetables I can grow indoors??

I would rather do that than build a cold frame or high tunnel outside in the cold. Brrrrr..... ;) I'm not a big fan of winter. :-[

Thanks!
Glenda

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gasrocks Portage, WI(Zone 5a) Oct 16, 2009

I think you could almost grow any vegetable. Given enough light, which is going to really run up your elec bill. Did you have any certain veg in mind? Some root crops will require a huge pot.

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cathy166 Stamford, CT(Zone 6b) Nov 15, 2009

You can start almost anything inside under lights. Some seeds germinate better under lights; others do not. I think the easiest to grow under lights indoors is leaf lettuce.

Believe it or not, tomatoes grow well inside, but I do not know if they will fruit. They need some movement, but I think that is all. I think a fan would do it. They seed very well indoors and grow nicely.

Members of the squash family will sprout nicely, but need a lot of room to spread out, and did not do all that well in containers outdoors. They fruit before they flower, and many of the flowers have no fruit at all. They don't have deep roots, but squash (yellow and green summer variety) really need to spread out, so don't bother if you don't have a large planting area.

Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts do better in cold weather even though you can start them indoors. They are also a bit finicky.

If you can trellis them, probably small cucumbers would do well indoors. They certainly start growing well and easily, and they grow to maturity pretty quickly.

Most vegetables other than root crops get acclimated outdoors in spring but don't take off until it warms up considerably in June in the northeast. Keeping that in mind, if you are growing indoors, I would not want the room to be too cold, too dry or too dark. Six hours of outdoor sunlight is lots more than 12 hours of indoor plant light, so if you have windows for natural light, it is best to take advantage of it together with the indoor lighting.

Even lettuce, which is by far the easiest is a chore. Growing vegetables is not a "set it and forget it" task. Indoor farming is still farming.

An additional word to the wise: Last year we started tomato seeds on Valentine's day, and they grew like Topsy. We weeded and replanted seedlings indoors and could not get them into the ground before the end of April, so we were inundated with our own personal forest.

If you don't have a large home, think "sorcerer's apprentice."

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