what are you growing indoors this winter?

[bower]

The first year I grew peppers here I brought in two plants loaded with greenies, and it was awesome, they just kept ripening a few at a time right through the dark of winter. that was before ants/aphids discovered that peppers could be found inside the house.


@dfollett, OMG you have the breeder's lament! Too many tomatoes, all winter long.

[dfollett]

Originally Posted by bower

The first year I grew peppers here I brought in two plants loaded with greenies, and it was awesome, they just kept ripening a few at a time right through the dark of winter. that was before ants/aphids discovered that peppers could be found inside the house.


@dfollett, OMG you have the breeder's lament! Too many tomatoes, all winter long.

I have never been able to grow peppers - even starts - indoors without them becoming completely infested with aphids.

[greenthumbomaha]

[QUOTE=dfollett;750469]I have never been able to grow peppers - even starts - indoors without them becoming completely infested with aphids.[/QUOTE

I hosed the plants down, soaked the pots in a bucket of water , and sprayed with insecticidal soap but they came indoors big time anyway.

- Lisa

[slugworth]

I put the plants in a unheated porch this time of year to knock the aphid infestation down.
If it is too cold I put the plants on old food warming trays which keep the roots warm and
the plants stay alive.Once the infestation is gone I bring the plants into the heat under
grow lights.

[Hatgirl]

Brown edges appearing on the lettuce. This happened last time too. So I've put a fan on a timer, to see if it's tipburn caused by insufficient airflow reducing the transpiration rate.

[bower]

Let us know how that goes! There are two possible causes of tipburn on the indoor lettuce - one as you said, insufficient airflow, but the main problem that I've seen is low relative humidity which causes the leaf to dry out. Using a mister frequently is one way to keep the air moist around the leaves. And not too close to lights. And density can help ie the cut and come style of growing, where moisture is trapped among the leaves and slowly evaporates to keep them humid.


The hydroponic setup is beautiful but you have a lot of air space around each plant, which might contribute to drying out. OTOH being hydroponic, you would not expect dryness to be an issue. So perhaps the fan will be the answer.

[NewWestGardener]

How does everyone deal with the mold issue?
My grow room in the basement is very warm, probably too warm for growing. Mold would definitely grow if I cover the trays even without weight.
The only tray that does not have molds is one with a cover with vents.
I now covers the tops with damp towels, we'll see how that works. It's difficult to cover tiny seeds though.

[Hatgirl]

Originally Posted by bower

Let us know how that goes! There are two possible causes of tipburn on the indoor lettuce - one as you said, insufficient airflow, but the main problem that I've seen is low relative humidity which causes the leaf to dry out. Using a mister frequently is one way to keep the air moist around the leaves. And not too close to lights. And density can help ie the cut and come style of growing, where moisture is trapped among the leaves and slowly evaporates to keep them humid.


The hydroponic setup is beautiful but you have a lot of air space around each plant, which might contribute to drying out. OTOH being hydroponic, you would not expect dryness to be an issue. So perhaps the fan will be the answer.

That's good advice bower, thanks! If the next batch of leaves coming up also have tipburn, I will start misting them.

[greenthumbomaha]

Herbs and Dan's micro dwarfs, in my new Aerogarden I was waiting for a Black Friday sale to buy one. I ended up getting the base Harvest from Walmart.com. The fancier ones were nice but I didn't feel the need to get a larger system until I see how it compares to the typical indoor growing equipment. More of Dan's crosses to start under lights by a sunny window when I get set up.

-Lisa

[bower]

It's good to see some growth! Fast brassicas are the best!

Michihili and a couple of Mich crosses are going gangbusters.
Compared to the romaine they are super fast.
The YuChoy is also coming on strong while the Kai Lan is slooow - you can't see it, in the middle. Not sure how this experimental pair will work out, but the plan to eat YuChoy Sum first is definitely a go.
Mizuna is very fast. Arugula has already been cut once. Bok Choy moderate, it's a 40 day or more.

Comparing Dill and Cilantro, the dill is way taller at this stage. One of the dill though, I found aphids on today. Oh man, I don't know where they came from. Hope this is not the beginning of the end.

[bower]

I'm getting some tip burn on my lettuce as well, but it's not a big deal. Some spots on lower leaf of romaine are not a tip burn, some kind of lettuce disease. But again, it's just a lower leaf so I'm not worried. I need to mist the tips more though.

[bower]

@NewWest, do you mean mold on the soil surface? We sometimes get a bit of algae, and if so I give it a bit of lime.
Mold otherwise is not a problem in my grow area. I had some in the laundry room where the pump tank is, but a couple of years ago I got some anti-mold paint and painted the place, and it hasn't returned. If you have a lot of spores building up in a damp room, best thing is to dry it out completely, paint fresh and start anew.

[GrowingCoastal]

Looking good, Bower. As far as I know dill does not grow without aphids!
They usually don't show up on any of my garage stored plants until January but that is on carried over potted plants.
Doesn't seem fair that the aphids would come on fresh seedlings.
A friend had horrendous problems with aphids in her pepper seedlings last year after wintering over one pepper plant. I suggested that for this coming season she start really early bait plants to see if the aphids will reappear before she starts her regular peppers.

[greenthumbomaha]

Not a fun club to join, Bower. They are very hard to eliminate. I plan to try growing herbs in coir to try and avoid the indoor pest situation, until it is time to start the regular tomato lineup which somehow aren't bothered (spider mites and fungus gnats another story). It was better last year with coir for the little plants. Dill is now off the list until transplant season starts.


You might hang some cheap yellow sticky tape very near the other trays and try not to get it stuck to yourself. I had squares of it attached to popsickle sticks in pots all over my shelves.

[Hatgirl]

The fan seems to be working - no new brown spots. Looks like I will have salad as part of Christmas dinner!