I have a South facing window and it can't grow seedlings, I am a little skeptical you can mature pepper fruit in it.... Can we get a pic? Is this a transplant from outdoors?

I seem to have come across a few threads here and there with folks growing peppers with nothing more than a window's light, allegedly. It does sound somewhat less than plausible, but who knows?

As I mentioned before, I had a Jwala pepper outdoors, in full shade for most of the day, only getting 2-3hr of direct sunlight in the mid-afternoon, it grew larger than most other peppers I had, kept blooming and setting fruit until I pulled it in early-mid October, where daytime temps were rather cool and the nights threatened frost. Pretty crazy if you ask me, considering my seed stock comes directly from India.

I do realize than even a full-shade outdoor location gets a significant dose of reflected/scattered light, whereas indoors it mostly comes from one direction, so a bit of a caveat there.

This Was My 1st Pepper.....

I reckon that should be enough to top a couple of sandwiches. :D

That's not indoors thats a greenhouse. (Very nice though!)

ninecrow, did you start that plant indoors, was it ever outside?

Hi, The 2nd Pepper I Started From a Seed From a Pepper That I Cooked With.... The 1st Pepper {In Photo} Was a Start From a Garden Centre.....

Just a dozen 2 week old lettuce plants so far that will be potted up this week and then I'll start another batch. I also just took some cuttings off of my Arp rosemary plant to grow over the winter.

I'm always growing indoor with my Aerogarden.

I'm thinking about one of those.....how do you like it? And which model is it? Thx.

The "Harvest" touchscreen aluminum model was going cheap on Black Friday but you missed it, it has only a 20W LED. I use the "Extra LED" model that has 30W and the lights can be extended upward to 2ft tall. I get full sized basil about 35-40 days after germination. Lettuce works well, but is 50days for a good size. For me, it's an expensive basil growing machine that also acts as a room lamp.

With these things you pretty much need to buy at least two if you want to harvest constantly, so you can grow each at different stages and not have a lapse. I don't use the seeds or fertilizer provided by MiracleGro. I just reuse their plastic grow cups (netcups), buy rockwool to hold the seeds. I use the Hydro-Garden ChemGro's Hobby Formula, 5lbs of that stuff practically will last for a couple years with the Aerogarden.

It's a good seeds starter as well, but I don't know how useful since hydroponic roots are thin and won't do well transplant into soil. Although I have used the lights only (30W) to start tomato seedlings up to 4 weeks and it works pretty well.

Thanks for all the info Max, that basil looks really good. I'm toying with the idea of growing micro greens but am struggling with the lighting issue. I can easily set it up in one of the bedrooms but prefer to have the setup near the kitchen. Am waiting for Honey Do to get inspired to put up a trellis-like thing on a wall that I can add hooks to for hanging kitchen gadgets, then a shelf under that a light will attach to the bottom of.....

This wall is between the kitchen and dining room. All that junk on top of the cabinet would get moved and the indoor garden would sit there, with a shelf above it to hang the light.

Here's the 'trellis thingy'. It's strong metal, was using outside in the garden for a vine. Spray painted it black:

Hubby is concerned about mounting it because he's having trouble finding studs. The room you can barely see beyond The Wall is the den and is an add-on by prior owner. It *was* the carport so that is an outside wall, which apparently complicates the project. Anyway....that's my story. I'd sure like to grow indoors this winter....

Microgreens really don't need much light, you can use use a small cheap hanging T5 lights unit. Or even cheaper, a clamp lamp.

Thanks Max. I have a light, I use it for tomato starts. Just need a shelf setup.

ninecrow, that sweet pepper looks very happy. Good job!

I now have the light mounted above the cabinet, didn't need a shelf, just a couple of L brackets.....hubby is so clever. Me lucky girl :-) When I get some greens growing, I'll give y'all another look, but Hey - Voila!

Looks good, hope it works out well for you!

I recently got a 600w hps/mh light and have just now got around to setting it up. I don't have the most ideal setup, but it's working. Currently I have the 8 varieties of Salanova lettuce growing, I started 2 trays on 11/14 and the other two on 11/24, I'll probably start 2 more trays tomorrow. I'm going to give them a strong start before transplanting them in my garden in 4-5 weeks.

Started my micro greens the other day, I'm playing around with different types. So far things are good.

Wow, you really have a lot of stuff going there in FL. How cold do you usually get in Pensacola? I hope you haven't planted any out yet because I think you will be getting a little of this 'polar vortex' this weekend. It is in full force here as I type.

I am just a tinkerer. Just before frost, about two months ago, I stuck some cuttings from a tomato in some potting soil not knowing what to expect. One curiously has a half dozen flowers. The other four are not particularly interesting.

Lonejack - yeah, it will get cold here, usually January and February are the coldest months. I think the average winter temperatures are still around the 50's. Cold fronts will move through bringing us cold weather for a day or two, but then it's back to being pretty mild temperatures. I haven't plant those tomato plants yet, cause I don't have the room, plus the cold factor. I still have tomato plants from the fall that recently started producing. I had to cover them up this weekend because of the cold.

The seedlings in those trays are just some different types of lettuce, I have room for those, just gonna give them a couple weeks

Nice tomato harvest there Pcola!

I have an older Aerogarden (7 pods, fluorescent lights) that someone gave me years ago. After doing some needed basement organizing, I just set it up again after not using it for a while - put in the "International Basil" seed kit, which is what I happened to have on hand. I keep meaning to get organized to buy rockwool, etc., and refill/replant using my own seeds, because the seed kits are so darn expensive for what they are...and then again, I also object to the expense of constantly buying the special bulbs. Nevertheless, it's been a fun toy to play with over the years. I am interested in the newer LED models...I assume the lights last a lot longer?

I'm hoping to get going with some indoor microgreens over the winter as well as some mushrooms. Perhaps unlike most, I actually have more room to potentially grow things in my basement than in my garden outside, which is (1) tiny (2) shaded by tall buildings and (3) grand central for squirrels. No squirrels inside (THAT I KNOW OF)

parsley, that sounds like a good use for the basement.....wish I had one, I'm in Phoenix AZ and have always thought it a good idea for this climate. Basement would be cool, naturally, in the summer. There's a few in select neighborhoods, but not many.

I just seeded my trays today, beet greens and cilantro, and am hoping for the best without the expense of the AeroGarden setup. I'm using this stuff from SproutPeople:

sprouting-tray

baby-blanket

Starting small and slow to see how this goes. I will sometimes get all excited about a new idea and 3 months later something else catches my eye. Ask me about making medicinal salves. :-))

MaryMcP,

Collecting hobbies, reminds me of myself. What with the gardening, speaker building, wine making, I lately got it into my head to make a white oak longbow. Where does it end? :)

Longbow huh? Hubby made a couple of atlatl's recently, have you seen/tried those? We have some fun with that in the backyard. He also designed a 'slingshot' for shooting target arrows. Now, THAT is a lot of fun. hmmm, should have had an arrow knocked for that pic....you get the idea though. We have straw bales stacked 3 high for the target.

Eventually I'd like to get a more basic grow light setup, to augment the Aerogarden. I think the Aerogarden business model is like inkjet printers - they make all their money on the refills. So it doesn't help me too much that I got the Aerogarden itself for free! And it's kind of a wonky apparatus - I think the basic idea of making a hydroponic "appliance" that you just plug in to magically make plants is essentially flawed. The system just can't really be simplified enough to be truly idiot-proof, but in the attempt they've also made it inflexible.

But i have to say I've gotten all kinds of mileage out of it as a conversation piece. When I lived in truly tiny apartments it did help brighten up the place in winter. Although, in a truly tiny apartment where your houseguests are bunking on the sofa bed in the combo living room/kitchen, the houseguests tend not to appreciate it when the blaring lights switch themselves on at 5:30 AM.

My microgreens are doing really well, it's been a week since I seeded my trays. I'm going to wait a lil longer. then I'll cut them and enjoy them.

theparsley, I appreciate your feedback on the Aerogarden. It *looks* like such a cool idea, I was not aware of the [hidden] costs of keeping it going.

Pcola - nice greenery there. How do you typically consume the greens? Just in salads or sandwiches? Are they cut and come again? The beet greens I started last Saturday have started to pop, the cilantro, not at all yet. Do you keep a heat mat on under the trays?

My winter garden is micro greens. 3 trays in rotation. Two under lights downstairs. One in the kitchen for harvesting. Start a new tray every Sunday. 14 varieties now so will start a 4th tray tomorrow using some varieties that are larger seeds as they are slow growers. Johnny's has a good video for a method i like using the 20 row tray. I don't want a garnish. I want a salad. One spicy mix tray is 6-8 salads. In 10-14 days. The slow growing tray will be leeks, cilantro, beet, pea shoots, etc. A nice addition to the faster trays. Third year now so i don't bother labeling as i know what everything is as they come up.

Last couple of years i used the clam shell method in a sunny window. A great way to learn. The flavor is amazing and intense in these tiny plants. Very concentrated flavors. Sure i have great markets in NYC but nothing compares to freshly cut greens all Winter.

Using the lid as a 'greenhouse' until sprouting. Soiless mix, just a small inch. No growing food needed as every seed comes with its own food to sprout. Then harvested before any extra food is needed. (normally a small plant seeks food from the soil or we help them along and supplement in our Summer gardens)

You are certainly more successful than me. Looks like I need to rethink my method. It's been two weeks and the beet greens are wimpy and the cilantro is nearly non-existent. [sigh] I'll check that Johnny's video.

Mary - I usually use them for garnish when they are a week old, I'll use them for small salads when they get their first set of true leaves. Cilantro has some of the longer germination period, it's taken me 2 weeks to get cilantro to sprout, not the best choice for Micros. Beets are slow growers to me, they sprout quick, but take a while to get their first set of true leaves. Barassicas are the quickest for me along with radish. I don't use a heating mat, my 600w lamp provides plenty of heat.

These are 13 days old

The green ones one left are radish next to it are purple mustard greens.

I fixed up my setup, so I can fit more trays

The microgreens I would most like to try are pea sprouts, because those are the sprouts I like best to eat. From looking around at most of my usual shopping venues (including Whole Foods), it seems very hard to buy whole dried peas - they usually seem to come in split pea form. No good for sprouting. Does anyone know a good cheap online source of chemical-free seed peas?

I don't know what you consider 'cheap' but SproutPeople sells them:

SproutPeople Pea Sprouts

Thanks for the reply pcola. I think I'll try coco-coir with worm castings for the growing medium - because I have the coir for my worm farm. I'll do one tray with soil-less mix and vermiculite per Johnny's video, see if there's a difference. Currently using this 'blanket' thingy from SproutPeople. And the trays from them have no drainage, sounds like trouble to me. Also will switch to a large table in the back bedroom with an east facing window and heat mats. Currently have about 40 tomato starts going in there under a shop light. Thanks again for the help.

For the micro greens are you guys using regular seeds. I have tons of extra Cavolo Nero, Chicory, and Cima de Rapa seeds I could use for something like this.

Do microgreens actually need enough nutrient to make using worm castings worthwhile? I was under the impression that since they are harvested so soon after sprouting, they mainly use the food stored in the seed itself and don't really draw on the nutrients in their planting medium. If using worm castings actually would be beneficial, I'm in great shape, because I have more worm castings than I know what to do with at the moment.

I Started Some More Peppers Off Yesterday..... These Are Orange Frome a Fruit From The Supermarket.......

Oh Yeah and Have Potted The Sprout Top That Had Decided to Root......

I Will Be Sharing it With My Self My Land Snails And Pet Locusts......

I have a pepper plant overwintering in the house, a tiny one year old lemon tree, and some sage growing on a windowsill. After Christmas I am thinking about starting some Alpine Strawberries from seed indoors.

My lettuce that I started(11/14, 11/24) indoors under a HID light, is really looking good. I should be transplanting it sometime this week, when I receive my row covers I have coming.

Johnny's Salanova Butter and Oakleaf

Salanova Incised and Sweet Crisp

This indoor growing thing is getting a lil crazy.

"This indoor growing thing is getting a lil crazy. " heheh.....I've been wondering just how many rabbits you have. ;-)

Lol - good one marymcp, I might need to get one or ten. I do enjoy my greens, but I'm actually playing around with the idea of selling some of my produce. I'm a cook at a relatively busy restaurant dtown here in pensacola. They are currently buying my bok choy that I grow and I might start supplying them with some other things as well, hence all the Micros. I'm growing lots of stuff to see if I'm capable of producing restaurant quantities, and it looks like I'm having no trouble doing it. I wanna maybe start selling at the local market too.

I gotta do something with all these tomatoes too and I have tons more ripening, and my plants are still setting fruit (we have only had one weekend of frost which I was able to protect the them, today's high 73)

I am also growing microgreens. I have 10 different varieties currently growing. I just harvested some I planted 8 days ago. The mustard and broccoli did not germinate well but the Peas, buckwheat, Sunflowers, and two types of radishes did fantastic. The Amaranth is taking its sweet time.

Pcola, you have the gift of growing from seed! Fantastic looking plants. If you haven't already, do seek out some market growers with experience. Especially with the micros. On another forum a few sell at market and have differing experiences as to what sells. Direct to restaurants might just be a great starting point.

I don't ''grow'' things inside but I tinker with tomato cuttings. I''ve a thumb sized tomato on a cutting taken in November.

I'm also trying to grow a cutting, but from a yellow Rocoto pepper. More for kicks than anything as I only plan to grow my two overwintering Rocotos and no new ones come spring. It's been in soil for several weeks and it's still looking quite sorry, but it's not dead yet.