This page will be to document my experiments with apartment window gardening. I am hoping to be able to do the basics on a stacked shelf system starting with your basic herbs, basil, rosemary, mint, a few test pea plants (this does not look promising so far if you have an east facing window. A south facing window would not doubt work), a cucumber plant from a hanging planter, and various edible leafs (spinache, lettuces, etc).
The hope is to prove that you can produce enough variety and quantities of edible plants year round, while being cost effective. Virtually every stage of this process will be strictly Do It Yourself with detailed photographic instructions on how to establish your own home garden. I believe that we could be on the cusp of another Green Revolution. Something like this could probably produce enough leafy food to eat every day of the week. On top of that, your vegetables will be as fresh as possible. Nutrients in almost every type of produce begin to diminish as soon as it is picked and in a matter of days you have a fraction of the former value of your produce.
I will experiment with a number of systems and types of gardening, detailing costs of supplies and energy.
I have plans to experiment with:
- soil vs. coco fibre vs. DIY hydroponic
- Using compact fluorescent bulbs as a supplemental light when there is no direct sunlight
- Using SunshineSystems Glowpanel, or something similar, as a supplemental light when there is no direct sunlight. If NASA can grow stuff in space with LEDs, then I sure as hell better be able to do it here on terraferma. I would make this DIY, but I think that’s a bit much. If the goal is to convince people this is easy and cost-effective, then I should research into the available retail products out there in this department.
- All plants will be grown organically
- Using Basil, Mint, Rosemary, Spinache and Lettuces as a “proof of concept” test, test the limits of the indoor garden as much as possible, including larger plants such as tomatoes and peppers, as well as desirable but perhaps thought to be unrealistic plants such as Strawberries and, at the extreme end Corn/Banana Tree (Corn and Banana Tree is highly highly unrealistic, although probably a great conversation piece).
An in depth hydroponics project that can keep you tossing salads all year long!
