apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I just threw out my last attempt. I had a big pot full of mint that grew strong for a few months and a few days ago it succumbed to some type of black funk.

I've never been able to start things from seeds, but had a basil plant growing until I got tired of it. My new apartment doesn't get enough direct sun.

Yes! I have a pretty expansive container/indoor herb garden with pineapple sage, 2 varieties of basil, dill, mint, oregano, tarragon, and lavender. This year I'm part of a community garden project so I didn't do much in terms of indoor veggies but in the past have grown various varieties of tomatoes, hot peppers, and a small lettuce bed. I've felt like the key is watering the plants from underneath. Drill holes or buy pots with holes in the bottom and then fill a dish with a bit of water and the plants can use their roots to suck up the water. I'll mist the tops of the plants with a spray bottle and rotate their positions. Its important not to be overly fussy or water too much. A little bit of plant food doesn't hurt either!

I managed to grow green peppers inside. I got them late in the summer and by October they had to come inside (being Canada, frost started). I got a dozen or so decently sized green peppers in December.

I love my indoor garden! I'm going all out this year. I even have an LED grow light coming in the mail any day now. So far my garden inventory is this: 15 tomato plants (SF Fog, Brandywine, and Evergreen), 14 sweet pepper plants, arugula, cucumber, peas, broccoli, radish, garlic, basil, strawberries, cilantro, and lavender. I have some pictures here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomahto33/sets/72157617806492112/

i want to do this

Inspiring!
Tomahto, your photos are impressive! Where are you located, does SF fog mean you are in SF?
In the past I have had great luck with outdoor plants but when I brought the herbs inside for winter, they all died from lack of decent light. So this site will give me the courage to try again.....

My husband apparently had a greenhouse in the over-sized bathroom of his first apartment. Tomatoes. Bell peppers. Herbs. His father has always had these insane cherry tomato plants in his hot tub room (floor to ceiling madness).
We've since grown herbs, and I keep bugging him to teach me his family's indoor garden secrets. This might be the year since we no longer have a shared garden plot, but do have a sunroom in the southeast corner of our new space. :)

Definitely you need the right light for this, especially if you want something that fruits. If your light is less than optimal, try lettuce, parsley, mint or chives.

Ruraljuror, the black funk sounds like some sort of fungus... the problem was either overwatering, lack of air circulation, or a combo.

Yesterday I harvested a lot of parsley, some mint and chives from the balcony for tabbouleh. Our growing season is such that I doubt I could have parsley and tomatoes at the same time! Oh well... it's something.

I have a few tomato plants growing in my kitchen this year, so far so good, but we'll see if I get actual tomatoes in August... I have two large south-facing windows, and have always had good luck with herbs, so I have hope.

Bees and other flying insects are necessary to make plants grow fruit. Unless you have lots of bees flying around your kitchen, you might want to get a toothbrush and gently touch the insides of your tomato flowers, like how a bee flies from flower to flower, depositing the pollen.

I definitely get alot of light in my place, but I have always had issues with bugs like spider mites. So this year I'm going to try plants that are situated away from the windows (because they are always open). Do you think this would help? I live in a high rise.

I'm a long-term indoor gardener, and one thing I can definitely recomment in terms of good culture is to make sure you have good air movement. The worst thing for plants is to overwater and then leave grouped together in stale, stagnant pools of water. Having good circulation allows the air to move, reduces fungal infections, and helps your plants breathe easier.

I just want to add one more thing--Plants make their own food, that's what photosynthesis is. Fertlizers are nutrients, like vitamins, don't overdo it. So many of my friends think that plants actually do feed on fertilizers, so they try to give their plants healthy servings, then their plants get fertlizer burns. Easy does it!

Another word of advice, if you are a renter and have hardwood floors, please consider that exposed and prolonged exposure to moisture will wreak havoc on them. It might be a good idea to consider doing something for that.

Tomato plants have a distinctive smell that I'd tire of easily.

Has anyone tried growing corn as a houseplant? It probably wouldn't produce but it would smell great.

Thanks sassydo, and I'm just south of, in San Bruno. :)

Self watering planters are an indoor plant's savior.

Here are some:
http://sprouthome.stores.yahoo.net/sewamacupl.html
http://www.eastofedenplants.co.uk/lechuza2.htm

We got some of these in orange. But you might want to go deeper for indoor gardening. And leave the windows open from time to time...
http://www.eastofedenplants.co.uk/product.asp?productID=5868