To be self-sustaining and self-sufficient in an urban environment, one of the first things that must be established is an indoor vegetable garden. I found a wealth of information on-line and have accumulated some of the most useful suggestions here, along with the web addresses, where you can read the complete articles.
Photo credit: from moonbites.info/Growing, page4_blog_entry2_1
The following is information from a very helpful site called The Southern Great Lakes Gardener: http://gardengal.net/. (© Copyright 2001-2004, Marilyn K. Burns)
The article itself is on page 44: http://www.gardengal.net/page44.html and is titled "Indoor Vegetable Gardening":
"--Most leaf crops such as lettuce, endive, swiss chard and the like require cooler indoor temperatures. If you have a bright room which is more or less unused, it might make a good place to grow some of these plants. Likewise, an enclosed, sunny porch where temperatures will not dip down to freezing would be a good place to grow leaf crops and root crops as well. These plants will tolerate daytime temperatures in the low to mid 60's and can take cool nighttime temperatures down into the upper thirties.
"--Vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, cucumbers and beans do require warmer daytime and nighttime temperatures in order to flower and set fruit. Ideally, daytime temps should be in the upper 70's and nighttime temperatures should not drop lower than 60. A south facing indoor room with supplemental heating and one that warms up considerably in the winter from solar heating would be a good place to grow these crops. . . .
"--Soil requirements are different than those we are used to encountering when gardening outdoors. Whatever you do, do not choose garden soil, no matter how rich it might be, for indoor vegetable gardening! Lightweight soil mixes are the best, garden soil can harbor diseases and insects that are more difficult to control in a confined indoor space, and even the best-quality garden soil can compact when used indoors in containers. A good mix for indoor vegetables would be 1 part potting soil, 1 part vermiculite, 1 part peat, and 1 part perlite.
"--Vegetables will need to be watered daily or every other day due to the confined space in which they are growing and the lack of indoor humidity during the heating season. Because frequent watering can deplete nutrients, a supplemental feeding every two weeks will be necessary. Use a balanced organic fertilizer for best results. . . .
"--Pollination is something that will have to be done manually. An artist's brush helps to distribute pollen from one flower to the next, and is an indispensable tool to have on hand. . . .
"Here are a few vegetables to consider for indoor growing:
Cherry tomatoes, determinate vines
'Gypsy' peppers
Hungarian sweet peppers
Various hot peppers
Short-vined cucumbers
Short-vined squash
Leaf Lettuce of all types
Bush beans
Endive
Small-rooted carrots
Small-rooted beets
Radishes
Miniature cabbage
Bunching onions
Swiss Chard
Spinach
Eggplant
"Another thing to keep in mind is that most vegetables grown indoors will not have the size or yield of those same varieties grown outdoors."
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Another good source of indoor gardening information is found on the site for the Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension: http://www.ext.vt.edu/.
There is an article called "Indoor Container Gardening," by Diane Relf, Retired Extension Specialist, Horticulture, Virginia Tech
Publication Number 426-336, Revised 2004
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-336/426-336.html
"Indoor Container Gardening:
"If you want fresh, homegrown vegetables over the winter, or if you don't have an outdoor space in which you can place containers, it is worth trying some indoor container gardening. Of course you cannot have a full garden in the house, but a bright, sunny south-facing window can be the site for growing fresh food all year. Some small-fruited tomatoes and peppers, several types of lettuce, radishes, and many herbs are among the plants you can include in an indoor garden. . . . However, note that plants will dry out less quickly indoors and will also grow more slowly, needing less fertilizer. . . .
"A sunny, south-facing window, is a must for indoor vegetable growing. Fruiting vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers, will also need supplemental light, such as a combination warm-white/cool-white fluorescent fixture, during winter months. Insufficient light will result in tall, spindly plants and failure to flower and set fruit. . . .
"The small-fruited varieties of tomato, such as Tiny Tim, Small Fry, and the Roma (a paste tomato), may be raised quite satisfactorily in the home. They will challenge your gardening ability and supply fruits that can be eaten whole, cooked, or served with salad. Tiny Tim grows to a height of about 12 to 15 inches. Small Fry, which is about 3 feet tall, and Roma will need more space and should be located on an enclosed porch or in a sunroom. It may be worth experimenting with varieties developed for hanging baskets. Some of the small-fruited peppers may be grown as indoor plants. Like tomatoes, they require warm bright conditions to grow well indoors. Fruit will be ready to harvest from peppers and tomatoes about ten weeks after
planting. . . .
"For a quick-growing crop, try radishes. These must be grown very rapidly if they are to be crisp and succulent. Scatter radish seeds on moist soil in a 6- or 8-inch pot. Cover with 1/4 inch of soil, and place a piece of glass or plastic wrap over the pot to conserve moisture until the seeds germinate. Carrots are slower, but can be grown in the same way; use the small-rooted varieties, such as Little Finger, for best results indoors. Experiment with various types of lettuce. Leaf lettuce and the miniature Tom Thumb butterhead are some to try. Space them according to package directions. Keep lettuce moist and in a very sunny spot.
"If light is limited, an old standby for fresh taste and high food value is sprouted seeds. Almost any seeds can be sprouted: corn, barley, alfalfa, lentil, soybean, rye, pea, radish, mung bean, sunflower, etc. Use only special seeds for sprouting available from health food or grocery stores to avoid the possibility of getting seeds treated with poison, such as antifungal agents. Use any wide-mouthed container, such as a Mason or mayo jar. Soak seeds overnight, drain, and place in the container.
Cover with a double cheesecloth layer held with rubber bands or a sprouting lid. Set the container in a consistently warm spot, and rinse and drain seeds two or three times daily. In three to five days, sprouts will be 1 to 3 inches long and ready for harvesting.-----------------------------
Here's an article that is well worth reading: "Start a self-sufficiency garden even in a cramped apartment," by Nancy Wolcott http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/wolcott61.html
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For an excellent explanation on how to grow all sorts of sprouts, go to this site: http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/lib2/sprouts.htm
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