Windowsill harvest

The lack of heat and sunshine that comes with winter might make growing a garden seem impossible. But, with a windowsill and a few other resources, indoor gardening can be a creative way to put some green into the gray months.

While indoor farming can take a lot of work, IU students and local plant experts said it can be done with the right plants and conditions. 

Senior Amy Conrad has grown many types of plants in her on-campus apartment, ranging from exotic Tasmanian violets to simple bitter salad greens. She said she enjoys her indoor garden, even though replicating a proper growing environment in winter can be difficult.

Conrad grows plants in her apartment by placing soil in a container, then either putting it by the windowsill or by keeping the containers on top of her radiator. She said keeping her plants on the radiator keeps the soil warm, which is essential for seed germination. 

Roger Hangarter, an IU Department of Biology professor, said special tools are usually needed to grow plants indoors.
 
“Winter poses big problems since most plants will not grow when it is cold,” he said. “So you would need some kind of structure to keep them from freezing, like a greenhouse.”

He added, though, that a box of soil on a windowsill would work just as well, so long as the window faces a direction where it can receive plenty of direct sunlight.

Light level and intensity as well as soil nutrition are common problems when growing food items and other plants indoors. If the seedlings do not gather enough light and warmth or have soil with enough nutrients, the fully grown plant will usually be smaller, and the fruit it bears, if any, will not be near the quality of its equal that was grown outside. 

Eric Knox, a biology professor and the director of the IU Herbarium, said he knows a few ways to grow plants indoors while keeping the quality of the soil high. 

One such way is to grow plants hydroponically, i.e., to grow them without soil. The process involves growing plants in some other growing medium, such as peat moss or sand, and allowing the roots to float free in water underneath. However, growers need to be sure to add plenty of nutrients to the water because the plants are not getting the same nutrition as they would with soil.

Greg Speichert, director of Hilltop Garden and Nature Center, 2367 E. 10th St., said hydroponic growing is not expensive once growers have the initial equipment. Hydroponic systems on the gardening Web site www.wormsway.com range from $10 to $750, so college students might be able to find something they can afford on the lower end of the price range.

Knox joked about how the process is usually uncommon for everyday plants and is generally more reserved for growing illegal drugs such as the “cash crop” marijuana. But, he said, students could grow lettuce and baby tomatoes hydroponically if they wanted to play it a bit safer.

The main problem with growing plants hydroponically, however, is that the process uses a lot of technology that would most likely take more effort to learn to use than is ideal for the common, busy college student. 

Knox said most of the time it is easier to grow herbs and spices indoors as opposed to more common garden foods such as tomatoes and carrots. However, certain vegetables like lettuce can be grown easily indoors. The output would not be enough to sustain someone’s diet, he said, but would be enough to supplement it.

Small indoor gardens can usually grow plants well with enriched soil, artificial lighting and wooden crates on windowsills. Regular light bulbs can be used, but Speichert said full-spectrum light bulbs work best. The soil can be bought around town at places such as Wal-Mart and gardening shops.

If students would like to buy fresh vegetables and plants that differ from the normal supermarket fare, starting in January they can head over to Bloomington Farmers’ Winter Market. The regular Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market runs from April through November.

Chester Lehman, a Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market vendor and owner of Olde Lane Orchard in Odon, Ind., said the foods the vendors sell at the Community Farmers’ Market are usually seasonal items that can be grown outside in different conditions, However, some are grown in winter greenhouses.

Speichert said growing in the winter is easy to achieve without a greenhouse.  
“Right now I have green onions, shallots, lettuce and parsley in my garden,” he said of his indoor garden. “I’d definitely say you could grow basil, parsley and lettuce (in the wintertime).”

Speichert added that in most cases the vegetables grown, such as his lettuce crop, are more flimsy and less crisp than their outdoor counterparts, but they are still much fresher and taste better than produce found on most store shelves.

He said it is expensive for students to grow plants indoors with full-spectrum light bulbs like they do at Hilltop, as opposed to fluorescent lights, which are about $1,000 cheaper than UV lighting. It would be easiest for students just to use windowsill lighting.

“Even in the greenhouses here at Hilltop, we need to have lights ... otherwise the plants will start to fail,” Speichert said.

Or, if students find themselves short on time and don’t have the resources to create their own garden, Speichert said Hilltop offers a variety of ways to get involved with growing, including workshops, plot rentals and volunteering opportunities. The workshops and rentals range in price depending on the size of the plot and the type of workshop. 

Conrad had a plot last summer and said it was great because it allowed her a chance to go and work on an actual garden whenever she wanted. 

“We’re here to allow people to learn so if they volunteer they can learn a ton about growing stuff,” Speichert said.