Now that the fall harvest is upon us, it’s time to start preparing for winter and then spring! In a previous post we talked about how solar light tubes are great for indoor gardens, in this post we will talk about starting an indoor garden this winter and the benefits that come with it. There are other ways to garden during the winter, like building a greenhouse, but indoor gardening is easier and usually costs much less. Did you know that there are some cool-weather vegetables that grow great indoors year-round, like lettuce, spinach, or herbs? With proper light and care, these plants thrive indoors no matter the season. Imagine fresh salad and herbs all year long!
If you’re into gardening, you know it’s not always easy to get plants to grow outside or inside. But there are certain plants that, while doable, can be difficult, so when starting your winter garden it is always good to think about what plants you want to grow and see how easy they will be. Tomatoes, peppers, and herbs are great plants to start with. They are all quite hardy and easy to care for. The key to winter gardening is making sure your plants get enough sunlight to think it’s summer, keeping them near windows is a great first step, but it doesn’t always work for those areas that have limited sunlight or houses that have limited windows. So how else can you light up your plants?
There are many different types of lights that can be used to grow plants indoors and also some controversy as to which type of light is best. Fluorescent lighting is a great source of indoor lighting, but it doesn’t provide much of the red light needed for flowering plants, and there are incandescent lights that provide plenty of red light but not much blue. It is often recommended to use both for growing indoor gardens. Turning off your bulbs and making sure you have them on for the exact number of hours is a lot of work, why go to all the trouble when you can only use natural light? Regardless, it is the best light for growing plants. Installing solar skylight tubes is quick and easy and allows you to have fresh herbs and vegetables and beautiful flowers all year long. By using a combination of natural light from your windows and from the skylight’s solar tubes, which provide light even on cloudy days, you never have to worry about what kind of light is supposed to be used for what kind of plant.
Now that you’ve chosen your plants and taken care of the lighting, you can start growing your plants indoors and enjoy fresh herbs and vegetables all year long. And once the last frost has passed, moving your thriving plants outdoors will ensure healthy plants that produce immediately. By starting the plants during the winter, you can avoid the waiting period after planting before they start producing. Indoor gardens are a great way to keep produce fresh and prepare for the next growing season.