Think small, think green -- and have plenty of good light
With enough sunlight or artificial light, a Meyer lemon tree can be grown as a houseplant instead of outdoors. Kathy Morrison
This is another installment in our year-long Food in My Back Yard series, devoted to edible gardening.
In these dark days of early winter, a gardener's thoughts turn to green, and lots of it. But it's so wet outside, and spring is too far off. No greenhouse available. Is there anything that can be grown now, indoors?
Without getting into cultivating a certain weed, the answer is yes, but ... be aware that most plants need plenty of light to grow and thrive. Grow lights that mimic daylight or excellent window light (south- or west-facing is best) is needed for most plants.
Here are some ideas, with links to detailed instructions:
-- Microgreens. This is probably the easiest category of grown-indoors edible plants. Microgreens are greens, herbs or vegetables that have just started to sprout. They can be clipped and added to sandwiches, sprinkled on salad or pizza, and stirred into light sauces.
This post from the UC master gardeners of Butte County has excellent, straightforward directions on growing microgreens. Note that fancy kits aren't necessary. I would emphasize that containers and any tools used on microgreens need to be very clean, and the soil should be a sterile mix to avoid pathogens.
For a deep dive, watch this webinar from Contra Costa County master gardener Andrea Salzman.
-- Herbs. Many herbs used in winter dishes can be grown inside, on a sunny window sill offering six or more hours of sunlight per day. Look for small or compact varieties, and keep each variety in its own pot.
Chives, parsley and mint are good "cut and come again" herbs. Cilantro and basil also can be grown indoors; best to start with small transplants for those.
The Sonoma master gardeners have put together excellent instructions for Winter Herbs Indoors.
-- Citrus. Yes, you can grow citrus fruit indoors. The tree should be a dwarf variety with small fruit, such as kumquats or Meyer lemons. Light is absolutely important here: 8 to 12 hours' worth, according to Four Winds Growers. If adequate sunlight isn't available, be prepared to supplement it.
Four Winds' instructions for citrus as houseplants can be found here.
-- Lettuce. It's easy to grow lettuce in winter outdoors in our climate, as long as there's no freeze warnings. But if desired some varieties can be grown indoors -- and others at least started there.
For indoor crops, stick to looseleaf varieties, such as Oakleaf or Lolla Rosa, or butterhead types. Again, watch the light -- and watch the temperature, too. Germination of lettuce seeds is best at about 65 degrees; keep plants away from direct heat sources in the house. Seeds and soil need to be moist but not soggy; containers with good drainage are essential. Looseleaf varieties need containers at least 6 inches deep.
Harvest the whole plant or "cut and come again" to continue production. Do successive seeding in several smaller containers to keep lettuce coming all winter.
This Solano County master gardener article on growing lettuce in containers can be adapted for indoor growing.
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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series
WINTER:
Jan. 20: Win the weed war by tackling them in winter
Jan. 13: Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Jan. 6: Hints for choosing tomato seeds
Dec. 30: Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees
Dec. 23: Is edible gardening possible indoors?
FALL
Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden
Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it
Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers
Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air
Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets
Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty
Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
SUMMER
Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?
Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch
Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning
Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you
Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water
Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers
July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
WINTER
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden checklist for week of Jan. 18
Make the most of these rain-free breaks. Your garden needs you!
* Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.
* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.
* Plant bare-root roses and fruit trees.
* In the bulb department, plant callas, anemones, ranunculus and gladiolus for bloom from late spring into summer.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Now is the time to prune fruit trees, except cherry and apricot trees. Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Prune Christmas camellias (Camellia sasanqua), the early-flowering varieties, after their bloom. They don’t need much, but selective pruning can promote bushiness, upright growth and more bloom next winter. Give them an acid-type fertilizer. But don’t fertilize your Japonica camellias until after they finish blooming next month. Doing that while camellias are in bloom may cause them to drop unopened buds.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.
* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.
* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.
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