Indoor Prepper Growing (vegies etc.)

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lmskingj

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Nov 26, 2012
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Location
Texas
My family and I have started an indoor garden due to the current cold weather and red clay soil. We have all of our plants in portable pots so that if we should lose power we can tote them outside to get sunlight and bring them back in for the night due to the cold weather. I have found that the plants under an aquarium grow light seem to be growing the fastest! I didn't go to the store and buy a bunch of plant pots either. I have even used packing material that came off electronics because it was like herb planters, and then I sterilized some other plastic containers and totes, and even Lego boxes! I am on a budget so I took a look around the house and used what I knew would work. I have yet to spend more than $25 on my garden. I paid $19 for the seeds and found organic soil at Wal-Mart for .99Cents for 40 pound bags. I don't have any heat blowing on my plants or in the room with my plants. The room I am using does not have a heat/air vent (not that I've turned the heat on even though it’s in the low 30s). I do leave the door to the room open. I have found that things like garlic and spearmint take a little longer to sprout, then is the bell peppers, and carrots. The easiest thing I have found to grow is spinach and lettuce mix, then green onions, tomatoes (roma and beef), green beans, basil, parsley, oregano, and sweet basil. Most herbs are fairly simple to grow indoors because they do not require a deep root system. However, when you grow something like a carrot you must ensure that you have a deep enough container and deep enough soil in an effort to give the carrots room to grow down into the soil, same with garlic, and potatoes. I plan to plant cucumbers, peas, and red cabbage this weekend. I am going to purchase my fruit trees and strawberry seeds if I can find them this weekend as well. I have only had these plants for 11 days and all of them say 7-10 or 10-14 days to sprout! All but my peppers, garlic, and spearmint have sprouted. My green beans are huge and my green onions are quite large as well. I have been watering my plants every other day and it only takes a little sprinkle of water to moisten the soil. I don't have drain holes in the bottom of any of the containers.

My green beans are over 8 inches tall! My green onions and my spinach and lettuce mix are large too!
 
That is not a makeshift root cellar, that is a very temp storage container.
A post hole digger and large freezer bags will do the same.

A root cellar needs 3 things to be considered a root cellar to any farmer with experience.
cool temp, humidity, and air flow (even slight is better than none)

A cellar is for storage of food without refrigeration, so cool temp is #1 priority, the deeper you go the better, but just for fun lets say you dig in 4 feet. that soil could also be used over it to help. It is best to leave dirt floor, but unsealed concrete second, without moisture your food will shrivel and soften. so good humidity is second. last but really just as important is ventalation. All fruits and vegtables give off gasses as they ripen, and in storage. If these gasses are not removed your food will rot faster. airflow needs to enter and exit, even something as simple as 2 peices of 3" pipe in a small underground cellar will do put 2- 90 degree elbows on the top to keep actual rain water out. It is best to run one to bottom, and the other to close to top. One will draw, and the other exaughst naturally, the bottom being the draw. This works to your advantage once you learn how to use the gasses to your advantage. Apples produce ethylene gas, this makes potatoes sprout early. So potatoes must be kept lower than apples..........untill you want the potatoes to sprout, then place them at same level and throw a sheet over them. still get airflow but its slowed. Oh yeah and once the weather is below freezing, place a sponge in the intake pipe, this will slow but not stop new airflow, and help regulate the temp in cellar.
 
That is not a makeshift root cellar, that is a very temp storage container.
A post hole digger and large freezer bags will do the same.

A root cellar needs 3 things to be considered a root cellar to any farmer with experience.
cool temp, humidity, and air flow (even slight is better than none)

A cellar is for storage of food without refrigeration, so cool temp is #1 priority, the deeper you go the better, but just for fun lets say you dig in 4 feet. that soil could also be used over it to help. It is best to leave dirt floor, but unsealed concrete second, without moisture your food will shrivel and soften. so good humidity is second. last but really just as important is ventalation. All fruits and vegtables give off gasses as they ripen, and in storage. If these gasses are not removed your food will rot faster. airflow needs to enter and exit, even something as simple as 2 peices of 3" pipe in a small underground cellar will do put 2- 90 degree elbows on the top to keep actual rain water out. It is best to run one to bottom, and the other to close to top. One will draw, and the other exaughst naturally, the bottom being the draw. This works to your advantage once you learn how to use the gasses to your advantage. Apples produce ethylene gas, this makes potatoes sprout early. So potatoes must be kept lower than apples..........untill you want the potatoes to sprout, then place them at same level and throw a sheet over them. still get airflow but its slowed. Oh yeah and once the weather is below freezing, place a sponge in the intake pipe, this will slow but not stop new airflow, and help regulate the temp in cellar.
Hades,

This was meant for those like me who live in a "city" or "town" and cannot just dig to make a root cellar.... This is a cheap way without worrying as much about water and electric lines... It would work and it would keep food cooler and have air flow, etc. if done properly... just wouldn't be as big as I want it though... but gotta do what you gotta do...
 
Hades,

This was meant for those like me who live in a "city" or "town" and cannot just dig to make a root cellar.... This is a cheap way without worrying as much about water and electric lines... It would work and it would keep food cooler and have air flow, etc. if done properly... just wouldn't be as big as I want it though... but gotta do what you gotta do...

Your original statement said
Make shift root cellar: dig a hole and put a large barrel or clean trash can in the hole and place the lid on top of it then hay or something heavy over the top of the hole. Ensure no water is going to get to it if it rains.

now a hole the size of a trash can or large barrel would be a hole now wouldnt it, second that same hole could be used better without the barrel.
( possibly use barrel with bottom cut out of it to let moisture in)
then you said place the lid on it, clearly defeating any thoughts of ventalation. therefore done properly is not even close to what I commented about. You neither described the need nor defined the moisture or the ventelation.

I was speaking of the requirements to properly store food without refrigeration. I am sorry if I offended, but what you said was not even close, to something that would work, I only wanted to add relevent information to keep people from reading what you wrote from actually thinking it plausable with the instructions you gave.

 
Your original statement said
Make shift root cellar: dig a hole and put a large barrel or clean trash can in the hole and place the lid on top of it then hay or something heavy over the top of the hole. Ensure no water is going to get to it if it rains.

now a hole the size of a trash can or large barrel would be a hole now wouldnt it, second that same hole could be used better without the barrel.
( possibly use barrel with bottom cut out of it to let moisture in)
then you said place the lid on it, clearly defeating any thoughts of ventalation. therefore done properly is not even close to what I commented about. You neither described the need nor defined the moisture or the ventelation.

I was speaking of the requirements to properly store food without refrigeration. I am sorry if I offended, but what you said was not even close, to something that would work, I only wanted to add relevent information to keep people from reading what you wrote from actually thinking it plausable with the instructions you gave.
Hades,
I love the fact that you state "sorry if I offended", if you think you might be offensive you should reframe from posting in an offensive manner and change the way you state things. I appreciate the correction or in depth version etc. However, it could have been worded in a better manner. Thanks for the input!
 
Hades,
I love the fact that you state "sorry if I offended", if you think you might be offensive you should reframe from posting in an offensive manner and change the way you state things. I appreciate the correction or in depth version etc. However, it could have been worded in a better manner. Thanks for the input!

Actually if I must be honest I only use "sorry if I offend" to say sorry if I dont say this in the right manner, because I know I sometimes sound harsh, but thats the way I am, but hey it needs said if you like it or not. I dont say things in grey, its black or white. I am actually sorry if you misunderstood that the first time. I wont use that term anymore, I now see where that might be confusing.
We are grown ups, and I say what needs said, not always the way someone wants to hear it.



However, it could have been worded in a better manner
When you get time please rewrite it in a way that has all the info I was transfering, but in the correct manner.
I will gladly look and see where I went wrong so I can try and be more politically correct.
 

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