Gardening self-care: Vegetables you can plant right now (indoors and out) during the coronavirus

[UOG]

As you practice social distancing, use this time to introduce two new friends into your life: a shovel and a pair of gloves.


During stressful times, nature can be a peaceful refuge. And, coinciding with the timing of coronavirus, we’re also at the start of something a little brighter — gardening season.


“There’s a meditative feeling you get from the repetitive tasks of gardening,” says Teddy Moynihan, founder of Plowshare Farms. “Plus it’s an action you can take to nourish yourself in the face of something that feels like we have no control over.”


While stay-at-home orders are in place, outdoor activity is still permitted, meaning you’re in the clear to venture into your backyard or garden plot. (Just don’t bring others along to watch you plant.)


READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.inquirer.com/health/cor...navirus-philadelphia-new-jersey-20200330.html

Continue reading...

 

[Munsey]

All well and good if you have an outdoor area available...what about food growing suggestions for indoor tiny apartment situations?

 

[bob]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of good suggestions for tiny apartments. The article sums it up pretty well, have a look. Basically, if you can talk management into letting you put some containers on the patio, you can grow things like tomatoes. No doubt you already knew that. Another option is to use a plastic trash can to grow potatoes on the patio. Places like "Wish" also sell little bucket shaped "planter bags" like this one. They work good in small spaces, but not indoors.

But they all need patio/yard space, which may or may not be acceptable.

 

[bob]

What about true indoor growing? Well, there's not a lot you can do reasonably. You can grow things like herbs. But while they'll add a nice garnish to your meals, they're not supplying much real sustenance.

The article gives some good tips on growing sprouts. That's likely the most viable option on a small scale and limited budget. But again, they're more garnish and nibbles rather than real food. They also suggest trying "micro-greens", which do provide some nutrition on a small scale.

If you'd asked me this 2 months ago, the answer would have been to find a neighborhood garden. "Pea Patch" gardens are becoming common. You sign up and get a space allocated to you for your garden. People enjoy the gardening and they often form friendships with the other gardeners. There is some problem with theft, people waiting until your items are ripe and then harvesting them before you do, but that depends on where you are and I'm not sure how big a problem it really is. I suspect some are watched pretty closely by the locals.

In any case, I'm pretty certain that's not an option at the moment. Sorry I don't have better suggestions.

 

[Munsey]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of good suggestions for tiny apartments. The article sums it up pretty well, have a look. Basically, if you can talk management into letting you put some containers on the patio, you can grow things like tomatoes. No doubt you already knew that. Another option is to use a plastic trash can to grow potatoes on the patio. Places like "Wish" also sell little bucket shaped "planter bags" like this one. They work good in small spaces, but not indoors.

View attachment 13586

But they all need patio/yard space, which may or may not be acceptable.

Love the idea of these. Thank you

 

[Munsey]

Are hydroponics a viable option on a small scale?

 

[Munsey]

I have the end of a celery and several carrot butts rapidly sprouting greens just in a shallow dish of water...snipping off the fronds as they come up and nibbling like a rabbit is mildly entertaining

 

[bob]

Are hydroponics a viable option on a small scale?

Hydroponics are the first thing I thought of to be honest. But I quickly discounted the idea for a couple of reasons. You mentioned small space and moderate budget. They tend to be expensive, take up a lot of space, and require water and grow lights. If you set one up, the manager will no doubt think you're running a marijuana farm, LOL.

I don't think the effort and expense is worth the results. If you're looking for plants that you have total control over, and know they're not contaminated with pesticides and the like, basically certified organic, then it's a great option. You control everything, so you know what the plant has been fed.

Courtney, who was an admin here before he passed away, used to grow hydroponics commercially. He sold his plants to top end restaurants who were all about having the freshest and tastiest salads and veggies they could get. He had a premium product at a premium price.

However, if you're just looking to find a way to save a bit of money by growing your own food, rather than doing it as a gourmet option or for a hobby since it's fun to experiment, I suspect it wouldn't be a good fit. Sorry I'm not much help.

 

[bob]

I have the end of a celery and several carrot butts rapidly sprouting greens just in a shallow dish of water...snipping off the fronds as they come up and nibbling like a rabbit is mildly entertaining

Cool! Yes, doing it on a very small scale like that can be fun and entertaining. It doesn't require a lot of space or money, but it allows you to have some fresh and nutritious greens.

 

[Munsey]

Hydroponics are the first thing I thought of to be honest. But I quickly discounted the idea for a couple of reasons. You mentioned small space and moderate budget. They tend to be expensive, take up a lot of space, and require water and grow lights. If you set one up, the manager will no doubt think you're running a marijuana farm, LOL.

I don't think the effort and expense is worth the results. If you're looking for plants that you have total control over, and know they're not contaminated with pesticides and the like, basically certified organic, then it's a great option. You control everything, so you know what the plant has been fed.

Courtney, who was an admin here before he passed away, used to grow hydroponics commercially. He sold his plants to top end restaurants who were all about having the freshest and tastiest salads and veggies they could get. He had a premium product at a premium price.

However, if you're just looking to find a way to save a bit of money by growing your own food, rather than doing it as a gourmet option or for a hobby since it's fun to experiment, I suspect it wouldn't be a good fit. Sorry I'm not much help.

Thank you for your response