Knowledgebase

indoor garding #800479

Asked July 11, 2022, 11:41 AM EDT

can you have a garden indoor using grow light

Prince George's County Maryland

Expert Response

You can grow many tropical plants indoors very well under artificial light, though if you were referring to edible plants (tomatoes, herbs, etc.) this is not often practical or very successful due to their higher light requirements and other factors. If you can tell us what kinds of plants you're interested in growing indoors, we can offer more specific advice.

Our four-part blog article, An Introduction to Gardening Under Lights, discusses many aspects of light selection if you're interested in some of the nuance in using artificial lights. Technical familiarity with light types, terms, and measurements isn't necessary for success, though it can help you compare fixtures under consideration for purchase and can help you assess how lighting is affecting your plants.

Miri
Thanks for getting in touch with meI would like to grow edible plants and trees in doors 
The Question Asker Replied July 12, 2022, 4:21 PM EDT
Ok, these are more difficult to grow well inside, in part because the light output of most plant grow lamps is too weak to satisfy the photosynthesis needs for these plants to both grow well and produce fruit. (Fruiting puts a lot of resource demand on plants, and they need ample light energy to support ripening fruit.) Lamps that produce enough light tend to be designed for use in greenhouses (to supplement natural light) or warehouses when indoor farming operations use them as the only source of light, such as for microgreens or hydroponic lettuce. The more powerful lamps put out a fair amount of heat, tend to be too large or heavy to hang easily in homes, are quite expensive, and use much more electricity than typical indoor grow lights. They are also harsh on the eyes unless you have a separate room to dedicate to growing plants, regardless if you use the pinkish red-blue combo or a white-looking full-spectrum option.

The best approach is to try using natural light that you can supplement with artificial light as needed (like to extend how many hours of light plants get in the winter months). A west- or south-facing window is best, as they are the brightest. Herbs are fairly compact and somewhat easy to grow indoors because you don't have to worry about fruit, though some herbs are more finicky than others.

One challenge for indoor cultivation of edible plants is the ambient humidity of our homes is too low for them to thrive, though you can use a room humidifier to boost it. Some plants enjoy the mild temperatures of indoor cultivation (like basil, which is cold-sensitive and doesn't survive our winters outdoors) while others prefer to stay cool in winter (50s-60s, cooler than most households are kept, like rosemary, lavender, and citrus). Bay leaf (Laurus nobilis) can be grown indoors with bright light, though eventually grows several feet tall and may not fit well under a light fixture after a few years of good growth.

While strawberries are compact fruit plants, they are not regularly grown indoors. Aside from light and space issues, pollination would need to be done manually since you won't have bees to do the job (and they do it best). Brambles (raspberries and blackberries) are too large, as are most fruit trees with the exception of dwarf citrus. Commonplace fruits like apple, cherry, peach, grapes, etc. will not be successful for a variety of reasons, lighting being one of them. Even our regional conservatory greenhouses at botanic gardens tend not to grow any edible crops indoors (under glass) except citrus and herbs because these conditions don't suit the plant's needs and no pollinators can fertilize the flowers. You could experiment with coffee for fun if you'd like, as very young plants are sold at nurseries, but this is mainly for the novelty of growing the plant, not to produce a sizeable harvest of beans. (You would then need to process them anyway in order to brew coffee.)

Miri

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