“ 3SimpleStrategiesToStartGrowingVegetablesAndHerbsIndoors”

Stacey Murphy

*FULL TRANSCRIPT*

Hosted By Marjory Wildcraft www.TheGrowNetwork.com

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“ 3SimpleStrategiesToStartGrowingVegetablesAndHerbsIndoors”

Stacey Murphy

Marjory: HelloandwelcometotheHomegrownFoodSummit.ThisisMarjoryWildcraft,andI'myourhostandguide.

ThissummitisbroughttoyoubytheGrowNetwork,whichisthepremierecommunitywhogrowtheirownfoodandmaketheirownmedicine.Thisnextpresentationisforyouifyouhavenotyetgrownanything.It'safabulous,fabulouspresentationforbeginners.Andthenforthosewhohavenevergrownanythingindoors,it'salsoareally,reallygoodpresentation.

AndourpresenterisnoneotherthantheamazingStaceyMurphy.Staceyhashelpedthousandsofnewgardenersfromsixcontinentsgrowvegetablesandherbsinsmallspaces,sotheycanreallyenjoyfresh,affordablevegetablesandahappyhealthylife.

Shedefinitelywillshowyouhowtodothis.Andshe'sbeendoingitsince1979herself.Andhersuperpowerispacking,literally,tonsofvegetablesintosmall,tightspaces.Andactuallyyou'lllovesomeofthefootageinhere,whereshewastalkingaboutlivinginBrooklyn,inalittletiny,tinyapartment,andhowshestillmanagedtogrowfoodinthere.

Stacey'sgettingtobequitefamous.ShewasfeaturedinMarthaStewartRadio,andPBS'sGrowingaGreenerWorld.AndStaceybelievesthatgrowingfoodorganicallyisthebesthealthplanforpeople,communities,andtheearth.

So,thisisafabulousthing.It'salsogreat,asStaceywillpointout,youcangrowfoodwithoutmuchspace,withoutevensunlight.SothesearetechniquesthatcanworkinthecoldofwinterupintheNorthPole.IbetSantaClausisdoingthis.

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Here'sStaceyMurphyandhowtogrowvegetablesandherbs,indoors.

Stacey: Well,hello.StaceyMurphyhere,andtoday,I'mgoingtoshowyouthreesimplestrategiestogrowvegetablesandherbsindoors,soyoucanenjoyhomegrownfreshfoodevenwhenyouthinkyoudon'thaveaspaceforagardenandevenwhenit'swinterorit'scoldoutside.Didyouknowthatplants,theylosepreciousnutrientsfromthemomentyouharvestthem,sogrowingyourownfreshvegetablesrightonyourkitchencounterensuresyouofthehealthiestfoodonyourplate.Bytheway,everybodysaysthathomegrowntastesbettertoo.Freshvegetablesandherbs,theykeepourgutshealthy,soyoucanavoidallthosechronicdiseases.

Freshfoodkeepsyourbrainhealthy,soyoucanstayclearandfocusedandkeepyourenergylevelshighallthroughthedays,soyoucandoallthefunthingsyouwanttodoinlife.Plus,youknowexactlywhereyourfoodiscomingfromandexactlyhowitwasgrownandthatgivesyoupeaceofmindandthefreedomfromrelyinginwhat'savailableatthemarket.Weallknowwhygrowingourfoodisthebestpossiblehealthoption,buthaveyoueverwonderedwhysomepeoplesaythatvegetableandherbgardeningissoeasyandothersstruggletogetanyharvestorsimplydon'thavethetimetogetstarted?

Inthispresentation,I'mgoingtoshowyouthreesimplestrategiestofitgrowingvegetablesandherbsintoyourbusylifestyleandlesstimethanyouthink.We'retalkingaboutindoorgardening,sonoexcusesthattheweatherisn'tright.Youcangardenfromthewarmthofyourkitchenoryourlivingroom.Areyoureadytogetstarted?Beforewedo,goaheadandclickthelinknexttothisvideoanddownloadyourcopyofthevegetableandherbvarietiesthatgrowbestindoors,soyoucangetstartedrightawayandI'lltalkmoreaboutthatlaterinthispresentation.

Forsomeofyou,youmaynothavestartedagardenyet,andeventhoughfreshfoodisimportanttoyouandyouwantagarden,youhaven'tstartedyet,Itotallygetthatbecausethere'ssomuchgarden

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informationoutthere,soitcanbehardtofigureoutwheretostartandI'msogladyou'reherebecauseanindoorvegetableandherbgardenisagreatplacetostart,butI'malsoguessingthatformanyofyouthisisnotyourfirstattempttomakeyourgardeningsimpler.ThefirstthingIwanttomentionisifyouhaveexperiencedalotofgardenletdownslikepastdiseases,plantsjustdyingfornogoodreason,youaredefinitelynotalone.

Ifyou'vebeentryingtogetstartedgrowingyourownvegetablesandherbsforsometimeandyoufeellikeyou'remissingsomethingoryoufeltoverwhelmedbecauseitseemssocomplicatedandtimeconsuming,Iwanttoputthosefearstorest.Youcanmasterthesethreesimplestrategiestogetyourindoorgardenstartedrightandinlesstimethanyouthink.I'llbesharingsomeawesomeideaswithyouheretoday.That'swhatwe'reherefor,todiscoverhowtogetyourindoorvegetablegardendonesothatyoucangetonwithyourday.

Now,ifyou'relikeme,youhaveadreamtonourishyouandyourlovedoneswithfreshfoodssoyoucanenjoyalonghealthylifebutwithoutspendingallofyourtimeandenergydoingthatandI'mgoingtoshowyouhowtomakethathappenduringthispresentation.Mygoalforthispresentationistohelptwotypesofpeople.Forthoseofyouwhoarebeginners,you'regoingtodiscoversimplestrategiestogetstartedgrowingfoodindoors,inyourhomesrightaway,andformoreexperiencedgrowers,you'regoingtodiscoverwaystostreamlineandextendthoseeffortsindoorsandmaybepickupacoupleofbigideasforhowtoexpand.Okay,Ialsohavetwointentionsforthispresentation.

Theonlywayforyoutoabsolutelysurroundyourselfyearroundwithfreshorganicfoodistogetaneasyindoorgardenstarted.Easyisthekeywordhereandtheonlywayforyoutogetyourindoorgardenstartedrightistodiscoverthefiveessentialsofagoodmodularsystem.Youcanscaleitupandyoucanscaleitdowndependingonyourneeds.I'vetrainedthousandsofgrowersonsixdifferentcontinentshowtogetthemostoutoftheirgardenswiththeleastamountofeffortandmystudentshavegrownalotoffoodforthemselves,theirlovedonesandtheircommunities.Whatcouldyou

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dowith8poundsoffreshhomegrownchardandkaleeachweekandthat'sabout16bunchesofgreensfromastore.

Here'sthedeal,let'stalkaboutwhat'spossiblewithindoorvegetableandherbgardens.Tobegin,here'saquickstoryabouthoweasyyourindoorgardencouldbe.Here'smeasakid.About10yearsago,Ifeltreallydisconnectedfromfreshfood.IstartedcravingthosehandpickedgardenfreshmealsthatIrememberedfrommychildhoodandthisismymom'sgarden.Thisphoto,thisistheirrockgarden,soit'snottheirvegetablegarden.Theyalsohadahugevegetablegarden.Atthetime,10yearsago,Ijustfeltreallydisconnectedfromthisfeelingofgoingoutandpickingfreshfood.Itwassooutofreachthinkingaboutgardening.

IwaslivinginBrooklyninatinystudioapartmentandtherewasbarelyanylight,therewasnoyard,soIwassuperbusy.IwasworkingovertimeandIwasalsocommutingandmaybeyoucanrelatetothat.Oh,didImention?ItwaswinterinBrooklynandextremelycoldoutside,soIkeptcomplainingthatIwantedagardenbutIhadnotimetofindagardenspaceandIhadnogardenspace.Icomplainedaboutitsomuchthatmyfriendfinallysaidtome,"Youtalkaboutthisallthetime,sowhydon'tyoujustsetupalittleindoorgardentogetyourselfstartedandmaybeitwilltakeawaythesadnessuntilyoufindanoutdoorgrowingspace?"

Now,whydidn'tIthinkofthat?Thisisoneofthebenefitsofanindoorgarden.Itcanbeasteppingstonetoalargeroutdoorgardenlater.Frankly,IwassofixatedonwantingthatoutdoorgardenthatitneveroccurredtomethatIcouldgetstartedrightawaywiththespacethatIhad.Ididsomeresearch.Istartedgrowingacouplefunthings,andjustacoupleofweeks,acoupleofweeks,Iwasupandrunning.ThatwinterIgrewseveraltraysofarugula,mustardgreen,spinachandbasil,soIcouldenjoywintersaladsallwinterlong.

Ihavetosay,therearealotoffunsaladgreenstogrowwhenyou'regrowingityourself,soyougettodecidewhatexcitingflavorsyou'regoingtopairtogetherforyourperfectsalad,sonomorewimpytastinggreens.Thesesaladsarepackedwithflavor,thekindofsalad

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thatyousimplymixinalittlebitoforangeandittastesamazing,butthemiraculousthingtomewerethepeashoots.Peeshootsandsunflowershoots,theymakemesohappybecausetheywerereadytoeatinjustsevendays.Whyhadn'tIdonethissooner?Canyouimaginesevendaysyoucouldpickingfood?Insevendays,Ifeltthisprideandjoyandthebestpartisthattheshoots,theydidn'tneedanylight.

IfeltlikeIwascheatingmywaytofreshfoodwithouthavingagarden.AfterIcutthepeashootsthefirsttime,theygrewbackinanothersevendays,somorefreshfoods.Here,Iwas14dayslaterwithmanyservingsofshootsforallmysalads.Now,thesunflowers,theyaredonethemomentyoucutthem,butthepeas,theygrowbackabout50%foranotherroundinsevendaysandthere'smagictothingsthatcomeinsevendaysbecausewetypicallybuilddailyandweeklyrituals.OnaSaturdaymorningaftergoingtothefarmers'market,IwouldseedanothertrayofshootsandIwouldhaveanonstopsupplyofcrunchygreenseveryweek.IwassohappythatIalmostforgotaboutwantinganoutdoorgarden.

Iwassayingthere'samagictothesethingsthatcomeinsevendaysbecausewenaturallycreateweeklyorganizationinourlivestohelpussimplifythechaosoflife.Tohelpyouorganizeyourlife,youmighthavetypicalMondayactivitieslikegoingtoYogaorTuesdayactivitiesgoingtoameetingorwhateveritis.Plantingseedscouldbeoneofthoseandittakesjustacoupleofminutes.Wealsohavedailyhabitslikebrushingourteethandyoucouldmakeyoursimplegardenadailyhabittoo.Ifyourshootsaresittingonyourcountertopandyouseethemdaily,you'regoingtoremembertomisttheminthemorninganditwouldbecomesecondnaturelikebrushingyourteeth.

Whenyourgreensaretherightsizeforharvest,theyarerighttherewaitingforyouonthekitchencounter.Plantingseedsisjustaweeklyhabitandmistingthosetrayswithsomewatercouldbejustyourmorningritualandharvestingyourgreenscouldalsobeyourmorningritualforyourmeals.Gardening,itcouldbeahabitthatonlytakesyouacoupleofminuteseachweek.It'sprettyspectacular,

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right?Youmightbethinkinggrowingshootsandsaladgreensindoorsisnotgardening.Igetit.Mybrainwassofocusedonbigoutdoorgardens,buthere'swhatIrealizedandwhenyourealizethisonesimplefactyourwholeworldchanges.Yourgardencanbeanything.

Itcanbewhateveryouwantittobe,whateversizeyouwantittobe,whereveryouwantittobe.Youaresettingtheruleshere,sowhatevergrowingstylemakesyouhappy,you'regardening.Insomanyaspectsoflife,we'vebeentrainedtothinkthatworkinghardermeansgettingmoreofwhatwewant,thatbiggerisbetter,thatmoreworksomehowisgoingtoprovidemorefood,thatbigoutdoorgardenisgoingtoprovidethefoodthatyouwant,butanindoorgardencan't,butinanindoorgarden,workingsmarteristhekeytospendingjustacoupleofminuteseachdayandhavingathrivingvegetableandherbgarden.Youcangetalotoutofasmallgardenindoors.

StudentsinmyGrowYourOwnVegetablesclass,eveniftheyalreadyhaveoutdoorgardenslikeCarlaherearelovingtheseindoorwintergreengardens.She'sinColoradoMountainsandit'salreadycoldoutsidethistimeoftheyear.She'sbringingplantsindoorswithher,soshecankeepenjoyingfreshfoodyearroundandallofthegreensthatshe'sgrowingareabigimpactonherhealthandthecoolthingisthatwhenyoudothis,youmightgettoapointwhereindoorgardeningreplacesgoingtothegrocerystore,sogardeningactuallycansaveyoutimebecauseyouneverruntothestoreforfreshingredients.

Justtoshowyouwhat'spossiblewiththeseindoorgarden,hereI'veshowedyoureallysimplywhatcanhappenwithjustacoupleoftrays.I'mgoingtoshareacoupleofexamplesofinspiringbiggardenshere.Noticewhichonesherearedrawntoointhispresentation.I'mgoingtoshowyouhowtostartsmallandthenscaleupwhenyou'reready.Thefirsttypeofindoorgardensareshelfsystems.Thesearetheeasiestkindsofindoorgardensbecauseyouprobablyalreadyhaveshelvesinyourhousesomewherethatyoucoulduseandshelvescanbeinanyroom.Youcanwakeuptotheminyourbedroom.

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Theycanbeinyourkitchen,whereverandtheycanbeassmallorlargeasyoulike.Rightnow,I'msittingatadesk,andbelowme,therearetwoshelveswhereI'mgrowingfood.ThiscanbeincorporatedanywhereandI'mgoingtoshowinjustamomentshelvesmakeitveryeasytoincorporatethefiveessentialsthatyouneedforagoodmodularsystem.Shelfsystemsarereallythesimplestwaysforyoutogetstartedwhenyoudon'tknowwhatyou'redoingwhenyou'rejustbeginning.Thenexttypeofstyleofsystemarehangingsystemsandthere'savarietyofhangingsystems.

Theycanhangfromtheceiling.Theycanhangfromthewalls.It'sacreativewaytomakemorespaceforedibleplantsinyourhomewhenyouhavenoshelvesandnofloorspace,butthereareissueswiththesehangingsystemsthatmakeitnotaseasytogrowandI'llsharesomeofthosechallengeswithyouinthispresentation.Thentherearetowersystemswhicharefreestanding.Theseareessentiallyfurniture,soyouhavetohavefloorspaceinordertousethemandtheseprefabricatedsystemsthat'sactuallycalledthetowergarden.Asingletowerisasaunitthatyoubuyanditcanproducequiteabitoffood.That'sthethirdtypeofsystem,isatowersystemthatsitsonaground.

Thefourthkindofsystemisonethatismorefordesignersandcreative.Thisiswhereyoucangetbig,youcangetverycreative.YoucandesignyourownmodularsystemandhereisagardenpoddesignedbyIkeaontheleft.It'slarge.It'sanactualroomthatyoucansitinandthenyoucanalsocreateelementsinyourhouse,likealongmodulargreenhousethat'salongthesouthfaceofyourroom.Thenyoucanalsocreatefurniturewhereyouintegratethegrowsystem.Thesesystems,theyrequireabitmoreinvestmentbecausetheyrequiresomedesigntimeandyou'reintegratingthemintofurnitureandintoyourhouse.Theyareabeautifulfeatureforyourhomeifyouwanttofeatureyourselfassomebodylivingagreenlifestylesurroundedbyplants.

Now,beforeyouallgocrazywiththesehugeindoorgardens,Ipromisedsimple,right?Let'sstartsimpleandworkourwayup,okay?Here'swhatwe'regoingtocoverinthispresentation.I'm

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goingtosharethreestrategies,soyoucangetyourindoorgardenstartedrightandyoucanenjoyhomegrownnutrientrichfoodandfeelgreat.Soundgood?Strategynumberoneistostartwithwhat'savailableatthegrocerystoreandsimplyre-growit.I'llshowyouhowtodothat.Strategynumbertwoistocreateasimplemodularsizeforyourindoorgardenthatcanbeeasilyscaledupordownwithtime.Getonesinglemoduleandfigurethatoutsothatyoucanmakeitanysizethatyouwantforyourhome.

Strategynumberthreeistomakeyourindoorgardeneasierwithvarietiesthatdowellindoorsandawaterstrategythat'sgoingtoworkforyouinthelongrun.Herewego.Strategynumberone,startwithwhat'savailableatthegrocerystoreandsimplyregrow.Aquickstoryhere,Iwasvisitingmyfriend'shouseonce,andwhenIarrived,herdaughteropenedthedoortogreetmeandgrabbedmyhandandshedraggedmeexcitedtothiscloset.SheopenedthedoorsandthewholeclosetwascoveredinnewgrowlampsandfilledwithvegetablesandherbsandIaskedherhowthishappenedandshepointedtooneofherlittlebeanplants.

Shetoldmeherteacherhadtheclasssproutbeansinclassandtakehomethosebeansproutstoshowtheirparents.Howmanytimeshaveyouseenkidsdothis,sproutsomethingandthentakeithomeandthenwhatdoyoudowithit?Myfriendtoldmethatherdaughterwassoexcitedthatshemadethewholefamilyplantthebeantoseewhatwouldhappen.Theybasicallyputitinajarwithalittlebitofapapertoweltokeeptherootsystemsmoistandthat'salltheydidandtheywatchthebeanplantgroweveryday.Thatsingleplantsurprisedanddelightedthemeverydayasitsproutednewleaves.

Thiscamefromthegrocery,thisoriginalbean.Thenoneday,theplantfloweredandtheywerehavingsomuchfunthattheyaddedmoreplantstotheirlittleindoorgardenthatusedtohavejustthisonebean.Theyaddedasecondplant,athirdplantuntiltheyhadsomanyofthemthattheyneededaplacetoputthemallandtheycreatedthisMADgoalindoorvegetableandherbgardeninacloset.

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Thisisthelessonofthisbeansprout,smallthingsinourdailyenvironmentcanhaveamassiveimpactovertime.

ThisfirststrategythatI'mabouttoshareisabouthowaddingonesmallthingintoyourenvironmentcanbringthemagicoftheindoorgardentoyourightinthismoment.Youcanstartthis.Youcangotothegrocerystoreandstartthisrightawayandyoumayhavediscoveredthisalreadyespeciallyifyouhavealittleexperiencewithgardens.Therearelotsofvegetableandherbplantsthatgrowbackwhenthey'recut,butyouhavetoknowtherightwaytocutthem.Farmerscallthesetypesofplantandcutandcomeagain.

They'reusuallyreferringtoharvestingtheseplantsoutinthefieldsomewhereandthentheplantwillgrowbackforanotherharvest,butyoucanalsodothiswithfreshfoodsthatyoubuyatthegrocerystoreorfarmers'market.HereinthescreenaremypeasproutsandrememberImentionedthatIcutthemandthensevendaystheygrewback.Whenyoucutthemjustabovethefirstleaf,whathappensistheywillsendoutanothershoot,sotheyarewhatarecalledcutandcomeagainandtherearelotsofdifferenttypesofplantsthatarecutandcomeagainandyoucantakeadvantageofthis.

Maybeyou'veseenthistrickbefore,insteadofpullingapartyourceleryandeatingallofit,simplycutitdownwithinaninchortwoofthebaseandthenplacethatinashallowbowlofwaterandguesswhat?Itwillcontinuetoshootupnewcelerygrowth.I'vedonethisonsunnywindowledges.Itworksforceleryandlettuceandfennelandbunchingonionsotherwiseknownasscallions.Itworksforgarlic.Itwillturnintogarlicchives.Itworksforlettucesandbokchoy.Itevenworksforsweetpotatogreens.Itevenworksforthingslikebeettopsandcarrottops.Icallthesetypesofplantsmound-typeplantsbecausetheygrowinamound.

Whatthatmeansisthattheoutergrowthistheoldergrowththatcanbecutawaywhenyoudon'tneeditandtheinnergrowthiswherethenewgrowthisgoingformgivingtherightconditions.Basically,therightconditionshereisjustputtingtheseplantsina

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littlebitofwaterandtheyregrow.Differentplantswilltakedifferentamountsoftimetoregrow,butyoucancutthemwheneveryouwantandeatthem.They'reyourplantstoworkwithandmorewillgrowback.Foralotofpeople,thingslikebokchoyandcelery,theyenjoycuttingsafterjust10days.Sometimesbunchingonionsorthescallionstakealittlebitlongerthanthat.

Nowalotofpeopletalkaboutthestrategy,thisregrowstrategyasawaytostretchyourgrocerydollarstomakemorefoodfromwhatyou'realreadybuyingatthestore,orifyouhaveagarden,toproducemoreharvestfromwhatyouhavealreadygrown,butIthinkthere'sabiggerbenefitherethatgoesunnoticed.Thebiggestbenefitisthatyouhavesomethinggrowingrightthereinyourkitchen.Ithelpsyoufeelsuccessful.Youalreadyfeellikeanindoorgardener.Whenyouhavesomethingvisibleandtangiblethatyoucancelebratedaily,ithelpskeepyourmomentummovingforwardandrememberwhyyoudoit.

Guesswhatelsehappens?Youstarttonoticehowplantsgrow.Youstarttolearnaboutthemifthisisnewtoyou.Youseewhattoexpectandyourconfidencegrowsastheplantsdotoo.It'ssuchasimplestrategythatpeopleoverlookthisallthetime,thissimpleregrowmethod,buthumansliketoovercomplicatethings,butthisreallycouldbesomethingfastandeasyforyoutoexperimentwithtoday.Liketoday,goouttothegrocerystoreandgogetsomecelery,gogetsomescallions,gogetsomelettuce,eatthefood,cuttheplantsandregrowthem.Thisishowyoucreateagreenlifestylefulloffreshfood.

Youbuildahabitwhereyoucanappreciatetheplantsturningintofoodthatnourishesyoueachdaybecausethesebabystepsofhavingtheseplantsaroundyou,thesebabystepsleadtobigwins.Soon,you'regoingtobesocomfortablewiththeseplantsinyourlife,they'regoingtoinvitealotmoreoftheminandyoulookaroundforwhereinyourhouseyoumightstartmorevegetablesfromseed.Now,whenyouwanttogrowfromseed,nowwe'retalkingaboutgrowinganindoorgarden.Thatleadsustostrategynumbertwo.

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You'regoingtocreateasimplemodularsizeforyourindoorgardenthatcanbeeasilyscaledupordownwithtime.ImentionedearlierthatIstartedmyfirstindoorgardenwhenIwaslivinginatinystudioapartmentinBrooklynandthatapartmentwassosmallthatyoucouldopentherefrigeratordoorfrominsidethebathroom.That'sprettycrazy!Ihad10books.IfIboughtanewone,oneoftheoldoneshadtogo.Thereissimplenoroomforanythingthatwasnotanumberonepriorityandfreshfoodwasapriorityforme.Istartedanindoorgarden.

IfIcouldgrowagardeninthattinyapartment,youcanfindsomespacetogrowwhereveryouare,especiallyifyouarecommittedtonourishingyourselfwithfreshhomegrownfood.WhenIwasdesigningwhatmyindoorgardenmightlooklike,Irealizedmybiggestassetwasthislongwallwherewecouldaninstallshelvesspanningtheentirelengthfromfloortoceilingifwewantedandtheshelvesreallyhelpedtoorganizetheroom.Weputeverythingonthoseshelves,ourbooks,ourstuffandwealsohadourdeskasoneofthoselowershelves.Whenweorganizedallofourstuff,wehadtwolittleshelvesthatwereavailablefortheindoorgardenandwefigureditwasenoughtostart.

Thecoolthingwasthateachshelfwasmodular,soifwedesignedsomethingthatworkedforoneworkshelf,weknewitwouldworklaterwhenweexpandedtoothershelves.Now,IwishIhadsomephotostosharefromthistime,butthiswasyearsagobackbeforemostcellphoneshadscreensorcameras.Thinkaboutthisforamoment,twoshelves.That'swhatwehad,basicallylikethissize.Thesetrayswereourmodularsystem.Doyouhavetwoshelvessomewherethatyoucouldconverttoanindoorgarden?ThisisrightundermydeskrightnowasI'mtalking.Thisisasimplesetupanditdoesn'ttakemuchspace.

Thesetraysareabout,ifyouholdyourhandsuptoaboutwidthofyourshoulders,that'sabouthowwidetheseshelvesare.Inamoment,I'mgoingtoshowyouacoupleofdifferentversionsofmodularsystems,sothatyoumightseewhichoneisgoingtoberightforyou.Now,unlessyouarealreadyaseasonedgardener,you

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don'tgofromgrowingjustacoupleofsmallthingslikethatregrowstrategythatItalkedaboutandscaleuptotheselikegiantroomsallatonce.Youdon'tdothisovernightunlessyouareaseasonedgardenerandyouknowwhatyou'redoingbecauseahugeindoorgardenwithlotsoflightscangetexpensivetobuildandmaintain.

Youwanttomakesureyou'resuccessfulgrowingfoodatasmallscalebeforeyouinvesteverythingyouhaveandscaleup.Youwanttogetthisunitsize,thismodularsizeworkingproperlyfirst,soit'seasytoscale.LikeImentioned,inthiscase,I'mgoingtotalkaboutshelfsystemshereforamomentbecauseit'stheeasiestwaytogetstartedandthesetraysareoneoftheeasymodulestostartwith.Therearethreebasicmodularsystems.We'vetalkedaboutthemalready,theshelfsystems,thehangingsystemsandtowersystems.We'regoingtostartwiththeshelfsystem.It'sthemostbasic.

LikeIsaid,ifyou'regettingstarted,thisisgoingtobetheeasiestthingforyoutocreateandanyshelvesthatyouhave,theyworkjustfineandyoucanbuysystemsthatareallsetupthataregoingtomakeyourlifereallyeasy,butyoucanalsocreatethemyourself.Togetyourselfsetup,therearebasicallyfiveessentialsthatyouneedtoensurethatyourplantsaregoingtothrive.Whatarethosefiveessentials?Thefirstessentialisthatyouneedtochooseyourgrowingmedium.Growingmediumisifyouareoutdoors,soilisagrowingmedium,butindoors,you'renotgoingtousesoilbecauseitjustdoesn'tworkindoors.It'stooheavy.It'snotgoingtowork.

You'regoingtouseeitherpottingmixoryou'regoingtochooseahydroponicsystemandtherearebenefitsanddrawbackstobothofthosesystems.I'mgoingtotalkaboutthepottingmixsideofthisduringthispresentationbecauseit'stheeasiesttogetstarted.Thematerialsarereadilyavailable.Thesystemsarelittlebitlowertechandyoudon'thavetolearnallaboutwhatwaterandpumpsandallthesethings.Inthelongrun,youmightchoosetogotohydroponic,butlet'sstartsimple.Let'sstartwiththispottingmixinsideoftrays.Thispresentationistooshorttogointoallthedetailsofhydroponics.

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Thesecondessentialthatyouneed,andwhenyou'relookingforagoodpottingmixIshouldmentionthat,lateronItalkaboutfertilizers,youwanttofindproductsthatareorganic.YouwantthemthathaveOMRIlisting,soI'llshowyouwhatthatmeansandCDFAlabelsonthebottlesaswell.Essentialnumbertwoarecontainers.Youneedtodecidewhatkindofcontaineryou'regoingtogrowyourplantsinsideofandthehydroponicstuff,you'regoingtobegrowingintubeslikethatpreviousimagethatshowslikeatubewhereyourplantsaregrowinginsideofthatandthewatersbelowit.

Foryourpottingmixstyle,Iwouldhighlyrecommendgrabbingthesetrays.They'refreeatthenurserystore,atthegardennurseriesandyoucangetonesthathaveabottominthemorwhatIliketousearetheseonesthatarethenettingthekindoflightweightones.Allofthosearelyingaroundthegardennurserystores,easytograbandallyoureallyneedtodoislayinalittlepieceofnewspaperandthatwillholdyourpottingmixin,soit'sverysimpletouseoneofthese.They'rereadilyavailable,easytousewhichiswhyIlikethem.

Bytheway,becausethesetraysareofcertainsize,ifyou'regettinglights,whichwe'regoingtotalkaboutinjustaminute,thesetraysworkreallywellwiththestandard-sizedlights.Twotraysisusuallya4-footlonglamporoneofthesetraysisgoodforlikea2-footlamp.Let'stalkaboutessentialnumberthreewhichislight.Youneedlightforyourindoorgarden.Therearetwodifferentstyles.There'sLEDandthere'sfluorescent.Ifyou'rejustgettingstarted,theLEDscanbealittlebitcostprohibitive.ThebenefitstotheLEDisifyou'regrowing,sometimesyoucanhavethegrowlampsalittlefurtherawayfromtheplantswhichisoneofthebenefits.

Fluorescents,they'rejusteasiertocomeby,usuallyalittlebitlessexpensiveandinasecond,I'llshowyouaneasyonetobuy,soalotofpeoplechoosefluorescentsfortheirindoorgardens.Yes,yourplantsneedlight,however,ifyou'regrowingsproutsorshootslikeImentionedatthestart,thosedon'tneedlight.Ifyou'regrowinganindoorgardenandyouhavenolightsatall,youprobablywanttostartbygrowingsproutsandshoots.Now,ifyouaretryingtogrowyourplantsindoorsandthey'regettingtallandspindlyliketheplants

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herealsoknownasleggy,thismeansthatyoudefinitelyneedlight.Youwanttogetthisunderalampassoonaspossible.

Unlessyouhaveagreenhousethatyou'reputtingyourplantsin,oftentimes,you'regoingtoneedsomesortoflampoveryourplantsthatjustputtingthemonawindowsillinfrontofawindow,itcansometimeswork.It'sworthashotforsmalllittleplants,butwhenyoustarttohavemoreplantsinyourlifeandyoudon'twantthemtofail,Irecommendgettingalight.It'saninvestmentanditwillensureyoursuccess.Wouldyouratherhaveafailedplantorwouldyouratherhaveaplantthatnourishesyouandprovideyouwithfood.Iwouldvoteforgettingthelampandmakingsureyouhavesuccess.

Thesimplestlampthatyoucangrabthatmanypeopleisreferredtoasashacklamp.It'sastandardfull-spectrumfluorescentT5lamp.Oftentimes,it's4-feetlongandusuallyithastwolamps.It'snicetohavethetwolampspresenttowidentheamountoflightthatyouhavebecauseyou'regoingtofindthattheplantsgrowbestrightunderthatlight,sothewideritisthebetter.Nowtheonlydownsidehereisthatthisis4-feetlongwhichismaybelongerthanmanypeoplewanttouseastheirstandardmodulelength.RememberImentionedinBrooklyn,Ihavethistwosmallmodulesandtheywerejustsingletrays.Theyweremorelike2-feetwide.Iboughtspecial2-footlamps.

ThesearetwolampsthatI'veusedandI'vebeentestingbothofthemtoseewhichoneIlikebetter,thefluorescentandtheLED.Ilikebothofthem.Ihaven'tnoticearealsignificantdifferenceinthem,butkeepinmind,I'mnotgrowinganyfruitingvegetables.I'mgrowingjustgreens.Ifyou'regoingtogrowplantsthataregoingtofruit,youwanttomakesurethatthefluorescentlightortheLEDlightisdefinitelyfullspectrum.Inthiscase,IgottheLEDlightthatwasmadeforvegetativegrowthandnotfruitinggrowth,soitwasaspeciallamp.Justkeepthatinmindwhenyou'remakingthatdecision.

Igrabbedtheselightsagainbecausetheywere2-feetlongandtheyfitreallynicelyundermydesk.Theyweremoreexpensivethana

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giant4-footlonglamp.IfIwantedtosavesomemoney,Iwouldfindaplacetoputthat4-footlonglampandthenputmytwotrayssidebysideunderneathitandthatwouldbemymodularsizethatIwouldusetoscaleup.Theessentialisgettinglighttoyourplants.Ifyouareusingfluorescentlamps,whichmostpeoplewill,you'regoingtowanttohaveyourplantsamaximumof6inchesfromthoselights.AnLEDlight,itcanbefurtheraway,butmostpeoplearegoingtobeusingthesefluorescents,sogetyourplantsrightupunderneaththoselights.

That'showyou'regoingtohavethemostsuccess.Theheightofyourshelfthendependsonwhatyou'regoingtogrow.Mostsaladgreensareabout6inchestallandthenyouhavethedepthofyourtrayandyouhavethespacebetweenthegreensandthelightandthenyouhavethicknessofthelightitself.Ifyou'regoingsaladgreens,a12-inchshelfheightcanwork.Sometimes,it'snotquitetallenough,butitdoeswork,andatthestart,whenyourplantsmaybefurtherawayfromthatlight,youcanstickacoupleofbooksunderneaththetraytoliftituptothelight.

Thenastheplantsgrowandgettallerandtheyneedmorespace,youcantakeoutthebooksandlowerthetrayagain.Ifyou'rethinkingaboutgrowingsomethingtallerthansaladgreens…I'mgoingtosaythishere,ifyou'rethinkingaboutsimple,youwanttobegrowingsaladgreens.Youwanttobegrowingpeashoots,sunflowershootsandherbs.Thosethingsaregoingtoeasy.They'renotgoingtotakeupmuchheight,butifyouwanttogotaller,somepeoplearegoingtothinkaboutgrowingtomatoesandpeppers,you'regoingtoneedmoreheightandyou'regoingtowantalightthat'smoreadjustedorashelfthat'smoreadjustabletogiveyoumorespace.

Youmightneed2-or3-feettallforatomatoplant.I'mgoingtoshowyousomevarietiesthataredwarfvarietiesattheendofthispresentation.Thenanotheressentialisthevarietythatyouchoosetogrow.Attheendofthispresentation,we'regoingtotalkaboutplantvarieties,soI'mnotgoingtotalkaboutthatrightthismoment,butthat'syourfourthessentialthatyouneedtodecideon.Thefifth

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essentialisindoorgardensarenotconnectedtotheearth,sothey'regoingtoneedsomefertilizationovertime.

Formanythingslikeshoots,peashoots,sunflowershoots,sprouts,allofthatstuffyoudonotneedanyfertilizer,soyoucanjustgoahead,keepitsimpleandjustgrowthose.Ifyou'regrowingsaladtrays,saladgreens,oftentimesifyoubuyagoodpottingmixthathassomecompostinit,thathassomeorganicmatterinit,youdon'treallyneedtofertilizeit,butifyougrowagainandagaininthesameplaceandyou'rereusingsomeofyourpottingmix,thesefertilizerscanhelpyougivethosepottingmixesaboostandyouwanttolookfororganic.YouwanttolookfortheOMRIlistingandtheCDFAlabelswhenpossiblewhenyou'rebuyingthesefertilizers.Lookatthebottle.Itwilltellyouhowtodilutethem.

You'renotgoingtopouronyourplants.You'regoingtodiluteitheavilyanduseitsparingly.Everytwoweeks,youmightusethesefertilizersifyou'regrowingalotindoors,especiallyifyou'regrowingbigplantsliketomatoesandpeppersandthosearesortofthings,you'regoingtoneedaregularfertilizationscheduleforthosecontainersthesamewayyouwouldneedfertilizerscheduleforanoutdoorcontainerbecauseeverythingtheplanthasisinsidethatcontainer.Ithasnowhereelsetolookfor,soyouneedtobringthefertilizationtothatplant.

NowyouknowthefiveessentialsthatyouneedtomakedecisionsaboutinordertocreatesomesortofmodularsystemthatcanscaleupandI'veshowedyouthesimplemoduleofthetrayfortheshelfsystems,let'stalkaboutsomeoftheothermodularsystemsincasethosearethingsthatyou'reinterestedin.Thesecondtypeofmodularsystemthatpeopleusearehangingsystemsandtherearelotsofproductsordo-it-yourselfprojectsthatliterallyhangonthewallsorfromtheceiling.They'recool.Theylookgood,buttheydon'talwaysfunctionaseasilyastheshelfsystems.

Herearethedrawbackstothesesystemsthatyouneedtoovercomeorjustbeokaywithifyou'rethinkingaboutusingthehangingsystems.Thefirstthingisthatchecktoseeifwhatevercontainers

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you'reusingtohangontoawall,checktoseeifthey'reself-wateringornotorevenifthey'rehangingaboveyoubecauseastheplantsstarttogrow,it'snoteasytowatertheseandthecontainersarecertainsizesandyou'vegottofigureouthowyoucangetyourwateringcaninthere.Shelfsystemsareeasytoautomate.I'mgoingtoshowyouthatattheendofthispresentation.Thesewallsystems,they'redesignedtobebeautifulandnotnecessarilyforeaseofuse.

Theymightbebettersuitedsometimesforsucculentplantsthatdon'trequirealotofmaintenancelikeedibleplantsdo.Imaginehowtallyouwouldneedtobetowatertheplantsinthekitchenhereontheleftandthefeltsystemliketheimageinthecenter,it'scoolandthefeltsystemsthathanginthewalls,they'regreatforoutdoorwherewatercanjustdraindowninexteriorwall,butimaginewhatfeltonyourwallalldayindoors.Notsogreat.Youmightgetmoldorratissuesandyouwanttomakeyourlifeeasywithyourindoorgarden,nothard.

Maybeyoudecidethatyou'reokaywithsomethingbecauseit'sbeautifulandyoucandealwiththeextrawateringeachdaybutimaginewhenyou'rereplacingthepottingmixinsideofthesethingsbecauseyou'regoingtohavetodothateachmonthpotentially.Whenyou'regrowingshoots,you'rebasicallygrowingnewsetseverycoupleofweeks.Ifyou'redoingthat,isitgoingtobeapaininthebutt?Inotherwords,canyoumakeamess?Trays,likeIwasshowingyouwiththeshelfsystem,arereallynicetouseandeasytoworkwith.They'reflat.

Theyhavewidemouthsforyoutoworkwithandpeopletrytogrowthfoodineverything,butifit'snotthateasy,you'regoingtoeithermovetoadifferentmethodoryou'resimplygoingtostopaltogether.Irecommendkeepingitsupereasysoyoucancontinuetogrow.Thethirdtypeofmodularsystemthatpeoplechooseandthisisarealpopularonethesedays,itworksgreat,towergardensandthereareacoupleofdifferenttypesandstyles.Thisisthetypeofsystemthatyouusewhenyouhavelotsoffloorspace.Ifyouareinanurbancenterandyouhaveasmallspace,thisprobablyisn'tagreatideaforyou.

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Youmightdobetterwithashelfsystem.Thesearealsogreatforindoorclassroomsandyoucangrowalotoffoodwithjustthisoneproduct.Youcouldscaleupandcreateaforestofthese.ThisisattheO'HareAirportforpeoplewhohavegonetovisitit.Youcanreallydosomereallycoolthingswiththeseifyouhadaroomdedicatedtothese.Now,justkeepnotethatjustoneofthesetowers,it'salreadybiggiesize.Ifyou'rethinkingaboutjustgettingstartedforthefirsttime,youmightwantalittleshelfgardenjusttoseehowyouenjoygrowingfoodbeforeyouinvestinoneofthese.It'suptoyou.

Ifyouknowyou'rejustdivingstraightin,youmightaswellgoforit,butjustoneofthese,it'sabiggiesize.Oneofthesemodularpiecesisprettybig.Now,becausethesearesobig,thereisalsostackableversion.Ifyoudon'twanttogoquiteastall,butyouwanttotrythisverticalmethod,seehowitgoesandthenscaleup,therearestackableversionswhereeachlayercanbeaddedin,soyoucouldstartwithacoupleoflayersandthenstartgrowingfromthere.Thesestackableversions,theycanbehydroponicortheycanbepottingmix.That'swhatmakesIthinkthestackingversion.

Thedownfalltothestackingversusthetowergardenisthatthetowergardenhaslightsthathaveabuilt-insystem,seethestructurethatgoesaroundthattowergardenwhereyoucaninstallyourgrowlamps.Thestackableversiondoesn'thavethatandsoyouneedtofigureouthowyou'regoingtosetupyourgrowlampsaroundthestackableversionandIwouldtakemycuesfromwhat'sshownontheotherversionandfigureoutawaytoputthemverticallythesameway.Ifyouareinterestedintheseproductswhereyougooutandjustbuysomethingandeverythingcomestoyou,youcanstartwithsomethingsmaller.Thereistheselittlemini-aerogardensandtheyworkwonders.Chefslovethese.

BuyingabunchoftheseisnotascosteffectiveassomeoftheshelfideasthatIshowedyouorthetoweridea,butifyoujustwanttogrowalittlebitofherbsandvegetablesonyourkitchencounter,thisisthekindofall-in-onekitthatIwouldrecommend.Peoplelovethese.Theyworkreallywell.Theyhavethelightbuiltin.Someofthemevensynchtoyourphonetotellyouwhat'sneededforthe

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plants.Thesearesomethingthatreallyworkswellforpeoplewhowantjustamini-gardenontheirkitchencounter.There'sonelastmodularsizeandthat'sthewholeroom,liketheIkea.Imaginehavingthesegardenpodsfillingyourhouse.Who'sgotspaceforthat?

Youwoulddefinitelyneedalotofexperienceinorderforthattobeyourmodularsize.Now,youknowthesefiveessentialsthatwithanyoneofthedifferentmodularsizesthatyou'regoingtouse,therearethosefiveessentialsthatyouhavetomakesureyoucoveriswhat'syourgrowingmedium,whatkindofcontainerareyouusing,whatkindoflightareyouusing,whatkindofplantvarietiesareyouusing,whichwe'regoingtotalkaboutnowandwhatkindoffertilizersareyouusing.Let'smoveintothisthirdstagehereandthisisallaboutmakingyourgardeneasierwithvarietiesthatdowellindoorsandawaterstrategythatworksforyou.

Thereissomethingthatmanygardenersdon'ttalkabout.Wedon'talwaysfeellikegardening.Alotofuslikethefreshfoodmorethantheactualtendingtothegarden.Haveyoueverexperiencedthis?EvenIhaveexperiencedthis.Ihaveconfession.Isometimesgoforweekswithout"gardening,"withoutdoingalotofphysicalwork.Thatmightsoundcrazycomingfromsomeonewhoteachestensofthousandsofpeoplehowtogrowvegetablesandherbs,butit'strue.WhileI'mnotactively"gardening,"myplantsaregrowing.

TheygrowingunsupervisedandI'mstillharvestingfreshfoodformymealsbecauseIknowtheminimumtheplantsneedandhowtoautomatethings,soIdon'thavetodoanythingelsebesidesharvesting.Harvestingtome,itfeelsjoy.Itfeelslikepartofthemealactuallymorethanitfeelslikegardening.Alotoftimes,IrealizeinmyworldI'mlike,"Wow!Iactuallydon'talotofgardening,"becauseeverythingisautomated.Whatyouneedtorememberisthatyou'reinvitinglivingplantsintoyourworld,andifyouignorethemcompletely,theywilldie,butyoudon'thavetowatchthemallthetime.

Youcansetupyoursystem,soyourplantsthriveevenifyou'renotaround.Here'saquickstory,thatfirstindoorgardenofminein

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Brooklyn.Afteramonthofgrowingallmysaladgreens,Ihadabusinesstripthatpoppedup.Iwasgoingtobeoutoftownforfourdays.Whathappenstovegetablesandherbsiftheydon'thavethewatertheyneedforfourdays?Well,theywillmostcertainlydie.Itfeltcrazyaskinganeighbortocomeoverandwatchthesetwolittletinytraysofsaladforjustfourdays.Icameupwithanalternative.Iusethistrickthatcontainergrowersuse.

Youmayhaveseenthisbefore.It'sbasicallyinsertingabottleofwaterupsidedownineachofmytraysandthisimagehereisofawinebottleintoanexteriorgarden.Idon'thavepicturesfromtheseearlydays,butwhatIdidisIbasicallystuckasmallwaterbottle,likeasortofdrinkingwaterbottle,thesmallerversionsandIbasicallyputthatupsidedownrightinsidemytray,putitrightupagainstthebottomofthetraybecausethebottomofthetrayhavelittlegroovessothewatercouldkindofseepoutinbetweenthosegrooves.Whathappensinthatprocessisthatthewaterpressureinsidethesoilthat'saroundthebottle,itkeepsthewaterfromflowingoutofthebottleeffortlessly.

Itholdsitinsidethebottleallatonce,andthenasneeded,thatwateriswickedintothesoilgradually.Therearelotsofsub-irrigatedcontainersthatareavailableonthemarketthatdothisforyouandsoyoumightseethingsonthemarketthatarecalledsub-irrigated,self-watering.Essentiallyhowtheyworkistheyhavealittlewatertroughatthebottomandthenthewickingpullsthemoistureupintoyourpottingmixandthereforeyouonlyhavetowateronceaweekthewaterthroughandit'smucheasier.WhenItookthistrip,thisdidn'texistandbasicallyIhadcreatedmyownself-wickingveryinexpensivelywithjustawaterbottleandatray.

TheybasicallyIhadalreadymygrowlampsetuponatimerandsothat'stheotherthingaboutyouressentials.Ifyouhavelightasyouressential,youwanttomakesureifyouleavethatit'sonatimertogoonandoff.TheplantshadeverythingtheyneededandIfeltconfidenttheywouldsurvivethefour-daytrip,butjustbecauseI'matotalgeek,I'mageek,Isetupawebcamtowatchthesetwolittletraysofsaladtomakesuretherewerenowaterfailuresandthelast

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thingIwantedwastocomehometoabigpileofwateronmydeskanddeadplants.ItoldmyneighborthatImightcallthemifIneededthemtogoinandcleanupanywaterspill.

ThereitwaseverynightIwouldtuneintothislittlewebcamthatwasfeaturingmyindoorgardenandwatchingitgrowth.Guesswhat?Everythingdidgreat.ItdidexactlywhatIthoughtitwoulddo.Ireturnedfourdayslater,celebrated,harvestedmyselfadelicioussaladandhere'sthereallycoolthingthatIlearnedfromthisexperienceisthatupuntilthistrip,I'vebeenwateringandmistingonceortwiceadaydependingonhowbigtheplantswere.Itwasjustsortofpartofmydailyroutine.LikeImentionedatthestartofthispresentation,itcanbeadailyroutine.Upuntilthistrip,thatiswhatIwasdoing,butafterthistrip,Ikeptusingthatwaterbottlemethodandonlyhadtoreplacethewateronceaweek.

Goingawayhelpedmesimplifymyprocess.Now,allIneededtodowasharvesteachdayandthenbasicallyIwasreseedinglikeonceaweek,andwhenIreseeded,Iwouldalsoredothewaterbottle.ThisonelittletrickthatIusedwhileIwasonvacation,itmademyindoorgardenmaintenancefree,soitcouldgrowwithoutmeanditwassosimple.Thisishowsimpleanindoorgardencanbeforyoutoo.Vacations,theycanactuallyhelpyoubecomeabettergardener.Oftentimes,peoplesaytheydon'tgardenbecausetheytaketoomanyvacations.

Theydon'thaveenoughtime.Theydon'twanttocomehometodeadplants,butifyousetupyoursystemforthedaysthatyouareonvacation,thenit'sgoingtoworkforyoutherestofthetimethatyou'retherewithouthavingtodoanything.Findingawaterstrategythatworkswellforyouiskeybecausehere'sthethingwiththeseindoorgardens.Theseindoorlights,becausethey'reclosetoyourpottingmix,thatpottingmixcanheatupanditcanevaporatequiteabitofmoistureandyourplants,they'reinthesecontainersandsothey'renotoutsideinthesoilinthegroundwheretheycanhavedeeperrootsystemsanddrawwaterupfromdeepwithintheearth.

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That'swhytheseshallowtrays,youreallyhavetohaveawaterstrategybecauseevaporationhappensandthenthere'snowherefortheseplantstofindmorewater.Thisiswhyalotofpeoplechoosehydroponics.Thewaterisbuiltrightintothesystemanyway,butyoucanusethesesimpleidealslikeinvertedwaterbottleslikeIdidorself-irrigatingorsub-irritatedcontainersandhavethesameeffect.Nowonewordofcaution,whateverwaterstrategyyouuse,youwanttothinkabouthowwatercoulddamagethingsaroundyourindoorgardenifthere'safailure.What'sgoingtocatchthewaterifthere'safailure?Howmuchwaterdoesithavetocatch?

Ifyouhaveahydroponicsystem,itcanbealotofwater.Ifit'sjustasinglewaterbottleinatray,that'snotalotofwatertocatch.What'sgoingtocatchit?Whatmaterialsinthenearvicinityifyou'reusingashelfsystem,what'sunderthatcouldbedamagedanddoyouwanttomoveitawaysothattheareaisclear?Findthissimplewaterstrategyforyourself.It'sgoingtobeimportantforyoursuccesswiththeseindoorgardens,sothateverythingjustbecomesautomated.Thenextpieceofthatisalsopickingvarietiesthatdowellindoors.First,let'stalkaboutwhatnottogrowindoorsbecausethere'salotofstuffifyou'rejustgettingstartedIwouldnotrecommendgrowingindoors.

Thereisalotofbigstufftonotgrowindoors.Ifyouhaveexperience,thereareplantsthatyoucanexperimentwithindoors,butifyou'rejustgettingstarted,whywouldyoumakeyourlifeanyharderthanithadtobe?Theplantsthatarecrossedoffhereonthisslidearegoingtobemoredifficulttogrowindoors.Startwithsomethingeasier.JusttotellyouwhyI'vecrossedoffthethingsI'vecrossedoff,someofthemarejustbiganddon'tmakeanysenselikecornandokra.Thesearereallybigplants.Notgoingtobeverymanageableunlessyouhaveanattachedgreenhousetoyourhouse.

Oftentimes,theseareplantsthatwanthottertemperaturestoo.Yourindoortemperatures,someofthoseplants,theywantlike80degrees.Areyougoingtohaveyourindoortemperature80degreesinsideofyourhouse?That'swhysomeofthesethingsarecrossedoff.Thingslikeeggplantiscrossedoffforthatreasonaswell.There

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aresomevarietiesofeggplantthataredwarfvarietiesthatcanbegrownindoors,butthetrickwitheggplantisthatforsomeoftheseplantswhenyou'regrowinginthatlikehottertemperatures,they'remoresusceptibletonotproducingfruitwhentheyarecoldandeggplantissomethingthatIfindprettyfinickyindoors.

Ichoosenottogrowitindoorsbecausemyhouseisusuallysetatalowertemperature.It'susuallysetsomewherebetween60and72anditdoesn'tdowellfortheeggplantwhichreallylikesomehottertemperatures.WhatyoumightnoticeiswhatisonthelistarealotofgreensandwhatIdorecommendforthesetrays,Ikeeptalkingabouttheseshelfsystemsbeingthesimplest,easiestpossiblewayforyoutogetstartedandhavefoodonyourplateinlikeaweek,haveIdrilledthatinenoughyet?

Thebestpartaboutthesesaladgreensisthattheyare,rememberItalkedaboutcutandcomeagainwhenwetalkedaboutregrowingfoodthatyoucouldbuyatthegrocerystore,saladgreensareallmound-typeplants,lettuces,mustardgreens.Theseareallthingsthatyoucancutandtheywillcomebackagain.Youcanharvestthemacoupleoftimesandthenplantnewseeds.Ittakesaboutthreeorfourweekstogrowatrayofsaladgreensfromseedintoharvest.OneofthereasonswhyIlikepottingmixoverhydroponicsisexactlythisreason.

Hydroponics,it'shardertostartfromseedbecauseofthewaythatitissetup,butwiththesetrays,lookathowdenselyandlushlyyoucangrowinallthesegreensinoneofthesetraysandjustacoupleofweeks,threeorfourweeks.Toshowyoumysystem,let'ssayyouhavetwotrayslikeIdidinBrooklyn.Thisisthesimplewaytohaveanonstopsupplyoflettuceswithjusttwotrays.Areyouready?Whatyoudois,andhereI'mshowingtwohalvesofthetraybutyoucanalsodothiswithonefulltraybeingonethingandonefulltraybeinganother,sotwotrays,whatyoudoistraynumberoneyou'regoingtoseeditondayonewhenyougetstarted.

It'sgoingtobereadytoharvestaround21daysandit'sgoingtobeyourfirstsetofsaladgreensandthenyou'regoingtoharvestagain

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at28daysbecauseafteryoucutit,it'sgoingtogrowback.Thenyou'regoingtocutitagainandguesswhat?It'sgoingtogrowbackagainat35days.Iknowthatyou'reprobablynotgoingtocutitallthesamedaybecauseyou'reprobablygoingtohavesaladshereandthere.You'reprobablygoingtobecuttingthismorethanonceaweek.Youmightcutapieceofitonedayandthenthenextdaycutanotherpieceofit,butjustingeneral,onceaweek,you'llbeharvestingthewholetray.

Thenbasically,thesecondtray,you'regoingtoseeditonday21,sothatit'sreadythreeweekslateronday42.Ifyoulookatthedaysthefirsttrayyou'veharvestedonday21,28,35,thenextweekwouldbe42.Now,yournexttrayisreadyforyouandbasicallythefirsttrayyoureseedit,sothenit'sreadyinthreeweeks.Theninthesethree-weekincrements,youbasicallygobackandforthbetweeneachtrayandyougetanonstopsupply.Reallywithtwotrays,youcanhavethisamazingamountoffreshgreensinyourlife.Thisiswhat'scalledsuccessionplantingingardeningandhereyoucandoitreallysimplyindoorswithjusttwotrays.IrecommendgrowingthesetraysofsaladsandI'llgiveyoualittletiphere.

Ilikemixinginherbs.Ilikemixinginthingslikedillandfennelandcilantroandbasil.AnythingthatIcanthrowintherethatwilladdalittlebitofflavor.Ilikeputtingthatintomysaladtray.Sometimes,I'llputitattheendofthetraysothatIcangrowitalittlebitseparatelyfromthesaladincaseitgrowsatadifferentratethanthesaladdoes.Sometimes,Ijustmixitin.Playwithit,mixandmatch.You'regoingtofindamazingresultsthemoreyoutrythis.Rootvegetables,sowe'retalkingalotaboutgreens,rootsvegetables,indoorgardens,dotheymix?Wellnotespeciallygreatbuttheycanbedone.Ifyouwanttorootvegetables,getreadyforachallenge.

You'regoingtobeexperimentinghereabitandifyouareattemptingtheserootvegetablesindoors,there'sacoupleofthingstoknow.Oneisthatyoureallyneedadeepercontainerwithatleast12inchesofpottingmixbecauseyouhavetheserootsthataregoingtogrowinespeciallyifyouhavecarrotsgrowinginandyayacarrotsandHerculescarrotsaretwocarrotsthatarekindofshorterandgoodfor

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thesecontainersandbeetsandturnipsandallthesethingsarealittlebitmoreshallow,buttheirrootsareverydeep.Youneedagood12-inchcontainerwhichmeansifyouhaveashelfandalight,youneedaneventallershelftoaccommodatethosebigplants.

Theotherthingthatyoushouldknowaboutrootvegetablesincontainersisthatyouhavetohaveagoodorganicphosphorussourceorelse,theserootswillnotturnintobigpumpedvegetables.That'swhat'sgoingtohelpthem.Lookingforintermsofyourfertilization,wetalkedaboutearlieroneoftheessentialswithfertilization.Everycoupleofweeks,youwanttofindanorganicphosphorussource,sothatthosethingscangrowin.Iftheydon'tgrowin,nobigdeal.Simplyenjoyallofthosegreens.Yougotradishgreens,beetandturnipgreens.

ThosearealldeliciousiftheyaresauteedwithgarlicandcarrottopsmakeafreshtastingpestoandactuallyIlikecarrottopssometimesinmysaladtoo,babycarrottops.Theseareallediblethingsthatyoucanaddintoyourdieteventhoughtheydon'tgrowintorootvegetables.Now,you'reprobablywonderingaboutthebiggervegetablesnow.LikeIknoweverybodyisalwayswonderingabouttomatoesbecausethat'salwayspeople'sfavorite.Thereareotherfruitingplantsthatarefairlyeasytogrowthindoorsaswellonceyouhavealittlebitofexperienceandthosearecucumbers,zucchini,peppersandbeansandpeas.

Youwillneedalittlebitmoreelaboratesetupthansimplytraysorcontainerslikewe'vebeentalkingaboutbecausethesearelargerplants.Theyneedspacetovineandsomeofthedifferentwaysthatyoucangrowthese,youcanactuallydothehangingversionfortomatoesandactuallygrowthemupsidedown.Youcouldalsodothisforcucumbersorpeppers,anythingthat'safruitingvegetablewhereifyou'reusinggravitytoyourbenefitbyhangingthemandkeepinmindthatyoudowanttofigureoutagoodlightsourcefortheseastheyarehangingfromyourceiling.

Ifyouaren'thangingthem,youdoneedtofigureoutaverticalwayforthemtogrowandhere'samini-trellisthat'savailable.Thisislike

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amini-earthboxwithalittlemini-trellisandsoyoucanusetheselittletrellisestoattachyourplants.Let'ssee,withthesedifferentfruitingvegetables,theotherthingthatcanhappenindoorsis…Pollinationissomethingthattypicallyhappensoutsideforalotoftheseplants,ants,bees,birds,whatever,theykindofshakeuptheplantsalittlebit,someeventomatoplantsthatare"self-pollinating."Thebeesandtheinsectsreallyhelpthepollentotransfer.Tohaveyourplantsindoors,youprobablywantalittlepaintbrushtohelpthatpollinationhappen.

EventhoughlikeImentionedsomeoftheseplantstheydohavethismechanismwheretheysortofself-pollinate,you'regoingtoensuremoresuccessifyouactuallygoandthenhandpollinate.Let'stalkaboutyourvarietiesbecausethat'swhat'sreallyimportanthere.Youwanttousedwarfbushordeterminatevarietiesastheyarethesmallestplantsandsoit'sgoingtobemucheasierforyoutogrowsmallerplantsindoorsthantogrowsomethingthatisspreadingacrossyourentirehouse.Youdon'twanttochooseindeterminatevarietiesbecausethosearetheoneswheretheyvineandyoudon'twanttogrowthoseunlessyouhaveaplacetowrapthosevinesaroundandaroundandaround.

Youwanttopickthingsthataredwarfmeaningsmall,bushwhichusuallyreferstovegetablesthatgrowinasortofcompactbushversusviningoutwardordeterminatewhichmeansthattheyhaveasizetowhichtheygrowandbeyondthat,theyjustdon'tgrowanybigger,sodwarfbushordeterminatevarieties.Iwantedtoshareacoupleofvarietiesthatdoreallywellindoorsbecausethisiswhereyoureallycanhavesomegoodsuccess.Intermsoftomatoes,I'veseenpeoplehavefabuloussuccesswiththesetinytimandsmallfryandpatiohybridtomatoes.Personally,Ilovethesuperchilisasareallybeautifulbushofpeppers.It'sahotpepper,sothere'shotandsweetpepperslistedhere.

Thenacoupleofnotes,ifyou'rethinkingaboutcucumbersandsquash,eventhoughthesearesmallervarieties,theseareprettylargeplants,sokeepthatinmind.They'reprettylargeplants.Thentherearebushbeans,likeproviderandbluelakethatgrowtoa

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certainsizethatyoucouldbegrowingindoors,butjustkeepinmindthatwhileyoucangrowbeansindoors,it'snotsuperexciting.There'snotalotofyieldfortheamountofspacethatittakesupandtheamountoftimeittakes.Itmightnotbethebestuseofyourspaceandyourtime.Peas,Ifindthesamethingthatfor…Thecoolthingaboutpeaplantisthatyoucanactuallyeatalotoftheplantwhenit'sniceandsoftandit'ssmall.

Forthemostpart,whatIenjoymostarethepeashoots,andforthepeashoots,thereareparticularvarietiesthatIenjoygrowingbecausetheydon'thavealotoftendrilsthatgetstuckinyourthroat.That'showIpickmypeashootvarietiesasaveryparticularoneandsothat'slistedhereaswell.Nowyou'vediscoveredthesimplewaytoregrowvegetablesonyourcountertop.Asourfirstsimplestrategy,howtocreateyourfirstmodularsteptoanindoorgarden,Irecommendthosetrays,keepitsimpleandthenalsohowtoautomateyourwateringandtochoosetherightvarieties.

Now,yournextstepisgetonoutthereandexperimentorIshouldsaygetonintherebecauseit'sindoorgardeningandthendon'tforgettogotogrowyourownvegetables.orgtodownloadofyourcopyofTheVegetableAndHerbVarietiesThatWorkWellForIndoorGardens.Indoorgardensareagreatwaytoputfreshfoodonyourplateallyearlongnomatterwhattheweatherislikeoutdoors,orevenifyouhavenospaceforanoutdoorgarden,youcangetstartedanytime,andimagineinjustweeks,you'regoingtobeabletoenjoyharvestandenjoyagreenlifestylesurroundedbyplantsthatnourishyou,heartandsoul,forlong-termvitality.

Marjory: WellIjustloveStacey'senthusiasmandherbubbliness,andhowmuchfunsheis,andgoshalotofthoseimageswerejustamazing.Ican'twaituntilIgothroughO'HareAirport,'causeIwannagoseethatgardentowerexhibit,andsneakafewleaves.Butifyouwannapickupthatguide,StaceyHastheBestVarietiestoGrow,clickthatbuttonontherightthere,andthenyoucandownloadthat.

AndthenalsoStaceyisjustaregular,awesomegardeningteacher,andhasawholeseriesofcoursesongardening,especiallyfor

30

beginners.Howtogetstarted.Andthen,howtoharvest.Andhowtoplant.Andevenhowtoprocess.AndIthinkshemightevenbedabblingincooking.ButStacey'sgotitgoingon.

Startsmallthough,andpickupthatguidehereonthebestvegetablevarietiestogrowforsmall,tightspacesinside.And,it'sreallyinspiredme.Ihaven'tdonealotofindoorgardening,butI'mactuallythinkingofsettingsomethin'up.ImightsplurgeononeofthoseLEDlights.Theylookkindacool.

Anyway,thisisMarjoryWildcraft.DownbelowthebuttontogetintouchwithStacey,istheHomegrownFoodSummit.Theentirepackage.Youcanownthispresentation,aswellasalltheother30-somethingpresentationsthatwehavehere.

AndespeciallythatonewithDr.LeeonA.I.andthefutureoffood.Thatwasanamazingdeal,andwilldefinitelyinspireyouforgrowingmoreofyourownfood.Butthatsummitpackagerightthere,ifyounotice,wedon'thaveanyoutsideadvertising.Thisisausersupportedcommunity.Andyourpurchaseisdeeply,deeply,deeplyappreciated.ThisisMarjoryWildcraft,andyou'reparticipatingattheHomegrownFoodSummit.