Want to grow your own microgreens indoors? Direct seed microgreens seed into enclosed seed tray without drainage holes or any shallow container without a hole. Sprinkle seeds across surface of moist soil, or a moist capillary mat, and mist to moisten. Place under bright grow lights for germination.

Create a thick stand of seedlings, but don’t seed so densely that seeds are on top of one another; this will cause air circulation problems. If your room is cold, use a seed heat mat under the seed tray to speed up germination. Use a mist bottle to keep seeds and seedlings moist, but not soggy, as they germinate. Harvest when seedlings have their first set of true leaves!

New BOOK! Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers

Are you growing vining, or indeterminate, tomatoes indoors?You must train vining types of tomatoes onto support cables or trellises that will support their ongoing growth and increased size.

Remember that determinate tomatoes typically grow to about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide, while indeterminate tomatoes are vines that can grow to anywhere from 6 to 25 feet tall!

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Aquaponic systems use water from the tank, and the waste produced by the fish grown in the tank, that are circulated into the grow bed to feed the plants suspended in the water. The plants then filter the water, which is circulated back to the fish tank.

Aquaponic systems also add the complication of maintaining animal life. They are fascinating, and excellent for growing plants indoors.

Gardening Under Lights Book!

Many compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) do not require a special ballast, so you can simply use them in your standard light fixtures such as ceiling, spotlights, or floor lamps.

Large CFLs, such as those in the 250-watt range, will require a special fixture and reflector that can accommodate the larger base on the bulb.

Gardening Under Lights Book

When it comes to keeping houseplants, not every plant will thrive in the same type of container. Some plants, such as orchids, do best when their roots are exposed to the air.

Porous pots are a must for orchids. In general, most orchids prefer high humidity with a very well-drained and aerated potting mix. Many common orchids are epiphytes (air plants) that can’t survive in a wet, heavy potting mix. Look for pots with holes in them to allow orchid roots to reach the air.

New BOOK! Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers

A common newbie mistake is to allow the seedlings or cuttings to remain in their original seed plug or cell for too long. Those tiny 2-inch pots and pods are not meant to sustain your plant indefinitely. Your plants will be most happy when they have room to stretch their roots.

Once the roots of your seedlings or cuttings have grown to the edges of their seed plug or pot and have sprouted three or more true leaves, it is time to bump them up to larger containers.

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You can use any sort of fixture for your fluorescent lamps -shop fixtures are just fine - but you need to make sure they will fit T5 or HO T5 lamp tubes.

Many home-improvement stores will carry a bevy of basic fluorescent lamps, and some may stock fluorescent grow lights. But don’t rush to the hardware store and grab just any fluorescent tube. You should distinguish between fluorescents used for ambient room lighting and those designed for plant growth.

Gardening Under Lights Book

Small self-contained LED growing units aim to provide both ambient full-spectrum and blue or red spectrum light for plant growth. LED lamps produce only about a quarter of the heat that other high-intensity lamps emit because they can convert more watts into light.

Low heat output also means you can place LEDs close to your plants without the risk of scorching foliage or damaging young seedlings. LED units like this one can be used to grow small succulents, tropicals, or low-growing herbs.

Gardening Under Lights Book