December Indoor Garden Update

Baby it’s cold outside…But my plants are toasty inside!

Although I didn’t miss the heat, I missed the Spring/Summer garden that bloomed beautifully! Besides missing having fresh flowers and veggies to look at I wanted to continue practicing in preparation for next season. I knew I wanted to explore indoor gardening since I live in a 5b zone and outdoor growing year round would be close to impossible. I’ve reflected a lot this past season about the amazing things I’ve learned and mistakes I hope not to repeat, I’ll post this in a detailed year end recap post.

Back in late October I planted seeds hoping to get a better sense of what I need to work on, what to look for and overall get a sense of what certain plants look like in different phases. I planted seeds in a seedling tray under my grow light and bought a hydroponic AeroGarden to try out.

Seeds I put in a seedling tray under my grow light

• 6 Chamomille seeds (All germinated)
• 6 Spinach seeds (None germinated)
• 1 Marigold seed (Germinated)

I wrote in my notes that I planted only 1 Chamomille seed in each seedling cube. I’m questioning myself as to the real number that may have fallen in since all four surviving Chamomille look pretty dense. I don’t remember having put two seeds in each cube but I’m doubting myself now!!

I was disappointed that none of my Spinach germinated. Four out of the six Chamomile plants have made it to the end of December! Unfortunately the first one died within a few days of moving it from the seedling tray onto a bigger pot but the rest have done alright! I had a couple of clay pots that I decided to use which I somewhat regret. I noticed the clay pots have stayed cooler than the plastic ones I used. When I originally bought the set of clay pots I didn’t realize they were best to use when the weather is hot instead of cold, another rookie mistake I’ll add to my newbie error notes!

RIP my Chamomille baby

The Marigold is making me very happy! The Marigold seed quickly germinated and began growing fast! I was a little worried that it would get leggy but we’ve surprisngly had so much sunlight that I’ve put these little guys on the window to get plenty of light. Every night/morning I move them back to my shelves because although we’ve had lots of sunshine the nights can still get cold.

Here are my little guys sunbathing!

I also planted seeds in my new hydroponic AeroGarden system

• Mint (Very very slowly germinated)
• Parsley (Very very slowly germinated)
• Grape tomatoes (Quickly germinated)
• Lettuce (Quickly germinated)

My overall impression of the AeroGarden is that it’s a beginner friendly system to use! I have only put plant food in twice. Originally I wanted to see how much the herbs, lettuce and grape tomatoes would grow without the plant food but they’ve done so well I haven’t continuously used it. So far all the seeds have germinated, I made the mistake of doubting the herb seeds and put in Grape tomatoes and lettuce. I quickly learned not to do that for the future because both my lettuce and tomatoes have overtaken the space. Oops.

Overall so far so good! Everything is growing nicely, I received some seeds for Christmas and am now fighting the urge to want to plant some more!!!

Hoping to see these grow bigger and healthier next week, next year …

Happy New Year

Like what you’re reading? Are you ready to take it to the next level?! You can do so with our free, downloadable guide! Click here to get your copy now and start your garden today.