Grow room, living smaller. Anyone else?

Since moving to the country, we have started living differently. With both of us now having had one form of cancer or another, we have also greatly changed our diet. For a few years I hemmed and hawed over hydroponics.

With plenty of time on my hands last spring, I decided to dive in, albeit slowly. I used the time in March, April,May to get a basic setup going, read, research, experiment. By the time the end of May came aroun I had dozens of seedlings. About half of which found their way to my outdoor garden plot. Over the summer, I cross referenced growth and rates, continued to tweek my experiment. The aim was to have my grow room, running well by harvest time, so that by this time, we'd continue to have a source of organic veggies we liked, and met certain dietary things. Basically,in terms of what I grow inside, I've tried everything we Canadians typically grow outside with different degree's of success.About the only thing I won't "plant" again is Cucumber. Way too large a footprint for low yield, and having to pollinate by hand was a PITA!

With a long winter ahead of us, time on our hands.Something everyone can do. My little experiment was a god send last spring with little else to do.

Taken yesterday. A tree decorated with green and red bulbs
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Avocado tree I started in July. Now about 2 feet tall. These take 7 years to fruit. So......
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Some bell peppers from about 3 weeks ago
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Potato. Usually about 90 days to harvest. Netted about 8. They were delicious
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Admiral Peppers. Also about 3 weeks ago
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I have another section devoted to typically Pay Choi and leafy lettuce.

Know wonder you had no time to go fishing. LOL

My big problem growing up at the camp is "what you can't grow". The heat units are just not enough for certain types of vegetables I find the big tomatoes hard to grow and basically I keep to the cherry tomatoes. Squash is a breeze except the woodchucks will try and take the top of them when they are young. My potatoes grow is always pretty good and generally I get about 400-500lbs,usually a Chieftain and a few white varieties . The next other big thing is garlic and I generally do about 40 or so.
I probably give away half my potato crop to friends and neighbors along with about 1/3rd of all the fish I catch.

I always do a border crop of turnips for the deer and most of my cut field has good clover in it.

Risky up our way to plant before 15th June and for harvest we have had a frost in mid August. Timing is important.
But there is nothing like home grown vegetables and home grown venison.

JB,

How is the humidity in the room with your setup? Do you have to be mindful of moulds? And do you vent it to the outdoors?

I've seen a couple small setups that would be good for lettuce or something like that through the winter they made me curious.

Sorry about T. Life kind of got in the way July/Aug. fiancé kept saying “go”, I would say “ want to but when”...

We do yellow and russet spuds outside. Two 5 gallon pots inside. Garlic outside and in, though the inside garlic was ready fast. Thus small cloves. Onions we do red/white outside, green inside.

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Originally Posted by dean.f

JB,

How is the humidity in the room with your setup? Do you have to be mindful of moulds? And do you vent it to the outdoors?

I've seen a couple small setups that would be good for lettuce or something like that through the winter they made me curious.

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Humidity.
Summer was hard to keep it under 55%. Right now it’s usually around 35-40. Ideally I think I want 50.

The grow tent really helps. I’m tempted to run an in-line vent to help with that as well as heat dump when needed. But I run my lights for 13 hours, turn on at 7pm. So heat usually isn’t an issue. Highest it’s hit was 28c.

Did have to vent 1 plant I grew indoor over the summer if you know what I mean.

Mold ok. Just a wee bit occasionally on surface of soil medium. For soil I use a mix of organic and coco noir. At some will do more pure hydro but for now prefer not having to fiddle with pH and nutrients.

Another benefit with the indoor is virtually no insects ( though just got some spider mites).

Let's see the "leafy" lettuce lol

I thought you wrote "lefty" lettuce at first, Maybe you meant electric lettuce? Haha

Either way thats a cool set up. I know guys run carbon intake n exhaust fans to control smell and humidty. Grow lights have come a long way last 15 years

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I love the set up. Those admirals look great this time of year. I hope to get a green house going in our new place. We love to garden, it’s a great past time and the rewards are great.

Lol Song Dog.

Lights.
I did a lot of research. Mainly using LED, but have 1 “old school”. Even with that, the temp usually between 24-27.
I’m looking at an inline carbon set up. The fan will turn on based on heat and humidity settings.

Thought I’d post it given winter and Covid. Not a bad way to spend time.