Miss Gardening in the Winter?

Picture by Bradley Ward

By Debbie Roland, Master Gardener

Do you miss having fresh produce, herbs, and flowers in the winter?  There is a solution.

One of my kids lives in a condo in central Texas.  Because he travels and isn’t home much to water plants, he decided to try an indoor tower garden.  I have to admit that I was skeptical.  He invested in a vertical, hydroponic growing system that lets you grow herbs, leafy greens, and even some fruits indoors and year-round without soil.  It is a good solution for those who have no outdoor space or must endure growing conditions that can be 100 degrees for days at a time.

The system comes with plants or seeds ready to plant in a nutrient-rich water solution rather than soil.  The tower features multiple stacked planting ports, maximizing space.  A pump circulates water and nutrients from the base up through the tower, where they drip onto the plant roots. 

The LED grow lights provide all the light the plants need for photosynthesis indoors.  He has successfully grown lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, spinach, herbs, cherry tomatoes, peppers, and a few flowers that brighten his house. 

The total tower takes up about two square feet of space.  You will need a location with an outlet and good ventilation.  His is against a wall between his kitchen and living area.  There is a reservoir where you add water and nutrients about once a week.  You just put seedlings or germinated seeds into the growing pods and set the timer for lights and pump cycles.  Just as in an outdoor garden, you harvest the produce regularly to keep plants producing and prevent overcrowding.

There are benefits to this way of gardening since it uses 90% less water than an “in-ground” garden.  My favorite part is that there is no weeding or pests to deal with, and it grows 30% faster than gardening in the soil.  The last time we were there, I harvested lettuce and cherry tomatoes, and they were just as tasty as those grown in an outdoor garden.

If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700.   Additional information, and our blog for access to past articles, is available at westtexasgardening.org.  Click on “Resources.”