Grow Your Own Plants

Growing your own plants is a wonderful experience for so many reasons. One of the real wonders of gardening is actually ‘creating’ (propagating) your own plants. Whether you are planting tomato seeds or dividing clumps of mint, you can easily grow your own food from scratch.

The major forms of plant propagation that you might use in your edible garden include:

• Growing from seed
• Growing from cuttings
• Dividing plants
• Growing from runners.

Try a variety of methods, and above all, have fun.

Why Grow Your Own Vegetables and Herbs?

The benefits of growing your own food reach from your refrigerator to your waistline and beyond.

People who have never gardened or those who haven’t in a while are now growing vegetables and herbs for fun, health, and economy.

1. Garden for freshness and flavor. Most store-bought vegetables can’t match the flavor of homegrown. Vine-ripened tomatoes have fuller flavor, especially varieties for home gardens (not shipping types). Squash is without scratches. Leaf lettuce is perfectly crisp. Basil is fresh and aromatic. The list goes on.
2. Save on your grocery bill.With so much good produce, you’ll make fewer trips to the grocery store. It’s not just a savings on what you grow, but it’s also what you don’t buy that helps you save. Saves gas, too.
3. Minimize pesticide exposure. You can grow your own organic produce.
4. Avoid tainted produce.When veggies are from your own garden, you can rest easy about recalls of tainted produce.
5. Garden for exercise.Gardening incorporates many important elements of accepted exercise regimes, such as stretching and stance, repetition and movement, and even resistance principles similar to those in weight training. In general, gardening burns about 200 calories an hour!
6. For your health.A diet rich in vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and may protect against certain cancers. Eating vegetables that are low in calories instead of other higher-calorie food helps cut total calories, too.
7. It’s social.You’ll have a bounty to share with friends and neighbors. You may also have a chance to introduce a person to how food plants grow.

How to Grow Your Own Plant

Step 1

Select a plant that is compatible with your life, advises the website Guide to Carefree Houseplants. Pick a succulent or other drought-tolerant plant if you aren’t around to water your plant regularly. Choose a dracaena or ficus to clean air pollutants from your indoor environment. Whatever the selection, make sure the plant fits your needs and your schedule.

Step 2

Select a planting container for your plant. Choose a container that is about 2 to 3 inches wider and deeper than the spread of your plant’s root system. Make sure that the container is well-drained. Choose a container with several drainage holes over a container with one central hole to promote a more even flow of the excess water.

Step 3

Remove your plant from its current container and gently remove the excess soil from its root system. Inspect the roots closely for signs of wilt or damage. Use sharp, sterile scissors to remove any dead or dying roots.

Step 4

Line the bottom third of your planting container with a layer of clean, nutrient-rich soil. Place your plant in the center of the container and fill the container with soil. Press the soil firmly around your plant to secure its position. Make sure no roots are showing from the surface.

Step 5

Irrigate your plant according to its needs, as recommended by the Purdue University Cooperative Extension. Always irrigate your plant deeply until the water flows evenly from the bottom of the container. Allow drought-tolerant plants, such as ficus and succulents, to dry out slightly in between irrigations. Provide drought intolerant plants with regular irrigations to maintain a moist soil environment.

Step 6

Place your plant in a warm, sunny location. Choose a location that receives about six hours of full to partially shaded sunlight each day, as recommended by The University of Georgia. Adjust the sunlight selection according to your plant’s needs, because some plants demand more sunlight than others.

Step 7

Feed your plant in the spring, just before the growing season begins. Select a fertilizer according to the needs of the plant. Feed all plants at least once each year. Apply additional feedings according to the plant’s needs. Avoid overfertilizing to prevent root burn and potential injury.

Step 8

Inspect your plant regularly for signs of adverse health. Look for signs of insect infestation such as spider webs, spider mites and nibbled foliage. Treat infested plants with an insecticide spray and follow the instructions carefully.

Plants That Are Easy To Grow Indoors

The best way to ensure that you are eating the healthiest, delicious, and inexpensive food is to grow it yourself. You might think that growing your own fruits and veggies will be difficult and time-consuming, but there are so many delicious foods that you can grow in your house!

• CARROTS

Carrots are one of the easiest vegetables to grow indoors because keeping a steady level of moisture in the soil is easier to maintain. There are many varieties of carrots that may be grown indoors that cannot be found in produce sections of local markets. All it takes is a 12-inch pot, soil, and a sunny window, and anyone will be well on the way to harvesting beautifully delicious carrots.

• GREEN BEANS

Green beans taste so much better when they are fresh rather than canned. And good news! You can grow your very own green beans at home. Just put them in a sunny window with moist soil. Green beans grow quickly so make sure you give them little sticks for stability and support.

• BEETS

Beets are not only a colorful addition to your plate, they are also nutritionally heavy in vitamins and minerals. Easy to grow, beets are the perfect vegetable to grow for a beginning gardener as the plants are tolerant of many different growing environments.

References:
http://www.minq.com/food/4177/20-edible-plants-that-are-easy-to-grow-indoors#page=1
http://www.bonnieplants.com/library/why-grow-your-own-vegetables-and-herbs/
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/gardening-propagating-your-own-plants
http://www.gardenguides.com/114592-grow-own-plant.html