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| Kumquat in sunroom |
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Winter doesn't mean you can't eat fresh, homegrown edibles, even if you don't have a greenhouse. There are many edibles that grow well indoors in a vase or pot. I have a few edibles I am growing indoors this winter; some that are standbys and some that are new adventures.
Citrus won't survive our winters outdoors. I like putting them outdoors as soon as a hard freeze risk is over in the spring and then bringing them back in in late fall for the winter. Right now, I have a kumquat tree, a lemon tree, a hardy Morton Citrange (a hybrid between sweet oranges and trifoliate orange, hardy to 0F), and a Meyer lemon tree.
My kumquat tree is loaded with fruits and stays fruiting almost year round. The lemon tree I grew from seed and has only fruited once. I likely need to fertilize it more during the winter. I have had the Morton Citrange for about 4 years. It can take 5-8 years to fruit and mine has not flowered yet. This variety is said to taste like grapefruit. I bought the Meyer lemon tree last year. Meyer lemon trees stay dwarf (6-10') and are a of a lemon tree and a mandarin orange tree. They typically start fruiting at 4 years old. Mine has not flowered yet. Meyer lemon trees can provide fruit year round.
The Morton Citrange and kumquat are in my "sunroom" which has windows on 3 sides. I have the Meyer lemon tree in a south facing window. The lemon tree is huge so it's in the basement with fluorescent grow lights and near the north facing windows.
I purchased the citrange as it is supposed to be hardy here in my zone. When we finish putting in our flower beds, I want to plant it close to a south facing brick wall to give it extra warmth and best chance of survival. It does have some huge thorns. I will remove the thorns in late winter, early spring when they are dormant to cause the least amount of stress to the tree. My kumquat is the only citrus I have without thorns.
I am growing 3 tomato plants indoors-one micro tomato called Orange Hat and two dwarf red Tumbling Tom tomato plants. I started the Orange Hat from seed in summer. I have been getting tiny gold tomatoes from it over the last couple of months. I was gifted the Tumbling Tom plants about a month ago. They have been flowering but no fruits yet.
I have 3 potted pepper plants indoors. One Jigsaw pepper plant that is very decorative with its lavender, white and green foliage. I started it from seed indoors this summer. I have gotten a few purple, hot peppers from it and it still has purple and white flowers. I have it in a south facing window in my sunroom. The other two peppers are Chiltepin hot pepper plants. They are an ancient wild pepper with tiny red fruits. The oldest plant I have had for 8 years. The youngest was a volunteer that started in my goji berry pot that I separated out this fall. It seems to be doing well. Both of these plants have peppers on them. I have one in a south facing window in my sunroom and the older one in the basement near a north facing window with fluorescent daylight bulbs providing 12 hours of light. This is where I overwintered it last year.
Before the first frost, I cut all the basil stems and made pesto. I saved a few ends to try and start in water. I have 5 that have grown roots, so about a 50% success rate. They have some health roots going now so I probably should transplant them, but they seem to be doing fine in a vase in the kitchen window which faces north.
My nunum basil produces volunteers all over the garden and they keep popping up each year. I had a few that volunteered in my pots of moringa and citrange trees. The basil is still growing indoors with the trees so I will have plenty of fresh basil for dishes this winter!
I have a Red Malabar spinach vine that is cohabiting in the same pot as my Lion's ear. Looks like it has flower buds on it. I hope it does flower as it is beautiful vine and a good spinach substitute. I have lots and lots of volunteers all over the garden this last summer. I don't think I will ever need to plant a new vine; just wait for the volunteers to come up and then plant them where I want them.
I brought in a small potted rosemary that I got this fall. It is still small but does have some new growth on it. I haven't had the best luck in overwintering rosemary, but "hope springs eternal" and I am trying it again this winter.
I had a volunteer New Zealand spinach plant show up in the garden in late summer. I dug it and potted it. I have it indoors now. It is a good spinach substitute. I have overwintered one before and it did decent.
My bay tree is in the basement. It is around 8' tall now. It has sprouts coming up around the trunk. I should dig them out and pot them. My mature tree would likely enjoy a bigger pot, too! It is doing quite well with new growth on it. Bay trees have been completely problem free to grow for me. Great to have it nearby and just run down and pick leaves any time it's needed.
The last edible I have inside is my dwarf moringa tree. The leaves are packed with protein so make a great addition to salads. It has lost all of its leaves, but I think it is just dormant. The trunk seems firm and of normal color. It did the same thing last year. It is normal for them to drop their leaves when the temperatures get below 70F. We keep it below 70F indoors in winter so I may not be harvesting any leaves until spring.
I am not currently growing sprouts, but they are a powerhouse of nutrition and a great way to get fresh produce in any abode even if you don't have windows with great light or grow lights.
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