Bring the basil, rosemary, lemongrass, tomatoes, peppers, and even dwarf citrus trees indoors for a winter bounty and a head start on next season.
Looking over the garden as the days get shorter and the first frost moves closer signals the end of the growing season for those without a greenhouse—or does it?
The Big Move
Choose the healthiest, most robust plants to bring indoors, and plan to bring them in before the first frost. If it’s growing in a container, just bring it indoors when ready. If not, dig up the plant carefully, making sure to take a nice root ball. Shake off some of the garden soil, fill a container with potting mix, and place the plant at the same level at which it was growing in the garden.Why potting mix? Garden soil is heavy and can suffocate container plants. This is also a good time to give the plant a “haircut,” trimming it for bushier growth or to remove sections damaged while transplanting. Inspect the plant for bugs, and treat accordingly. Even if everything looks good, it’s a good idea to give the soil a pest-removing soak as well by applying 3 tablespoons of soap to one gallon of water. Soak the plant for 15 minutes, spraying the leaves at the same time. Rinse well.
While bushy plants such as peppers can be transplanted full grown, tomatoes don’t do as well. Instead, take a cutting—or a few, in case they all don’t make it—from a sturdy 6-inch or longer sucker (a shoot growing between the main stem and a branch). Cut it just below a node (where the leaf joins the stem) and put it in water. Rooting hormone will speed the process but isn’t a requirement. Set it in a bright area but out of direct sunlight. Once it starts to get roots, transplant it into a container filled with potting mix.
Climate Control
Once the garden plants move indoors, they’re exactly that—indoor plants—and should be treated accordingly. Lessen watering. Touch the top of the soil; if it’s dry, it’s time to water. Don’t fertilize until (if/when) they show new growth, and then apply a light amount of fertilizer monthly. Most houses are too dry for the average plant; one easy solution is to set the pots in a shallow tray filled with water and pebbles to increase humidity.
Harvest Versus Stasis
In addition to growing herbs on a windowsill, dwarf tomatoes and compact peppers, as well as radishes, carrots, scallions, and mushrooms can all be grown successfully indoors during winter, providing a small yet delicious harvest. Ginger can be grown, too, although it needs a lot of humidity, so keep the spray bottle handy. Certain types of lettuce, such as Tom Thumb, baby oakleaf, black-seeded Simpson, Swiss chard, spinach, and kale will also thrive in a pot placed in direct sunlight and kept at a comfortable 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Overwintering citrus trees has a long and grand history.For many gardeners and plants alike, the shorter days, reduced sunlight, and cooler temperatures are the cues to kick back and hibernate until spring. The solution is to keep fruits, vegetable plants, as well as perennial flowers, etc., in stasis—where they’re alive and well but not doing much active growing. This is easily accomplished if one has an unheated garage, with temperatures between 45 and 60 degrees (or 35 to 45 degrees for bare-rooted geraniums). While the plants are dormant, ambient winter light should be enough for most, or better yet, place them under a grow light on a timer set to a shortened day. Now kick back and enjoy the fun of flipping through next year’s garden catalogs.
