Gone Gardenin’: While away the winter hours in your light garden

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/11/2011 (5456 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The outdoor gardening season has been over for quite some time, and while there are some gardeners who are thankful for the respite from gardening chores, there are others who cannot wait for spring to come so that they can resume getting their fingers in the dirt. I am part of the latter group and cannot imagine not gardening for six months of the year.

I enjoy my winter garden just as much as I do my outdoor garden and I am fortunate to have the space and facilities to garden indoors as much as I do. Although I do winter many plants in my all-season sunroom, it is in my light garden in the basement furnace room where I do much of my actual gardening during the winter.

The sunroom is used mainly for wintering over plants from my outdoor garden. My light garden is where I actually plant seeds, pot up slips, root cuttings, and generally get involved in “active” gardening.

Anyone who has a spare room in the house or a space in the basement can easily establish a light garden. The space does not have to be large and in fact a basement space might be a better choice simply because a bit of dirt and some dust may not be as much of an issue as it would be upstairs in the main living area of the home.

After determining where it is to be located, you must decide on a surface for plants to sit. A table will work, as will shelves of some kind. The size of the surface will be determined by the size of the light fixtures to be used. New florescent fixtures can be purchased, but inexpensive used ones are also available at locations which sell such material, such as the Re-Store in Brandon.

Generally, florescent fixtures are four feet in length and each fixture contains two florescent tubes. The fixtures can be suspended over the table or shelves and it is best if the fixtures can be raised and lowered to accommodate various plants — I use lengths of chain to hang my fixtures from the floor joists in the basement ceiling so that they are completely adjustable.

I sometimes use florescent tubes specifically designed for light gardens. These tubes have the wide light spectrum that plants demand, but they are relatively expensive. I often use a cool white and a warm white tube in each fixture instead, and most plants seem to thrive under this combination of light.

Lack of air circulation can be a problem in a light garden; poor air circulation can lead to disease problems and encourage weak plant growth. A small fan running on a slow speed will easily remedy such a problem.

My light garden, located in the furnace room as it is, is rather warm so I grow plants that appreciate warm temperatures — those that prefer cooler temperatures are located in the sunroom which during the winter months, is quite cool. I also place saucers full of water here and there in the light garden to increase the humidity, as the air in the furnace room tends to be dry.

A small space heater might be used to increase the temperature if the location you choose is too cool to grow the plants you wish to grow. Sometimes you might not be able to grow all the plants you want because there will be those plants that will not thrive in the environment of your particular light garden.

A light garden will be a lot more serviceable if there are cupboards in which to keep all of the necessities like pots, saucers, fertilizers, pesticides, soil, and the myriad other things that you will want at your fingertips as you putter in your indoor garden. If you have the space, you might even have large bins for things like soil and containers.

A source of water is crucial; I carry four-litre milk jugs of water from an adjoining laundry room, which has a tap for un-softened water. I let the jugs of water sit in the light garden so that when I wish to use the water it has warmed to room temperature.

If you are an avid gardener like me who really misses actively gardening during the winter, give serious thought to setting up some kind of a light garden. If you get half as much pleasure out of it as I do out of mine, it will be well worthwhile.

Next week I will discuss some of the things you can grow in a light garden.

Albert Parsons is a consultant for garden design and landscaping who lives in Minnedosa.

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