Planting Beans Indoors

So three weeks ago I decided to plant beans indoors in my basement.  I used my seed starting stand for the heat and light it gives.  I used a flower tray to plant a single row of green beans.  The variety is Blue Lake 274 and they have done well so far.

I started with a well rounded plant medium from Lowes.  An all purpose plant soil for flowers or vegetables which is pictured to the left.  I planted 6 beans seeds spaced about 6 inches apart in the tray and gave them plenty of water.  About a week later, they sprouted and have continued to grow nicely.  I'm waiting until they grow large enough to see if they will fruit some beans.  If so, I plan on blocking off a room in my basement and filling it with dirt.  Then planting an indoor garden in my basement.  Should be fun!

So this post is for all of those who get the itch this time of year as I do.  You can plant vegetables inside whether be as I did or a single tomato in a pot.  It is possible. 

How to choose what to grow in your garden

Many of you may be wondering how to choose what to grow in your garden this year.  I'm here to help.  There are many factors on determining what to grow.  First, is what do you like?  I would suggest staying away from things you wouldn't eat, you are just wasting your time.  Second is size.  How big is your garden?  Do you have unlimited room or are you using a small 8 foot by 8 foot square?
If you have unlimited space, I suggest you plant first the vegetables you enjoy to eat and second some you might want to try and experiment with.  Different varieties or different crops all together.  The choice is yours.  You could also get into the berry business.  This is much easier than you might believe.  I have planted in my back yard, 3 rows of strawberries, 1 row of raspberries and a row of blueberries.  These are so fun to take care of and it sure beats paying 4 dollars a quart for strawberries at the supermarket.

Those of you with limited space, wondering how to choose what to grow in your garden, I suggest you do the following.  You should not plant any vine crops.  these tend to travel and suffocate other crops in small quarters.  The only vine crop I would allow are cucumbers only becasue you can put them on the side and trellis them with netting to keep from the other crops.  Some other plantings I might suggest would be beans, any root crop such as radishes, carrots, and beets, any lettuce, onions, peppers and tomatoes, and summer squash if you like it.  This would give you a well rounded supply of vegetables throughout the summer and fall.

That is my advice for now.  Check out my 2011 seed list for what I will be planting and feel free to take my ideas.  When the time comes, I will post a picture of my garden plan as to where I intend to put the different crops this year.  Enjoy the winter and stay warm!