Growing crops at home

[Grower]

It's nice to get away from all the digital stuff and create a green space for yourself when you're living in an urban area. Plants became a trend, especially during this pandemic. I want to take it to a practical level by growing crops in my home. I heard salad greens are easy to grow, are there seeds I can mix up in the same pot?

 

[Holii]

Hmmm I'm not sure that I would try to mix seeds in one pot. I would keep them all separate. If you are only doing greens you can mix them once you harvest them.

 

[OhSusanna]

You probably shouldn't mix them. Most of the time when you see images of large pots with a mix of greens, it's a bit of an illusion. Usually there are smaller pots within that large one, so the plants' root systems really aren't sharing one space. It all gets hidden by rocks, moss, or foliage so you don't see the individual pots.

 

[Petal to the Metal]

We're talking about a low-cost investment here and the OP is simply looking to grow some salad greens for personal use, so I say go for it. I'd probably start with one of those long containers made by Rubbermaid or Sterilite rather than a pot, just to give them more space. These plants are typically shallow-rooted crops, so you need something wide and long rather than deep. You could probably get away with mixing different varieties of kale, mizuna, baby spinach, arugula, and similar plants.

 

[Ecohugger]

It's advisable to put one to three seedlings of the same type of crop in a single pot to assure their growth. Although, I'm not sure how it would work for different kinds of seeds. Just make sure to avoid overcrowding the pot and consider the size of the seedlings you will mix with the salad greens.

 

[jjp8182]

As long as an appropriate spacing between plants is maintain, and they are getting sufficient nutrients and sunlight where they are being grown won't matter much*

*growing in containers can result in increased soil temperatures (especially if the container is outside),which can affect the germination rates (either positively or negatively depending on the type of plant and the soil temp). After germination the ambient temperature can also affect grow, but unless it's far beyond what the plant can handle it will continue to grow.

For comparison the temperature for best germination rates of lettuce tends to be below 70°F (Allstar Gourmet Lettuce Mix - Lettuce Seeds | Johnny's Selected Seeds) where as kale typically germinates better when the soil temps are above 85°F (Kalebration - Kale Seed Mix for Baby Kale | Johnny's Selected Seeds).

Window box planters (Window Boxes - Planters - The Home Depot) can work well as they tend to be relatively shallow, but still provide a fair amount of area for planting. .....which is one of the reasons why my wife and I are using them along with raised beds, and nursery containers in addition to an in-ground garden this year.

 

[Thyme Flies By]

It's nice to get away from all the digital stuff and create a green space for yourself when you're living in an urban area. Plants became a trend, especially during this pandemic. I want to take it to a practical level by growing crops in my home. I heard salad greens are easy to grow, are there seeds I can mix up in the same pot?

That method of growing is especially popular with lovers of microgreens. It's also a popular way to grow herbs. Just pick three or four plants that have the same growing conditions. You could get one of those AeroGardens if you're looking for a quick, easy way to jump in. It does all the thinking for you. It's expensive though, and many growers like the challenge of starting from seed and actually being more hands-on. In my opinion, messing about with plants is great for stress relief!