Indoor Gardening – Cool Season

The Constant Cool Season

It could be the middle of August with my A/C whirring non-stop or a frigid February with a foot of snow on the ground – either way, my basement feels like a meat locker. After countless HVAC tune-ups and even entirely new air conditioning and heating units, I’m just resolved to the fact that my basement is going to be cold all the time. Of course, that still doesn’t stop me from performing my semi-annual ritual of opening and closing vents around the house, in a pattern that makes sense only to me, while I mumble, “warm air rises…it rises...”

My futile attempts at redirecting airflow aside, the greatest benefit of my surrender to the inevitably cold basement, was that it forced me to rethink how to use it for indoor gardening. I didn’t want to run up my electrical bill trying to raise the temperature with space heaters or high intensity discharge lighting, which left me with one obvious choice – grow cool-season crops.

The beauty of a basement that stays cool all year-round is that you can grow some of your favorite edible plants that wouldn’t otherwise survive the coldest parts of winter or that would bolt during the warmest parts of summer.

Carrots are a prime example of a cool-season crop that’s perfectly suited for a nice chilly unfinished basement. You can grow them indoors to supplement your outdoor harvests, or you can take full advantage of having complete control over the environment and setup a perpetual harvest cycle, providing a constant supply of sweet, fresh carrots.

Grab a pack of seeds from your favorite variety – I like Little Fingers or Danvers Half Longs – and let’s get growing. Carrots are actually herbs with edible roots. In nature, carrot seeds tend to sprout in early spring. They then go through a period of leafy, vegetative growth, accompanied by significant root development, creating the tender, juicy vegetables we enjoy. Once summer arrives, longer days and higher temperatures induce the plants to bolt and flower aboveground. When this occurs, roots also become fibrous, reducing their culinary appeal. And this is what makes a cool basement prime real estate for growing carrots! You can

maintain late-spring temperatures and short days even when it’s sweltering outside.

LEDs, high-output T5 fluorescents or CFL bulbs, placed within 6” to 12” of the foliage are ideal for giving your carrots the bright, direct light they need to thrive without emitting too much heat. To prevent the plants from bolting, run your lights for no more than 10 to 12 hours each day.

Try to maintain daytime temperatures between 60°F and 75°F. Nighttime temperatures can go as low as 45°F, but even if they stay in the low 60’s, the plants should be fine.

You’ll need one or more containers that are at least 12” deep with enough space to have a 2” radius around each carrot’s center, giving them sufficient room to develop. Fill the container(s) with a loose, nutrient-rich soil that drains well. Try to avoid anything that’s

too compacted or contains large rocks or pebbles, as these will impact the proper development of your carrot roots.

Seed directly into the containers around ¼” deep. Don’t worry about seeding too heavily. Once sprouts emerge, thin them out by removing all but one every 2” to 3”. If you’re hoping to have fresh carrots ready every few weeks and are using a large individual container such as an EarthBox or 20-gallon pot, consider measuring out equal sections and planting in tranches, spaced a few weeks apart. This will allow you to create your own “perpetual harvest.”

Watering should be performed regularly to keep the soil consistently moist, but be careful not to overwater, as carrot roots will rot if the soil is too soggy.

Generally, you can follow the guidelines for “number of days to harvest” that are provided with

your seeds. An easy visual indicator that they’re ready to harvest, though, is when you can see the colorful “shoulders” of the carrots protruding about a half inch above the soil.

If you like the idea of growing cool season crops indoors, here are a few others to try: Arugula, Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chard, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onions, Parsnips, Radishes and Spinach.

Carrots are a prime example of a cool-season crop perfectly suited for a chilly unfinished basement.

JASON MISPAGEL Indoor Gardener

Jason Mispagel is the co-owner and operator of Year-Round Garden, a grower’s supply center serving both home and commercial customers since 2016. To contact Jason, call 816-216-6917 or jason@year-roundgarden.com.