Where to start with veg, herbs or flowers?

Hi all,

I'm wondering if anyone can advise me on this...

I've had a grow room for a few years now so have quite a bit of experience growing things to smoke (or vape) rather than to eat, reasonably successfully with a couple of hard-learn lessons! However, I'd like to try growing either veg, herbs flowers or even something such as bonsais, but don't know much about any of these and don't really know where to start! Most websites and seed packets seem to give the month to sow, but I'm assuming (possibly naively), that I can add some of these to the current set up, either in the same systems I'm already using, or maybe just to the side in the same room so to grow them at any time of year.

I've currently got a full room set up with two of the new Wilma 8 Pot XLs and 4x 600W lights. There's still a little bit of spare floor space to one side where I could fit a couple of extra pots in addition to the Wilmas. There's also quite a bit of height to the room too, so maybe even something on a wall shelf? I have two oxy-pots that are not currently in use too. So, my questions really are as follows:

1. What to grow. Can anyone advise me on what might work well in the same room as my current grow?
2. Reference websites. Can anyone direct me to any useful sites where I could find out about how long each veg/herb/flower strain would take to grow/mature in an indoor grow room and or any useful guides?
3. Lighting periods. Can veg/herbs/flowers be grown using the same or similar lighting periods as I'm already using? A few weeks or 18 hours and then usually around 9 weeks of 12 hour lighting?
4. Systems. Would I be best always keeping strains separate or would it be safe to add something in to one of the spare pots in the Wilma systems? One of the clones I transplanted in to the Wilma's a few weeks back hasn't taken so I've got a pot spare and I've only just flipped to 12 hour lighting. If I should use a separate system, would be be best for things such as say herbs? I can't imagine basil or chives growing in a Wilma, or am I wrong? I'm expecting soil could be the better option?
5. seeds/cuttings. Is it always best to start from seed or is there something I could try by cloning each time (which I've done plenty of in the past).
6. Personal preferences. Ideally, and I hope this doesn't sound ridiculous, but I'd like to grow some lettuce, peppers, courgettes, a variety of herbs and then only flowers if they are easy. With all of the moving about that goes on in there every three months, I wouldn't be interested in growing anything that takes longer than this; the faster the better really.

I've spoken to the local hydroponics shops about all of this and they haven't a clue. Unless the words 'indica', 'sativa' or 'smoke' are used in a question, they don't seem to be able to have any advice!

Thanks in advance!

Pretty sure tomatoes are autoflowering plants, but most herbs are annuals just like canna, and almost all the herbs and veges you'll get at a hardware store require almost exactly the same conditions as cannabis to grow well. I'd say steer away feom carrots but only cos I can't get em to a decent size in my garden, and brocilli/cauliflower are bug magnets.

Look into annuals and plant them the same time as you plant your canna: they start in spring with vege, then flower in winter - well some do, half the general garden herbs are autos like tomatoes: Basil does this too, just flowers when it's old enough, and there's no stopping em once they do.

You can grow anything really - you have a simulated outsoor grow environment. Just a question of what is worth the floor-space, to you.

try some radishes. ^^^dribbles said it. you can grown most anything. herbs are great. for height think about beans or peas or cherry tomatoes. as to other websites, you don't need em as much as you think. there are many pro gardeners here who will help.

I'm a big fan of culinary herbs and lettuce-like veges, because these kinds of plants can be plucked continuously: There's no waiting for fruit to set/../ripen, which means they're perfect for just stuffing in whatever I'm eating at the time: sandwiches, pasta, soup, whatever.

I've just switched to organic, and got the worm-piss spray, castings, kelp, compost and a commercial AACTea, and am pretty excited about four Yellow Pear tomatoes that're just getting out of seedling stage now. For the first time this year, I've gone and bought them four massive pots - one each, so they'll have more than enough room to reach full size, and with all natural feeding etc I'm pretty keen to see how they go

Also, though it's not the same since you'll be growing indoors in a controlled environment, it took me the last few years to figure out what grows well where I am, and that's probably the most important thing I've learnt: not to flog a dead horse. Like I said carrots don't like it in my yard, so zi've just stopped bothering. Potatoes, basil, parsley, strawberries, tomatoes all grow well for me, so that's where I'm putting my eggs - so to speak.

AND, I got this the other day - lets me spray the entire garden in one go with worm piss and castings run-off, molasses, and kelp without having to run back to thr bucket or tap to refill every few plants. Good stuff!

If you like spicy food you might try hot peppers, they are very similar in their nutrient requirements and are photo period plants. With a grow room you can grow any of the most exotic/hard to grow peppers like Trinidad Scorpion, Bhut Jolokia, Peri Peri, etc.

You could also grow some plants that help as bug repellant like garlic and rosemary. Obviously, just be careful to make sure there are no bugs on the plants when you introduce them, or best bet is to start them from seed.

Cascadian said:

If you like spicy food you might try hot peppers, they are very similar in their nutrient requirements and are photo period plants. With a grow room you can grow any of the most exotic/hard to grow peppers like Trinidad Scorpion, Bhut Jolokia, Peri Peri, etc.

You could also grow some plants that help as bug repellant like garlic and rosemary. Obviously, just be careful to make sure there are no bugs on the plants when you introduce them, or best bet is to start them from seed.

Click to expand...

I've been buyin' Chilli plants for years and they're almost always flowering at the nursery when I buy em as 6" seedlings. They go on to produce Chillies pretty much continuously from purchase until death, which seems to occur most often due to neglect on my part, since I don't use mich chilli so tend to ignore them for the most part, but anyway I don't think they're photo-period flowering.

Soil
Vegetable / pH

Artichoke 6.5 – 7.5
Asparagus 6.0 – 8.0
Beans 6.1 – 7.5
Beet Root 6.0 – 7.5
Broccoli 6.0 – 7.0
Brussel Sprouts 6.0 – 7.5
Cabbage 6.0 – 7.5
Carrot 5.5 – 7.0
Cauliflower 5.5 – 7.5
Celery 6.0 – 7.0
Chicory 5.0 – 6.5
Corn 5.5 – 7.0
Cress 6.0 – 7.0
Cucumber 5.5 – 7.5
Garlic 5.5 – 7.5
Horseradish 6.0 – 7.0
Kale 6.0 – 7.5
Kohlrabi 6.0 – 7.5
Leek 6.0 – 8.0
Lentil 5.5 – 7.0
Lettuce 6.1 – 7.0
Mushroom 6.5 – 7.5
Mustard 6.0 – 7.5
Onion 6.0 – 7.0
Parsnip 5.5 – 7.5
Pea 6.0 – 7.5
Peanut 5.0 – 6.5
Pepper 5.5 – 7.0
Potato 4.5 – 6.0
Pumpkin 5.5 – 7.5
Radish 6.0 – 7.0
Rhubarb 5.5 – 7.0
Sweet Potato 5.5 – 6.0
Shallot 5.5 – 7.0
Soybean 5.5 – 6.5
Spinach 6.0 – 7.5
Tomato 5.5 – 7.5
Turnip 5.5 – 7.0
Water Cress 5.0 – 8.0
Watermelon 5.5 – 6.5





Hydroponics


Vegetable / pH / PPM

Artichoke 6.5-7.5 560-1260
Asparagus 6.0-6.8 980-1260
Bean 6.0 1400-2800
Beetroot 6.0-6.5 1260-3500
Broad Bean 6.0-6.5 1260-1540
Broccoli 6.0-6.8 1960-2450
Brussell Sprout 6.5 1750-2100
Cabbage 6.5-7.0 1750-2100
Capsicum 6.0-6.5 1260-1540
Carrots 6.3 1120-1400
Cauliflower 6.5-7.0 1050-1400
Celery 6.5 1260-1680
Cucumber 5.5 1190-1750
Eggplant 6.0 1750-2450
Endive 5.5 1400-1680
Fodder 6.0 1260-1400
Garlic 6.0 980-1260
Leek 6.5-7.0 980-1260
Lettuce 6.0-7.0 560-840
Marrow 6.0 1260-1680
Okra 6.5 1400-1680
Onions 6.0-6.7 980-1260
Pak-choi 7.0 1050-1400
Parsnip 6.0 980-1260
Pea 6.0-7.0 980-1260
Pepino 6.0-6.5 1400-3500
Peppers 5.8-6.3 800-1600
Potato 5.0-6.0 1400-1750
Pumpkin 5.5-7.5 1260-1680
Radish 6.0-7.0 840-1540
Spinach 6.0-7.0 1260-1610
Silverbeet 6.0-7.0 1260-1610
Sweet Corn 6.0 840-1680
Sweet Potato 5.5-6.0 1400-1750
Taro 5.0-5.5 1750-2100
Tomato 6.0-6.5 1400-3500
Turnip 6.0-6.5 1260-1680
Zucchini 6.0 1260-1680

Dribbles, you are correct peppers are a "day neutral" plant. I think I got confused because I always grow them outdoors and they are always ready around end of October. Just the cold climate/short growing season.

Lettuce and most herbs are best growing with your vegging plants.

Guys,

Thanks a million for all of the advice. I've only just had chance to log on again and all of this info looks really useful.

It's great news that herbs are a good option. I'll definitely be trying a few of those along with some kind of lettuce.

I'll take your advice and not even try carrots. Does anyone know of a good UK source for seeds or are they all pretty much similar?

Make sure you only purchase Heirloom seeds: Yates and other commercial seed manufacturers genetically engineer their shit, and the only way to get natural seeds (which in turn guarantee you can save seeds from your own plant(s) is to buy certified heirloom.