Convert your living room into a vegetable garden? No problem! Carolin Engwert has the most important tips ready in the interview.
Gardening has mutated into a trend during the corona-related lockdown. If you don't have your own garden or balcony, you don't have to do without growing your own vegetables and herbs. Carolin Engwert, passionate allotment gardener and author of "Indoor Harvest: It is easy too!" (Kosmos Verlag), reveals in an interview with the news agency spot on news how the living room at home can be transformed into a garden – tips for beginners included.
Garden is and will remain in trend, especially in lockdown. How did you come up with the idea of integrating plants and the like into your living room?
Carolin Engwert: In the context of sustainability, vegan nutrition or DIY projects, the aim should also be to get people to garden who have little space or who do not have a balcony or garden. I was interested in the topic because I like to try new things and wanted to know whether my green passion only works on my plot or whether it also has potential for home.
Which plants are suitable for growing in an apartment?
Engwert: Anything that is robust, grows quickly and needs little light is suitable. These are basic requirements for success. All leaf salads or leafy vegetables such as pak choi or chard are suitable for indoor harvest. My secret star is the sweet potato, because even the leaves are edible and delicious.
So much for the joy of harvest, where is more of the harvest frustration?
Engwert: Plants that need a lot of sun usually fail at home, at least if you don't want to upgrade the kitchen with complex technology. These are, for example, eggplants and peppers. Plants that require a lot of space also have problems on window sills. I am thinking of zucchini or pumpkin. With fruit vegetables that are pollinated by bees in the garden, you have to help out in the apartment. By gently shaking or manually dusting with a cotton swab. In principle, however, I would first start with small steps, also in order to give the curiosity even more opportunities with success.
What would your tip be?
Engwert: I would start with sprouts or microgreens, because you get a quick harvest and they comfort you during the waiting time until the first salad.
How should one proceed with the selection and the cultivation?
Engwert: It is important to create good conditions. That means: I have to give my plants what they need, i.e. light, water and nutrients. The warmer it is, the faster they grow. But then they also need more light so that photosynthesis works well and they become strong and resilient. Here you can support with artificial light in the form of LED plant lamps. The darker the location, the cooler, but frost-free, the seedlings should be. However, they then also grow more slowly.
The look naturally plays an important role in the home. Is that compatible with the cultivation?
Engwert: Definitely! For example, leaf salads don't just have to be green. There are numerous varieties, so the colors are as different as the leaf shapes. I find small lemon trees particularly appealing. They look great and also smell when they are in bloom. This is pure sensuality and like a short vacation in Sicily. The look also affects the accessories. As is well known, there is nothing that doesn't exist, but you can add great design accents with watering cans, plant lamps or pots.
Let's talk about grooming. What do you have to pay attention to?
Engwert: The care varies a lot from plant to plant. That's why my most important tip for the garden room is: exercise patience. In the garden, on the terrace or on the balcony there is always a lot going on at the same time, so the individual plants are not so noticeable. However, if the plants are in the room every morning, noon, and evening, one tends to become impatient.
In addition to light and water, doesn't the climate in living spaces also play an important role?
Engwert: The same applies to the answer as before. It depends on the culture and the time of year I start. Many radiators are under the window sill. That is why it is unfortunately often too warm and, above all, too dry during the heating season where there is light. But there are simple ways to create a better microclimate with self-built or bought mini greenhouses.
An indoor harvest doesn't necessarily have to take place in the kitchen. Have you had any experiences in bathrooms or bedrooms yourself?
Engwert: Rooms where you also remember to water the plants regularly and where there is a bright corner without heating are always good for indoor harvesting. For me, with all the experiments and later experiences, the kitchen was ideal because you can, so to speak, harvest directly on the plate.
What about pests in the indoor harvest?
Engwert: Wherever something lives, there are many living beings. It is indeed true and an apartment or kitchen does not stop pests. But to be completely honest: it is manageable indoors. I first put all new plants in quarantine for ten to fourteen days in a separate room and only when it is clear that there are no stowaways on board do they come to the other plants. There are occasional spider mites, aphids, and fungus gnats in the room. However, many can simply be rinsed off, others can be caught with yellow boards or avoided by spraying with water.
The bottom line is that what are the big advantages of indoor harvesting?
Engwert: The appreciation. Because if you grow something yourself, you throw away less because there is simply effort put into lettuce, vegetables and co. Another advantage is the freshness. It doesn't get any fresher than harvesting and preparing the salad in the kitchen. You can also grow sprouts yourself quickly and easily, which also has the advantage that it is significantly cheaper than buying them in health food stores. I noticed how curious my children were because cultivation and harvest also show what is possible. And then I see another advantage in trying it out: There is more than just the supermarket standard. My favorite vegetable is the Asian water spinach. You discover your own diet and learn a lot about the difference between food and food.