This is the first post in a series pertaining to starting and maintaining an Indoor Container Farm. The goals for our farm, at least as far out into the future as we can see them, are to:
- Try to replace a large % of our fresh fruit and vegetables with locally grown (by us) options.
- Track:
- How much this reduces our food bills *will need to come up with a cost per lb on all local grown food, including fixed costs and labor costs
- Taste differences between store bought and our home grown options
- All Cost – including materials and water/electric cost
- Hours it takes to start the farm and then ongoing maintenance for 2 – 3 years so total time commitment (initial and recurring) can be estimated
- If the initial list of plants below turns out to be fun then we will move on to the Restaurant Plants List to see if we can convert the garden into a profitable money maker that would allow a potential basement gardener to earn income from a hobby
- If this idea turns out to be more affordable & better tasting then outline how someone could get started and try to promote the idea. If a large % of the US was able to grow their own produce locally it greatly removes the need to ship produce all of the world, cutting down on carbon emissions and allowing for a more sustainable food model that is not controlled by only a handful of very large corporations.
Initial List:
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Heirloom carrots
- Jalapenos
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Ruby Read
- Romaine
- Spinach
- Onions
- Note** instead of wilsons orchard first buy from (https://www.starkbros.com/) if they have the plant.
- Blueberries: https://www.willisorchards.com/category/blueberry-plants#.X1bz2VVKiUk
- Gogi Berries: https://www.willisorchards.com/product/goji-berry-plant#.X1b0n1VKiUk
- Elderberries: https://www.willisorchards.com/product/american-elderberry#.X1b0o1VKiUk
- Raspberries: https://www.willisorchards.com/category/raspberry-plants#.X1b0p1VKiUk
- Strawberries: https://www.willisorchards.com/category/strawberry-plants#.X1b0p1VKiUk
- Dwarf
- Apple tree
- Lemon tree
- Lime tree
- Avocado tree
- Banana tree
- Mulberry tree
Restaurant List:
- Microgreens
- Basil
- Mushrooms
- Mint
- Bay Leaves