How to Choose Suitable Vegetable Varieties for Household Indoor Soilless Growing

AbstractVegetables suitable for household indoor soilless growing include: baby bok choy, small rapeseed greens, water spinach, lettuce, celery, cilantro, etc. Unused plastic boxes can be used as growing pots, then washed ceramic pebbles and perlite are spread on top; the seeds need to be soaked in warm water at about 32°C for about 6 hours, then a hole is dug for sowing. After the seedlings emerge, diluted nutrient solution should be poured every day, and later thinning of seedlings and an appropriate amount of watering should be carried out.

Vegetables Suitable for Household Indoor Soilless Growing

Fruit and vegetable types suitable for indoor soilless growing include: strawberry, tomato, cucumber, bitter melon, cherry, radish, etc. Leafy vegetable types include: baby bok choy, small rapeseed greens, water spinach, lettuce, celery, cilantro, etc. The maturity cycles of these vegetables differ: fruit and vegetable types take between 3-5 months, while leafy vegetable types take between 2-3 months. Fruit vegetable types need temperatures of around 10-25°C and require sufficient light all day, while leafy vegetable types generally have relatively lower requirements, so they are suitable for household indoor growing.

Preparing Growing Pots

Unused plastic flower pots and foam plastic boxes can be used as growing pots, but they need to have holes in the bottom and a tray; note that clay pots are not suitable. Then put in 1 jin of ceramic pebbles and about 1.5 kg of perlite, which can generally be purchased at building materials stores, or peat, vermiculite, and rock wool can also be used. Then concentrated nutrient solution is divided into No. 1 and No. 2 types, which need to be diluted before use.

Raising Seedlings

Choose high-quality, good seeds, soak the seeds in warm water at 32°C for about 6 hours, then soak the ceramic pebbles and perlite in clean water and set aside for use. Then fill a plastic cup with the soaked substrate, dig a hole, plant 2 seeds per hole for fruit and vegetable types, and for leafy vegetable types dig a small furrow and scatter the seeds along the furrow, then cover with substrate and press gently, then cover with plastic film and wait for the seedlings to emerge.

Later Management

After the seedlings emerge, pour diluted nutrient solution 1-2 times every day, pouring until liquid seeps into the tray. When the seedlings grow 2 leaves, thinning should be carried out, on average leaving only one seedling per hole, and excess seedlings can be pulled out.

Later, when the seedlings grow to about 4 true leaves, the seedlings should be repotted. Generally, first spread a layer of soaked ceramic pebbles on the bottom of the pot to facilitate drainage, then spread some perlite, then transplant the seedlings together with the substrate into the larger pot, and spread a layer of ceramic pebbles on the perlite. After transplanting, pour liquid for the seedlings; the first time it should be fully saturated, with water seeping out of the growing tray as the standard. For leafy vegetable types, pour liquid once every 2 days and water twice daily; for fruit vegetable types, only pour liquid, twice daily.