My Winter Basement Garden

I thought I would share what I do with my plants to overcome the winter blues that I get every winter. About three years ago I decided to use the unfinished, unused 1900 square foot basement to winter over some plants I save from outside and to start new ones and then after a number of people on Daves Garden started sending me things, I wanted to post the progress of this season's winter over for the people who may be able to do something like this, and hopefully get some others who have more experience than me to tell and show us what they do. Keep in mind I am in Kansas, and do not have a greenhouse,screen or glass back room, hoop house or spare bedroom with the best windows ever getting the best south and east light. Every year for three winters, I have made changes and expanded my growing areas. This is 2010 to 2011 Basement Garden Adventures.
Kaitlyn, a Brugmansia purchased from a DG'r's Market Place Post, is my best performer this winter.

This room is a basement bedroom Mancave, once occupied by my son, who has moved out. I havn't had the heart to get all his stuff off the walls, so you have some wall art.. There is 220 plug ins in this room, one of the FEW that thee are..
This view is standing outside that room, lights off, looking full center. One over head double light, a lighted long closet under the stairwell to the far end right, and a paneled wall to the north and west. All the walls are paneled I guess. I have turned an old triple dresser into a plant stand with gardening things in the drawers. A long old couch from the 70's on the north wall, covered with blue plastic table liners. My plant shelves and other stands are all along the walls, and the old sofa holding plants.

Here is the right side view looking north. you can see the closet door.

Here is the west wall. I have rigged up lights everywhere. Need some ideas on better lighting here. The heater vent is to the right of the doorway, and blows out really hot air, so it is taped up.

The main growing area is long, and has windows up high, on the east wall and the south wall, so very little daylight here..

I have this area full of little plants and big plants, started from seeds, trades, cuttings and such..

This is the freezer room, wall that divides the sons old room and the outer room, this shelf is new.. ( this year) this is march 18th.. my goal is to have these all over the walls, eventually, in all the rooms down here..

here is the other side of that wall, this is my son's old man cave.. I call it the Brug room.. I use the old curio to harden off seedlings out of their domes..

I have the center dresser used as the EE table under the double bulb ceiling light, it seems to keep them happy.. Brugs are all along the outer walls on all sides..

this is the north wall looking west.. there is an old hippy couch covered in plastic holding plants..I have vines, shrubs, brugs, EEs and a plummie in here..drop lights where ever I could find a hook or make a hanger for them..

On the wall to the East I have some plastic shelves and a metal shelf and a table, all holding plants, passion vines, morning glorys from all over the world, and cuttings of annuals I saved.. I can't stand to buy new annuals every year..

I use recycled things a lot since I don't want to spend money on pots..

It is so exciting to see things come up.. especially in a yogurt cup..

and it is exciting to see things bloom in winter..

I like to try new ways to grow things, I have had this easter basket for a long time, and just now decided it would make a good air plant holder..

I even use the closet in the bedroom down here for things I am readying for trades..course, these would have to get out of my way if we get a tornado..

I go to dollar tree and get these shower caddys, and use them to root things for people..

Once they are emptied, I fill them up with other things and take them outside and hang on the fences... if there are only 11 shower caddys like this, I buy them all..

I use mosquitoe tablets in the water tub, and fly strips for the fungus gnats.. this year I have three times more plants, and hardly any flying gnats..

I use alot of cinnamon in all the pots, dusting the leaves, and coating the seeds and the tips I root.. I get a huge bottle of it at the dollar store..

I nab any ole pole I can and shove it into one of the large pots, and use it to hang things on under the lights..I have to wash the plants alot, since the ceiling gives fall out of dust when we walk around upstairs..these are ready for a bath, i just dunk the whole pot into the big water tub a couple times and hang it back up and run a fan..

I find anything I can to use as a table, this has a tub of water with a flowr frog holding cuttings, and a pond bubbler to keep the water fresh, and the pots are sitting in one dollar trash cans I got at the dollar tree by the dozens..I use a rooting tub in this area as well as in another room..
I can't wait to get real shelves up and real lights..

These plants seem to do well with angels looking after them while I am at work all day..

someone sent me some pond plants, they are here until I can get them outside..

It is so nice to have my Hibiscus plants all abloom all winter, and blooms are abundant down here..

and hanging above them on a wobbly clothes rack is some more shower caddys holding seedlings and cuttings.. under the one lone ceiling light ..

These walls out here are not finished now, they are ugly, so I cover them up with plastic table liners I got for 50 cents..it is a pretty background instead of cracks and such..
I think it is lovely down here, kids and hubby hate it.. If they want to find me when they come over, they have to come down here to the basement garden now.. and in summer, they will have to brave the bugs and the heat to find me outside..

Every inch of every wall has some thing growing against it.. and every night and every morning and even at lunch, I come down to make sure that 1: the house isn't on fire 2: the dog is still alive 3: the plants are still alive..

This message was edited Apr 5, 2011 11:34 PM

Sometimes, I am surprised by the results of a seed that is planted in December..

I re-arrange and move things constantly.. until I see a happy face, then I leave things be where they are..

Someday, this will be the way I want it, but until then, I just make do..

who wouldn't smile when they see blooms like this in january?

upstairs isn't nearly as bad.. but some of these are waiting to go outside..or to someones house in another state..

Then there are the seeds,,, boxes and boxes, everywhere up and down.. waiting to get either thrown outside, in my yard, or in your yard, who knows..

DH perfrs I use the basement most of the time, but the light here at my computor desk seems to get things going when I root them here..

This message was edited Apr 5, 2011 11:38 PM

OMG Debra, you having that much square footage is so much better than a greenhouse or anything especially in KS. No one could afford a greenhouse that size, let a lone heat it.

I knew you had lots of plants because I have seen bits and pieces, but had no idea.... ;)

You are an inspiration to all gardeners in freezing zones to say the least.....

WOW, thank you for showing what we northerners can do if we truly want to.

Joy

This is a crazy baby wood rose that I started from seed winter before last, it hung outside all last summer facing east and didn't bloom, hopefully it will bloom this summer facing west for a change..
( thanks for stopping by and viewing, Happ and Joy)

JoesWife ,what a truley amazing garden you are growing in your basement , I too live where winters are cold and dreary and seem to last forever. And it is realy hard to deal with, I started growing plants inside in my base ment to put out in my garden . this was my first year . It realy does help with winter time blues. I am new to flowers I had no idea you could winter over flowers and they would still bloom in doors even. there are several flowers and plants that I would like to have but never bought because I thought they would just die out every winter, you have given me hope on trying them now! i have a couble of questions , do you keep your plants in pots outside in the summer or do they go in the ground? and how warm is your basement , do you use many grow lights? Thanks Tammy

Hi Tammy, some of the big plants I leave in pots outside. some I sink the pots into the ground, some I have on the patio. The big tree size plants stay in 20 and 30 gallon tubs , with holes drilled in for drainage. the annuals I winter over get put in the ground in summer. I counted 26 lights in the main room, not grow lights, just the number 26 flourescent twist lamps on a clamp that can handle the wattage. ( walmart 6.99) The other rooms have incubator light holders, with the same 26 wattage bulbs. Hope this helps, you will be amazed at what you can save year to year.

This message was edited Apr 12, 2011 12:28 AM