Most of us reading SurvivalBlog have some amount of food stored. We are aware of the problems with the most commonly stored foods as well: sufficient nutrition, a large enough assortment to provide variety, and a good enough taste to keep people eating. I’m going to offer another alternative here to help provide these three things in the dead of winter while sparing our stockpiled food.
If you have a window that receives a decent amount of sunlight (south facing is best in the northern hemisphere) then you may well be able to provide entire fresh salads or ingredients for other dishes throughout the winter. Sufficient light in winter can be difficult to achieve if there is a grid down situation, but several options can be used to increase the amount of light your indoor plants receive.
For those with their own ongoing alternative energy source, full spectrum compact fluorescent light bulbs might be something to add to your stocking list. A single 15 watt that has a rating of 6500K (full sunlight) can keep several plants going for a minimal amount of electricity. I prefer the 23 Watt Full Spectrum 6500K bulbs, since I keep an entire desktop (about 12 sq ft) of plants going through the winter and I can illuminate the entire thing well enough to give the additional lighting requirements with just two of the 23 6500K bulbs.
For those with no electrical options in a SHTF situation where the grid is down, reflectors can make up a good portion of the additional light needed and keep some plants yielding food. The easiest reflector to use for this purpose is an “L” shaped piece of cardboard. Stiffen it so it will keep its shape. Cover the side facing the plants with aluminum foil, or paint it white, or use whatever process you prefer that will cause it to reflect light and heat back to the plants. Position your reflectors several inches behind (and some beside) the plants so that they catch any additional sunlight that would normally filter into the room behind the window. This process will keep the plants yielding through most of the winter, and provide enough light to keep them alive, if not yielding, through the couple of weeks to either side of the winter solstice.
The plants should normally be kept as close to the window as possible. In cold snaps (or hot snaps, we get those in my location in the middle of winter) you will want to check the temperature at the front edge of the plants to ensure that they are neither too cold, nor too hot. The range of temperatures you are looking for depends on the plant itself. Most greens such as lettuce, chard, and kale will be perfectly happy in temperatures down to the mid-to-high 30s (Fahrenheit) but start to wilt at 85F and above, whereas tomatoes and radishes would prefer the temperature to be above 45F and as high as 90F. With the light coming through the window, the plants should be moved away from the glass if the temperature right inside the window reaches 90F. The glass can sometimes focus hot-spots on portions of plants that are too close to it.
In all cases the pots used for growing your winter salad should have good drainage holes in the bottom. I do my indoor planting using “Mel’s Mix” from Mel Bartholomew’s All New Square Foot Gardening
On to specifics for individual plant types:
Lettuce (and other greens):
Recommended types of lettuce for indoor winter salad growing include most of the leaf lettuces; head lettuces are not as useful in this application as the “cut and come again” leaf lettuces. I prefer to go with the more cold hardy lettuces as I worry about them less. Leaf lettuce should be grown in an 8″ (1 gallon) or larger pot. This size pot can take 4-6 lettuce plants. I use oak leaf lettuce as my standard indoor growing lettuce.
Kale is another good “green” for the winter salad. Depending on your location you may even be able to overwinter your Kale outside and not need to have it inside. It will grow well in a 6″ (2-½ quart) or larger container, single plant per pot.
Swiss Chard is another option for a “green” easily grown indoors. It should be grown in an 8″ (1 gallon) or larger container, single plant per pot.
Tomatoes:
Tomatoes are a little rough to grow indoors in the winter and take more care than most other plants. It can be done with a good yield though if you ensure they have sufficient light, food, moisture, and space. Growing tomatoes indoors gives the highest yield if you use an indeterminate tomato, preferably a cherry tomato. The tomato should be planted in a 5 to 10 gallon pot. It should have its own trellis (in my case I use bamboo, 14 gauge fencing wire, and duct tape along with a nylon mesh to build the trellis attached to the 5 gallon bucket I use to grow it in, leaning the top end of the angled trellis with one pole on a wall and the second on the window) and as much of the trellis as possible should be in direct sunlight.
If you have an indeterminate tomato in your garden that you are fond of, you can use it as a starter for your indoor tomato. Well before the first frost, clip some of the larger branches from the bottom of your plant (a 4″- 6″ length works well). Then remove all but the top leaf or two from the branches. Place the branches in a cup of water along with rooting medium, or a small measure of ground willow bark, or just in plain water if the other two are not available. Either place your container of water on a sunny windowsill or outside in full sun. After several days (up to a week) you should see roots growing out of the portion of the branches in the water. When the roots are visible, take the branch and plant it into your pot. This will save you quite some time over starting seeds from scratch. Also if you want that type of tomato in your garden the next year, you can use the same procedure again in the spring with your indoor plant as your donor to give your tomatoes a head start on their spring growth.
I’ve gotten about a pint of cherry tomatoes a week from this method although I’ve had others tell me they get a pint every other day. Perhaps using the 10 gallon bucket (instead of the 5 gallon I use) makes the difference. Tomatoes will require more additional food (worm castings, COF, or your choice of fertilizers) than anything else I detail here but I consider them worth the extra effort.
If you are willing to continue to care for your indoor tomato through the summer, it can be used for a second winter. Tomatoes will yield well for at least two years although in most places the weather is such that outdoors it can only be grown as an annual.
One note on tomato selection. You do not want the most vigorous growing types for this method,they tend to overwhelm the space they are in and need a lot more tending than some of the less vigorous types. My personal preference for this method is the “Tiny Tim” tomato.
Curly Cress (aka peppergrass):
Curly cress is the wonder green, I am giving it its own entry because it is not a full-sized green and is not picky at all about potting requirements. It has a very tangy taste to it though, almost peppery, and grows incredibly fast. Curly Cress can be planted in as little as an inch of soil and still yield usable cress. It germinates in 2-4 days and is ready for use immediately although if you wait for 10 days there is significantly more to each piece. I currently grow a variety called Cressida (Lepidium sativum) which takes only 10 days to maturity. Fair warning, if you allow the cress to continue past the 10 days it gets more and more peppery/tangy and can develop a decent bite to it.
Radishes:
Radishes are fairly quick to grow and do not need a great deal of space. I’d recommend a 10″ pot for them (approx 2 gallons), or larger, but you can grow a lot of them in it. Sow them thickly and then thin them to 1-2 inches apart. Remember that the radish tops are also edible with a little preparation. I use Chery Belle radishes that come to maturity in about 22 days. There are several other varieties recommended for indoor growing but I’ve not tried them.
Spinach:
In the winter, spinach can be grown either indoors or, if you are in hardiness zone 4 or higher, outdoors under a cold frame. The most cold hardy spinach types, under a cold frame, will continue slow growth throughout the winter, taking advantage of whatever sun is available. To grow spinach indoors you will want an 8″ pot (1 gallon), or larger. You can grow multiple spinach plants in this pot, spaced at about 3″ apart. You’ll be able to tell if your spinach plants are not getting enough light as they will grow long and thin (leggy) as opposed to developing their normal leaf set if they have inadequate light. Most varieties of spinach are fairly cold hardy so temperatures down to freezing are okay although going below freezing will slow its growth noticeably. I normally use either Bloomsdale long standing or Noble Spinach for my indoor growing.
One note on Spinach. You’ll want to keep the temperature below 90 degrees or your spinach is liable to bolt, especially if you have artificial light on it to extend its light hours.
Carrots:
Carrots need a 10″ pot (approx 2 gallon), or larger, and it needs to be fairly deep as the root hairs of the carrot go far deeper than the part of the root we harvest and eat. Use only smaller size carrots for growing indoors. I use Little Finger carrots.
Side note: Carrots can also, if you have a garden and grow them there, be stored in the ground you grew them in. Before the first frost, scatter hay or some other mulch thickly over the carrots still in the ground. If you use this method, you can go and pull carrots any time the ground isn’t frozen over in the winter and have them just as fresh as picking them in the normal growing season.
Scallions:
Scallions can be grown in an 8″ pot (approx 1 gallon), or larger, spaced at approximately 2″ apart. My preferred indoor scallion is “Evergreen Hardy White” although most types will work fine for indoor growing.
Peppers:
Indoor peppers are grown similar to tomatoes. They require a 5-10 gallon pot or bucket. Some will require trellising (depending on pepper type). The bonus to growing peppers indoors is that peppers are a perennial plant with a lifespan of up to 15 productive years, significantly more for some varieties. Similar to tomatoes, most peppers are only used as annuals in cooler areas but if you choose to continue to care for it indoors, productivity and flavor quality of the pepper will increase dramatically after about 4-5 years. I would recommend jalapenos for an indoor hot pepper (they do quite well indoors) or whatever your favorite type is for a bell/sweet pepper. Peppers do not like the cold at all so this is one to watch in the cold snaps.
Herbs:
A variety of herbs are easily grown indoors for the winter. Many herbs prefer partial sun and these are the ones you’ll want to choose from. The best herb choice for a winter salad, in my opinion, is garlic chives. Which, fortunately, is one that prefers partial sun. I’d recommend a 6″ (approx ½ gallon) pot for most types of herbs.
There are a number of other plants which will do quite well for a winter salad. You can look up your favorites online with a search for “container growing [plant name]”.
Now that we’ve got our salad ingredients, here is a relatively easy method of creating a dressing for it in an extended crash situation.
Italian Dressing:
Italian dressing is a combination of oil, vinegar, and spices.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup oil (olive oil is most common but any vegetable or sunflower oil will work as well)
1/4 cup vinegar
Spices to taste
Oil is one of the things that many preppers store. If not, it can be pressed from a variety of plants that can be grown at home. This process is too extensive to add in to this article though so we’ll assume you have oil.
Vinegar you may or may not have stored but it can be made at home with only a little difficulty. Once again detailing the process is a bit much for this article but it can be looked up online.
Common spices used in Italian dressing are: Black pepper, onions (or scallions in this case), bell peppers, oregano, parsley, and salt. You can add other spices to your taste, or remove some of those listed.
To make your dressing, simply dice the solid spices, mix all ingredients together to taste, stir or shake well, and serve. If you allow the freshly mixed dressing to steep for at least an hour, the flavors of the spices will seep into the oil/vinegar mix.
With a variety of the items listed here you can easily make a nutritious, and tasty, salad frequently during the winter. It will save your stored goods, be very nutritious for you, and certainly liven up your meals if you’ve been eating only stored foods. Many of the plants you grow can also be used to spice up meals by mixing them in to the dishes created from your stored foods as well.
Fair warning: eating salads fresh from the ground, or your container-grown plants, can be addictive and I state that as primarily a carnivore. I started growing indoors over the winter to try to keep having fresh salad materials available throughout the year. There is no comparison to the equivalent produce you might purchase at a grocery store. – Tom from Colorado
JWR Replies: Use discretion when setting up indoor “grow lights”. Since these lights are also commonly used by illicit loco weed growers, your actions could be misconstrued and trigger a police investigation, or even worse, a violent home invasion robbery by criminals intent on robbing you of your “crop”.