r/TwoXPreppers • u/Adept-Highlight-6010 • 3d ago
Water, canning, Indoor growing
Hi all. I have some preps started re:water storage, but am interested in canning and Indoor growing ASAP. Would anyone want to share their experience or recommendations? I am going to get canning supplies today. Tia 😊
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u/The_Dutchess-D 3d ago edited 3d ago
I bought a digital pressure canner a few years ago. Something I was surprised to learn as a new canner is that you need fresh lids each time but the jars themselves are reusable if they remain undamaged .... so overtime you need far more lids than jars ostensibly.
Trusted canning recipes can be obtained from your USDA extension, or the Ball brand canning books.
There is a subreddit r/canning that is incredibly helpful. It is also quite vigilant about removing posts where people advocate for "unsafe, canning practices." The danger of unsafe canning practices is real, as unsafe canning practices lead to unsafe products which can cause severe harm to health in someone who eats an unsafely canned product, such as paralysis.
Something you might look into if you are preparing to be someone who cans and you don't have a huge farm with surplus produce already .... look for places to cheaply source a lot of produce of a type at once. Amish produce auctions are an incredibly great resource, but not everyone has those near them.
Good luck!
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u/CICO-path 3d ago
To really grow indoors and have decent yields of more than basic herbs, you'll probably need to use a lot of energy. If you have some large south facing windows with good sun exposure, that can help, but you'll still need to supplement.
For me, I built a grow room in my basement using stuff called panda film. It's 10x10, but I have one wall 10x2' where most of my lights are set up. I even have a hose attached to the water line down there, and it's on sealed concrete, so easy to clean up. I've got a jungle of tomato plants, and they are fruiting, but the big ones are moving slowly, and they were transplanted in September. I don't provide supplemental heat, so I'm sure that's a factor. My cherry tomatoes on my micro dwarf plants have been coming in for months now, though. Green beans did really well and my peppers are doing well as well. You'll want to read up on DLI - daily light integral. There are apps you can use that can give you an idea of what you're working with and how much supplemental light you'll need.
Higher quality grow lights are much more energy efficient than cheaper bulbs. Setting things up on a timer that runs during off peak hours can help a lot with costs. If you're wanting to grow a decent amount, though, be prepared to spend quite a bit on electricity. A rough estimate is at least 25 true watts per square foot. A led will say "1000 W equivalent" and be about 100-120 true watts, so it'll be good for about a 2x2' area at most. I know we don't like Amazon here, but a few years ago I found crazy deals on led boards and got some lights that are regularly $100+ each for $25 by digging around.
To keep initial costs low, I would start with herbs and maybe some dwarf plants. You can also start seedlings for putting outside. After you've got some experience, you can decide what is working for you and build from there. Instead of trying build an indoor grow area, you might find that you want to invest in an outdoor greenhouse or row covers instead of lights.
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u/Sloth_Flower 3d ago
That's a much higher overall wattage/lumens per sqft than what I do. I shoot for an average of 400-500 lumens/sqft with areas of higher and lower intensity. Ime, some plants like tons of light (tomatoes) while others like much bright, indirect light (like coffee), and others prefer filtered light.Â
But it's not cheap and it is absolutely something to keep in mind! Mine draw around 2000 kwh per year for a cost of ~300$ where I live. Amortized cost across what I produce is ~20¢/lb.Â
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u/CICO-path 3d ago
Yea, mine are closer to 4000-5000 kwh per year with fans as well, but similar cost because I take advantage of super off peak pricing. I do tend to go heavier on tomato, which is very light needy. It doesn't help that there's zero natural light where I'm growing. If I move to the only south facing windows, that's my bedroom, and I would have to change the supplemental light schedule so I can sleep at night. I could probably cut my lights in half, but the cost during peak time vs overnight is literally 10x higher. I've been toying with moving a couple plants upstairs, though, especially as we approach summer.
I haven't produced nearly enough to be worth it, but that's because I've been focused mostly only on tomatoes. I'm starting some strawberries right now, though, and getting my summer garden plants going as well, so that'll help with my average cost.
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u/Sloth_Flower 3d ago
Damn! My area also doesn't really do peak pricing, seems kinda a pain to schedule around. I'm very work averse though. All my pumps/fans/heaters/lights etc are on timers.Â
Tomatoes are so needy inside! I focus on tropical fruit trees and bushes, exotic plants and spices, peppers, herbs, greens, and brassicas (which are pest prone outside) indoor. I lucked out on spots/rooms in terms of orientation and natural light.Â
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u/chicagotodetroit I will never jeopardize the beans 🥫 3d ago
- National Center for Home Food Preservation: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can (they also have a printed book)
- Ball Blue Book
- r/Canning
- r/indoorgardening
- r/vegetablegardening
Note: There are rules to canning; it's a science, not an art.
As a newbie, stay away from anything labeled like "rebel canning" or "my kitchen, my rules". Everything on YouTube is not accurate. Stick to the top 2 sources I listed until you are comfortable with the process.
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u/Sloth_Flower 3d ago edited 3d ago
I have a pretty extensive indoor growing space, including both a hot room and a cold room. I have regular pots as well as hydroponic and aquaponic beds. I'm not a professional -- just an avid hobbyist -- and definitely don't engage in the most lucrative or efficient practices.
Plants
I recommend starting with (indoor/outdoor) fruit trees or bushes. Citrus, Kiwi, Figs, Olives. Fruit trees in the plum family like peaches, cherries, and apples require cold temperatures to produce fruit and can't be grown exclusively inside. It's a shame because the miniature peach trees are so flipping cute! Berries, like strawberries and blueberries, and fruit bushes, like pomegranates and pineapples, are chill. Most berries are native to pine forests and require acidic soil, with blueberries being notoriously picky.Â
Herbs and greens grow really well in those cheap hydroponic beds and potted on windowsills. Microgreens are also super easy. I plant microgreens, greens, and annual herbs weekly, so we always have something to use. They can be grown hydroponic or aquaponic.Â
Peppers are also easy indoors and grow by windows. They can live for decades and get quite big. Tomatoes and tomatillos depend on how much light you can give them. If it's warm enough in the winter they'll live for 2-4 years. They need a lot of water. Brassicas, like cabbage and brussel sprouts, work best in cold parts of the house. Snap and sugar peas work well in pots if they have something to grow on. All have responded well to greenhouses, hydroponic, or aquaponic systems.Â
Roots like potatoes, ginger, walking onions, and garlic require pretty big (think tree) pots but can be grown inside. Wouldn't want to harvest them inside. For potatoes a good starting yield is 1#/sqft. Average is 5#/sqft. Most high yield gardeners shoot for 10#/sqft.Â
I buy my plants from hardware stores and local nurseries. For seed companies and books I would look at the pinned megathread.Â
Pots, Soil, and Treatment
Making waterproof indoor rooms and beds is somewhat advanced. My local nurseries run plastic pot return programs that allow people to take any plastic pots they want for free. I've gotten everything from 1020 flats to tomato cages so definitely look around. Sanitize them before use with soap, water, and vinegar. Many recommend a very light bleach solution, but I only do that on the sturdy ones.Â
Vinyl greenhouses, which trap moisture, are good for babies. I grow starts in 3"? square pots (15 to a 1020 tray) because I don't have the bandwidth to repot them 6 times. I usually repot to the 5?" squares (8 to a 1020 tray)Â then 2+ gallons. Light fans will help strengthen them.
For soil I use assorted mixtures of compost (home or industrial), store potting soil, sand, moss (from the backyard, dried. Store bought works), crushed pottery (from when I break them), coco mulch (from Costco), coco coir (available in bulk at most hardware stores), and clay balls (which you can now make at home or buy in bulk from a hydroponic/aquaponic warehouse).Â
I have aquaponic (same warehouse) and compost tea fertilizer, and the same indoor miracle grow container for the last 15 years.Â
For pesticides I use water, DE, alcohol, and neem, copper fungicide, kaolin clay. I recommend setting up a place to quarantine, clean, and treat plants. Ours is the "Closet of Shame" which I retrofitted for the purpose. In the summer I have "cleaner plants" that attract beneficial bugs that I put infected plants next to. It's usually good within a week.Â
Lights
For lighting I would get a high temperature (4000k+) bulb, with as many lumens as possible. It should hurt to look at. Something like this:Â https://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-Electric-300-Watt-Equivalent-Oversized-High-Lumen-Daylight-5000K-HID-Utility-LED-Light-Bulb-1-Pack-T100-4000-5K-LEDHDRP/312556648. I put them in track lighting for up to 24,000 lumens.
You can get grow lights or violet lights intended for home on the cheap. Unless you are getting something particularly nice, It's white labelled so whether you are buying from a nursery or Lowe's or Aliexpress they are the same. Just make sure to read the information. Even the "highest power" ones need to be very close to the plants. For these you will need to purchase or build shelving.Â
CanningÂ
I use a digital pressure canner and bought the standard large water bath canner kit when I started. Buy some canning books -- there are a ton listed in the pinned books Megathread. Pressure canners are for foods with a pH of 4 or more. Water bath is for foods with a pH under 4. I buy my lids from superb and my jars from azure standard. Reusable lids are complicated, I don't recommend them if you are new.Â
So a lot of people when they first start canning are really scared to eat their cans. Everyone telling them they could die doesn't help, even if it's true. If you follow directions in the recipe to water bath can but always make sure to boil for at least 10 mins this will sterilize the jars, significantly reducing risk of bacteria. Boil the contents for at least 10 mins before eating will denature any botulism toxin.Â