It's time to garden indoors and that means paying attention to the light your plants are going to need for the next nine months. I know no one wants to set up special lights, let alone pay for them. But really, folks, it is not that difficult.
It is always a good idea to start with the good news: Plants require at least six hours of darkness in order to do well and Alaskans have no problem fulfilling this condition all winter long. However, if you have lived through only one winter in Alaska, you know the bad news includes the need to provide plants with supplemental light if you expect them to provide you with any kind of positive experience.
I don't know why I have to write this annual column, but simply too many folks always assume they can continue to garden indoors with houseplants without installing and maintaining some sort of lighting system. These are the same gardeners who, without the slightest prodding, spend hundreds of dollars on annuals lasting a mere two or three months, but who don't seem motivated to spend a few bucks to have decent-performing indoor plants for a season that lasts three times as long as the outdoor one.
Simply put, houseplants need light and the Alaska winter does not allow for enough of it naturally. Incandescent lighting may work for humans, and may keep a plant alive -- if struggling -- through winter, but it's terrible for actually growing plants. It's also extremely cost-inefficient. Plants have to be placed no more than 24 inches from bulbs to be effective at all and they can burn due to the heat.
This year, after just about 40 years of giving this advice, I will stop suggesting you start with a simple two-bulb fluorescent shop fixture fitted with a cool bulb and a warm bulb. I don't think they even use those terms anymore. Anyhow, fluorescent fixtures and their bulbs have advanced and you can find full-spectrum bulbs for all sorts of fixtures in almost any size and configuration.
And there is really no need to resort to those expensive, high-pressure sodium and streetlamp-like bulbs. The latest florescent lights are just as good. These are known as T-5 bulbs. While these require a new type of fixture, T-5s can produce three times the light for the same amount of wattage, making them very cost-efficient in the long run.
Finally, there are the "NASA lights," light-emitting diodes -- LEDs for short. These are incredibly light and efficient and can be hung almost anywhere. No need for lots of support and a complicated pulley system to keep the lights at the right height as plants grow. Simple string will do. Some are the perfect combination of blue wavelength (for nice compact growth) and red wavelength (for flowering).
All lighting systems will be easier to operate if you have a timer set up to turn them on and off automatically. You can purchase inexpensive plug-in systems or, if you have a switched receptacle, take out the switch and replace it with one that has a timer built in.
It goes without saying that plants also need water. This means you have to make sure of two things. The first is that everything is shock-proof. The second is that there are appropriate surfaces or catchments to prevent water damage when you water the plants.
So, there you have it. A bit of prodding to set up some sort of light system so you can go out and buy another few hundred dollars' worth of plants for this season. Only this time, you will get to enjoy your purchases for at least nine months. You can grow vegetables, flowers and almost anything you want if you have decent lighting for your plants.
Jeffs Alaska Garden Calendar for the week of Oct. 17
Potatoes: Did you dig yours?
Brussels sprouts: If you have any on plants, now is the time to get them. The cold weather will have sweetened them up.
Spider mites on houseplants: Spray with neem oil products or toss them out.