Grow Spaces
Kratky on an Office Desk
One covered jar is enough to grow herbs or lettuce at work. Kratky suits an office desk because it is quiet and clean, and it looks after itself over a weekend.
What an Office Desk Changes
An office gives you a steady temperature and a desk you see every weekday. It also gives you the least light of any grow space, unless you sit by a window, and two days a week when nobody checks on the plant. Plan for those two things and a jar does fine.
Light at Work
Ceiling lights in an office feel bright to people, but they are weak for plants, and they are often off at night and over weekends. That leaves three options:
- A window desk: the best case. Put the jar on the sill or at the window edge of the desk.
- A small grow light: a USB or clip-on LED grow light on a timer, a few inches above the plant, turns any desk into a grow space.
- Office light only: works for slow, shade-tolerant crops such as mint and green onions, and not much else.
The low-light window article covers what grows when light is short.
A One-Jar Setup
- One opaque container or covered jar, about 1 quart (1 liter).
- A net cup that fits snugly, with growing medium.
- Solution mixed at home or at the office sink, in a bottle with a lid.
- A saucer or coaster underneath.
- Optional: a small grow light on a timer.
Mix solution away from the desk, and carry the jar to the sink to top it up.
Keeping Water Away From Electronics
A desk is full of things that don’t like water. Put the jar at the far side of the desk from the keyboard and computer, on a coaster or tray, with a wide, stable base. Keep cables and chargers away from it. A screw-on lid with a snug net cup won’t spill if it is knocked.
Weekends, Holidays and Vacations
A weekend is easy: Kratky keeps going on its own. Before a longer holiday:
- Check the level, and top up only part way so the upper roots stay in the air gap.
- Move the jar away from a window that will heat up with the office heating or cooling off.
- Check the grow light timer.
- For a long break, time the crop to finish before it, or take the jar home.
The leaving Kratky unattended article explains how long plants can go.
Vents and Drafts
Office heating and air conditioning vents blow dry air that dries leaves and can chill or warm the jar. Keep the plant out of the direct stream of a vent.
What Grows Well
- Mint: handles office light and grows from a cutting.
- Green onions: regrow the root ends from a store-bought bunch.
- Chives and parsley: slow, steady and compact.
- Loose-leaf lettuce and basil: with a window or a small grow light.
Keep to compact plants. A desk has no room for tomatoes.
Office Etiquette
Check whether your workplace allows plants and plug-in lights at desks. Keep the jar covered so there is no smell and nothing for fruit flies, and take it home if you will be away for a long stretch.
Office Desk Checklist
- One covered jar on a coaster, away from electronics
- A window spot or a small grow light on a timer
- Out of the stream of heating and cooling vents
- Solution mixed and topped up at the sink
- A plan for holidays
Office Desk Questions
Can a Kratky plant grow under office lights?
Shade-tolerant plants like mint and green onions can. For lettuce and basil, add a small grow light or move to a window.
Will a Kratky jar survive the weekend at work?
Yes. It needs nothing from you over a weekend. Before longer breaks, check the level and the timer.
What is the best plant for an office desk?
Mint or green onions under office light; loose-leaf lettuce or basil with a window or small grow light.