Learning how to grow vegetables indoors is easier than you think! Here are some tips to get you started
By Diane Small
No matter what the season, it’s time to learn how to grow vegetables indoors! It’s way easier than you think, and no matter how tiny your living space is, you can definitely grow something organic and healthy at home.
5 Reasons Why Growing Vegetables Indoors Boosts Your Health
You never know what’s in veggies these days.
Indoor gardening means a consistent supply of fresh nutrient-dense produce that can completely transform your diet. And homegrown produce means you control what goes into your food, no need for the pesticides or chemicals you find on the store shelf.
Vegetables that were picked today are vastly more nutrient-dense than the trucked-in kind you get from across the country. Every hour post-harvest plants degrade nutritionally. When you grow your own plants indoors, you get to consume the fruits of the harvest at its zenith, as opposed to wasted potential post trucking and shelving; more vitamins, more minerals, more antioxidants.
Moreover, indoor gardening is healthy for mental health wellness. Gardening is associated with decreased stress, improved mood, and increased overall life satisfaction. Tending to plants can evoke fulfilment, and serve as a therapeutic activity. Caring for plants can even lessen anxiety and depression. Also, plants in the home provide fresher air due to oxygen and plant-produced indoor pollutants.
Indoor gardening supports better eating choices. If you stock fresh vegetables in your pantry, you’ll naturally include them in your diet more often. This technique supports a nutritionally diverse diet that promotes consuming as many different vegetables as possible. The earlier children become accustomed to this environment, the better. Which means they, too, can grow with health that is limited only by their imagination.
Don’t believe us? Here’s a beginner’s guide on how to grow vegetables at home to get you started.
How To Grow Vegetables Indoors
1. Get What You Need
You don’t need much to get started growing plants indoors!
First up, when you’re growing veggies inside, you’ll need to know what to plant. You can choose to buy seeds, or if you have a plant nursery nearby, you can look for seedlings that have been growing for a few weeks or months already.
If you’re planting from seed, find a container that’s large enough for the roots of your plant to grow, that also has a drainage hole the bottom. You can DIY your own container by upcycling old plastic tubs, but any pot with a drainage hole will do. Of course, you’ll need to put your container on a dish, saucer, or tray to capture any water that drains out so you don’t ruin the surface where the pot sits.
Be sure your plants are getting enough light. Most vegetables will need at least 4-6 hours of sunlight per day. If your living space is really dark, consider buying a grow-light. They’re not that expensive, and will make a huge difference.
2. Know What You Can Grow
Not all veggies will do well growing inside. Most need the wind and insects to pollinate them, or a lot of space to grow. But these are a few plants that do well indoors:
Spring onions
These easy to care for and don’t require as much sunlight as some other veggies. They also last ages, as you can cut off the tips and use them in cooking – they’ll grow back!
Herbs
Some, such as basil, will need a lot of light, but others, such as parsley, mint, rosemary, and thyme grow more easily. You can usually even find potted herbs in supermarkets. To make them last longer, replant them in larger pots so they have room to spread out.
When harvesting basil, if you want the plant to last, just remove a few leaves for use. Cut back whole stems if you want a bushier plant that produces more leaves, too. Ideally, Ideally, you’ll want to pinch the stem as close to above the new leaf nodes as possible.
Salad greens
These are pretty easy, too! Try cool-tolerant leafy salad greens like spinach, kale, and arugula (rocket). They’ll grow in as quickly as four weeks in compact spaces. They need about 12 hours of sunlight per day, so be sure they’re in a sunny spot.
Microgreens
Did you know microgreens are packed with 40 times more vitamins and nutrients than fully grown plants? Grow them the same way you would salad greens – just harvest them when they’re just about 2-3 weeks old. Great for sandwiches!
Radishes
These only take 30 to 40 days from germination to harvest. They won’t need as much light as many other veggies. Just make sure they’re not too crowded so they can grow to full size.
Tomatoes
This veggie needs a lot of light! About 14 to 20 hours a day. If you want to grow a lot of tomatoes, greenhouses may be a worthy investment. They will allow you to grow vegetables year-round, no matter where you live, and they come in all sizes, to suit all garden sizes. You can even get a tiny one for a balcony!
It’s important to put a stake in the pot and tie stems to it so the plant can grow upwards. Otherwise, the heavy fruit will cause stems to bend and maybe even break off. Cherry tomatoes grow especially quickly, and the plant will render quite a few fruits.
Peppers
If you have a spot that gets 14-20 hours of sunlight a day, these will thrive! Keep them at about 70 degrees F. Pot them in a container that’s at least eight inches tall, and allow the soil to dry out between watering.
3. Look Out For Signs Of Trouble
When you’re learning how to grow vegetables indoors, it’s vital to look for any signs of damage and illness on your plants. Most plants are plagued by some kind of insect or other, or are prone to developing fungus or mildew. The most common issues are:
- aphids
- whitefly
- powdery mildew
- spider mites
Of course, you won’t want to be spraying pesticide in your home! But don’t worry – there are natural ways to get rid of these pests.
For example, insecticidal soap or dish soap is non toxic and kills whitefly, aphids and spider mites with regular use. To kill these bugs, fill up a spray bottle with 1t dish soap to 500ml water. Whitefly and aphids love tomato plants as well as herbs. Keep your eyes open for tiny white flecks on the leaves. If you see any, get that spray bottle out fast, and be sure you spray under the leaves, where the bugs usually lie.
Another trick is to use a garlic spray. Crush a full head of garlic and steep in 2 cups hot water overnight. Strain out the garlic pieces and put them in your compost. Put the garlic water in a glass or plastic spray bottle along with 1T of dish soap and 1T cayenne pepper. Label and store in the fridge so it doesn’t spoil. Spray the tops and undersides of the leaves to kill bugs.
Alternatively, you can plant garlic next to your other plants. Bugs hate the smell and are more likely to avoid your plants!
For molds and mildews, some say spraying plants with milk works, or you could try diluting 1t neem oil to 500ml water in a spray bottle and attacking the powdery problem with this. Tomatoes are particularly prone to powdery mildew – you’ll see the leaves turn yellow and a bit of dust on the stems. Nip this problem in the bud before it’s out of control!
4. Use A Clever System
1. Gardyn Home Kit 4.0: The Premium Choice
If you want a high-end experience, the Gardyn Home Kit 4.0 is the way to go. This luxury system not only supports a variety of plants. But also offers many advanced features you don’t usually find with other gardening systems. This Gardyn grow tower has a hydroponic design that holds your plants, so they grow faster and healthier than those in soil.
This means your veggies, herbs, and some fruits grow faster and healthier. The tower also holds up to 30 large plants in 2 sq. ft., compared to 4+ ft. for other systems.
Further, the garden system works in any environment — even tight spaces. It is your best choice for a compact apartment, city loft, or office space – a perfect at-home, countertop grow system! One of the best features is that it comes with an AI-powered assistant, “Kelby,” which oversees and helps grow your garden.
Kelby will send updates to your phone to make sure you don’t forget to add more water to your plants. You can pair it with the companion app that lets you track and receive updates on your garden no matter where you are!
2. Aerogarden Harvest 2.0
Perfect for people in need of an all-in-one growing solution; great for beginners. The Aerogarden Harvest is compact and sits comfortably on your kitchen counter. Its growth technology helps this kit grow plants 5X faster than soil. On the other hand, its fully configurable spectrum high-efficiency 15W LED lighting system illuminates your growing space sufficiently.
When you need to protect your eyes, take advantage of the light dimmer function. Plus, it’s super easy to set and maintain. Its simple-to-use control panel tells you when to add plants. The Aerogarden comes in four signature colors to complement and sit beautifully on your countertop.
3. Click and Grow Smart Garden 27
The Click and Grow Smart Garden offers a sleek and modern design. It seamlessly fits into any space and includes an automatic watering and light system. This design makes it as convenient as can be for you to plant vegetables. Just plant the pods, fill the water tank, and enjoy some fresh veggies.
The smart garden can also be stocked with over 27 plant-growing pods. Whether you want to grow herbs, greens, chilies, tomatoes, salad vegetables, or even berries, this is a garden that will help you stock up on veggies. The garden is built up as a tower in shelf style. So, it will be large enough to assist a family.
It may seem a bit complicated at first, but learning how to grow vegetables indoors is fun – and rewarding! Have you ever tried to do it yourself? Let us know in the comments below!
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