By Jennifer Poindexter
Did you know that gardening doesn’t have to stop just because the weather changes? You can garden inside your home year-round. There are many reasons people choose to raise gardens indoors.
Some practice indoor gardening for the ease of having food at their fingertips anytime they want it. There are some people who live in planting zones with short grow seasons, and indoor gardening lengthens their time to grow things.
Other gardeners live where they don’t have much room for gardening, and indoor gardening is a great solution to this problem. Indoor gardening also allows those with limited mobility to garden easier than if they were outdoors.
Regardless of what category you fit into, if you’re interested in gardening indoors, here are the vegetables which seem to do well in an indoor garden.
1. Carrots
The secret to indoor gardening is to choose vegetables which grow well in containers and can have their basic needs provided indoors. This is why carrots are perfect for an indoor garden. They grow beautifully in a container, need cooler temperatures, loose soil, and minimal care. Plant this vegetable from seed, and you should have a gorgeous harvest in a matter of a few months.
2. Garlic
I love growing garlic in containers. Therefore, it’s another vegetable which tends to do well in an indoor garden.
Simply place the garlic cloves in loose soil, provide adequate lighting, and minimal care. In a few months, you should be ready to harvest fresh garlic from inside your home.
3. Bush Beans
It’s important that you only try to grow bush bean varieties in an indoor garden. If you choose varieties which run, the growing process becomes more complex because you must provide a trellis to avoid the plant from running outside of its growing area.
However, by growing bush varieties, you should be able to support one plant per container. You’ll want to succession plant your beans to have an on-going harvest since you won’t have a great deal of space to grow a large harvest at one time when growing bush beans indoors.
4. Beets
Root vegetables are wonderful candidates for an indoor garden because they don’t require as much sunlight, usually, as other plants. Beets should be considered for your indoor garden for this reason. You should also consider them because you can get two products from one plant.
Beets produce greens which can be harvested throughout the growing process. Therefore, while you’re waiting on your beets, you can enjoy the greens. The entire harvest takes approximately two months.
5. Radishes
Radishes are another wonderful choice for an indoor garden because they do well in containers, and they grow quickly. The main thing with radishes is to ensure they have loose soil and that they’re provided proper spacing.
You’ll also want to grow smaller varieties to ensure you don’t overcrowd your crops. You should be able to harvest radishes within thirty to forty-five days.
6. Sprouts
This is something many gardeners don’t consider growing. I hadn’t considered it until I began eating at a local restaurant which offers sprouts on their salad bar. They’re a delicious addition to your salad!
If you’d like to grow your own sprouts, as part of your indoor garden, pick a seed. I usually sprout alfalfa, but you can use radish seeds, lentils, peas, and mustard green seeds. There’s a simple process to getting the seeds to grow, but they should be ready in less than a week. This is also great for your digestive system.
7. Squash or Zucchini
Squash and zucchini are a wonderful vegetable to grow indoors because they grow well in containers, and you need only one plant to have quite the harvest.
Not to mention, you can grow squash or zucchini from seed. Plus, they’re wonderful for savory or sweet dishes. If you’re looking for a plant that isn’t fussy, can be grown from seed, and will give you a bountiful harvest, these vegetables deserve your attention.
8. Hot Peppers
There are multiple varieties of peppers, but hot peppers tend to do the best in an indoor garden. You can grow bell peppers indoors, but they require a little more attention than hot peppers.
Hot peppers not only bring the flavor, but they’re also smaller which tends to work in their favor for an indoor garden. Give the hot pepper varieties some attention when considering this vegetable for your indoor grow space.
9. Arugula
Arugula is a peppery leafy green that’s filled with vitamins and is great for bringing the flavor to your salad.
If you’re tired of the typical lettuce varieties, mix some arugula into your salad for a tangy twist. It’s a leaf vegetable which makes it great for growing in containers. By growing it indoors, you should be able to produce it year-round.
10. Greens
There are many types of greens. You can grow turnip greens which will give you two products from one type of seed. However, you can also grow mustard greens. They’re a little spicier, but you can grow more of them in a container.
Whichever type of green you like, they should do well in a container setting. They should also be easy to care for indoors, not take up much space, and should provide a continuous harvest. Succession planting is a great idea when growing this type of vegetable.
11. Lettuce
When growing lettuce in an indoor garden, it’s wise to stick to leaf varieties. Leaf vegetables tend to produce better in a container setting.
Plus, leaf varieties produce quickly. You should be able to begin harvesting your lettuce at approximately thirty days. You should also practice succession planting with this type of vegetable to keep a year-round harvest.
12. Spinach
Spinach was the first crop I ever grew. Amazingly enough, I started it in a greenhouse in the middle of winter.
It was then I learned how flexible spinach truly is. If you need a leafy green that grows well in containers, and is flexible in its growing environment, you should check out this highly nutritious vegetable.
13. Scallions
Scallions are so easy to grow indoors. The amazing thing is you don’t even have to grow them in a pot with soil.
Instead, use your kitchen scraps to sprout this vegetable in water. If you want to keep the harvest going, transplant them into soil. If not, use more kitchen scraps to keep the rooting process going indoors.
14. Sugar Snap Peas
I love sugar snap peas. They’re delicious, easy-to-grow, and they don’t require that you shell them when eating.
Do be advised, sugar snap peas will need a trellis to climb up to avoid their natural instinct to sprawl. Add a small trellis to your container, ensure they receive proper lighting, and provide adequate care to get the most out of this vegetable at harvest time.
15. Mushrooms
Many people are afraid to try their hand at growing mushrooms because if you get it wrong, you could pay a hefty price because not all mushrooms are edible.
However, you can purchase a mushroom growing kit, to ensure you get it right, and grow this tasty fungus right inside your home.
16. Kale
Kale is a nutrient dense green that’s great cooked and can also be enjoyed raw. I love kale because of how sturdy it is. It tends to stick with me longer than if I eat a salad with only traditional lettuce.
If you need a sturdy, nutrient-dense vegetable consider raising kale. It grows well in containers, needs minimal care, and can be succession planted for enjoying a continuous indoor harvest year-round.
17. Tomatoes
I was so excited when I learned how easy it was to produce tomatoes indoors. This means you no longer have to eat grocery store tomatoes part of the year.
Instead, choose a smaller determinate variety of tomato to grow in a container inside your home. Tomatoes will most likely need a grow light, but give them their basics, and they’ll give you a good-sized harvest in return.
18. Potatoes
I know what you’re thinking. Can you really grow potatoes indoors? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” You’ll need a larger container to ensure your plants can produce beneath the surface.
However, if you provide them with adequate care and water, you should reap a decent harvest. Succession planting is recommended for this crop to produce potatoes year-round inside.
19. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is known for being a challenging plant to grow outdoors. The reason being is the temperatures can make it button prematurely.
However, when you grow the vegetable indoors, you have more control over its surroundings which should make it easier to produce. If you love cauliflower but need to control more of the elements surrounding it, consider moving the plant to your indoor garden.
20. Broccoli
Broccoli is a delicious vegetable that many gardeners love. I don’t grow a ton of broccoli because it requires quite a few plants to produce a harvest that’s worthy of long-term storage.
However, by moving this vegetable indoors, you can control the elements surrounding it. Therefore, you can produce broccoli, as needed, year-round inside your home.
21. Eggplant
Eggplant has many of the same growing conditions needed to produce tomatoes. If you’re growing tomatoes indoors, why not add eggplant to your garden as well?
This vegetable needs light, support, and a well-draining container. If you can give this vegetable what it needs, you should be able to easily produce it inside your home.
22. Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is our final vegetable that’s easy to grow indoors. This vegetable is usually enjoyed cooked. Since it’s a leafy vegetable it tends to produce well in a container.
If you need a nutrient-dense vegetable, year-round, consider growing swiss chard inside your home. When winter hits, and your body is craving nutrients, you’ll be glad you did. Plus, you can grow it in a variety of colors which equates to even more nutrients for you!
Gardening indoors is a relatively new thought-process in gardening. Once people realized how easily they can container garden, a variety of vegetables, the next logical step was moving their set-up indoors.
You now have over twenty different vegetables to try out. Hopefully this will help you to keep your indoor garden productive year-round.
Learn More About Indoor Gardening and Growing Vegetables Inside
https://extension.usu.edu/news_sections/gardening/indoor-gardening
https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/indoor-plant-care
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