How to Grow a Small Edible Indoor Garden

Herbs are easy to grow indoors.

Some of us live in climates that permit outdoor gardening for most of the year, but most of us live in areas that experience winter. If you miss the fun of gardening during the dark, dreary months, grow a small indoor edible garden to cheer yourself up. With florescent lights and well-chosen seeds, you can grow some small vegetables, herbs and greens inside year-round. Lower your harvest expectations; plants won't produce as prolifically inside in the winter as they do outside in warm weather.

Things You'll Need

• Seeds
• Potting soil or seed-starting mix
• Pots with bottom drainage
• Spray bottle
• Watering can (optional)
• Florescent lights or grow lights

Instructions

1. Set up a growing area. A windowsill works if you have a south-facing window, but plan to supplement natural light with grow lights. If you want more space, set up a table near a window. Put a plastic tablecloth on the table to protect it from water. Over the growing area, hang grow lights in a manner that allows you to adjust the height as the plants grow. Store your extra seeds, watering can, fertilizer and other supplies under the table or nearby.

2. Decide what you want to grow. You cannot realistically expect to grow watermelons and hot peppers inside. You'll have better luck if you keep to small plants and dwarf vegetables. Herbs are an excellent choice: mint, sage basil, cilantro and parsley all grow well indoors. A few varieties of dwarf tomatoes do suitably well indoors. Look for seeds for Micro Tom, Red Robin, Yellow Canary or Tiny Tim tomato. There is a little tiny pea variety called Tom Thumb that produces flavorful sweet peas in only four to five weeks.

   Lettuces do well indoors. Don't expect to harvest giant heads of lettuce. You will do much better enjoying leaf lettuces and spinach. They grow fast and after you snip the small leaves they grow again three or four times. Garlic greens are especially delicious. Plant a garlic clove pointy side up in soil, and you will soon get lovely green shoots with a light garlic taste.

3. Prepare a growing medium. Purchase potting soil or seed starting mix. Do not use topsoil or soil from your yard. Start seeds in the pot where they will live permanently or buy or make a special seed-starting station. Seed starting doesn't need to be fancy. You can use empty yogurt cups or party cups with holes in the bottom for drainage or tiny pots. Dampen the potting soil before you place the seeds. Make a small hole for the seeds and cover them lightly with soil. How deep you need to plant them depends upon the seed. Most seed packets indicate how deep to plant them.

4. Create your own personal greenhouse. Seeds do a much better sprouting job with a lot of humidity. Cover the planted seeds with some kind of transparent cover. A used two liter soda bottle cut in half works well, a plastic bag or a purchased humidity dome for seeds are all great.

5. Remove the humidity dome as soon as you see a sprout and place the seedling into the light. Position the flourescent lights close to the seedlings -- only inches -- and keep the soil moist. Use a spray bottle for watering seedlings; it won't disturb the soil.

6. If you start seeds in a small container, as they grow larger, you need to move them to their permanent homes. Do this carefully when it appears the plants have outgrown their containers. They should have a healthy root system by then.

7. Watch the plants grow. Gardening is a game of trial and error, and you may encounter some bumps along the way. Sometimes seedlings don't thrive; sometimes you discover some plants don't get enough light. Indoor gardening is not a perfect science. The joy of gardening indoors is that you can begin again if you mess up. Cilantro and peas don't last very long -- seven to eight weeks -- so repeat the plantings at intervals.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your plant area temperature between 65 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds need warmth to sprout, and most plants are happy in this temperature range.

• Give the seedlings 12 to 18 hours of artificial light.

• Help mother nature out a little with pollination when it comes to indoor tomatoes. Just shake the plant a little to encourage pollination. Peas are self-pollinating, so they don't require any assistance.

• Again, just be realistic: You can grow plants inside, but keep in mind, without hours and hours of sunlight and outdoor environments, your harvest will be smaller. Red or purple basils and sages may revert to being green. Keeping that in mind, you will have lots of fun with your indoor garden!!! Happy planting!

References

• University of Florida: Indoor Edible Gardens