What Can I Grow in an Indoor Garden?

Radishes grow quickly and easily in an indoor garden.

If you have an indoor garden, why not get twice the benefit from your labors and grow some groceries? Save on food bills and boost nutrition with fresh, delicious homegrown produce. An indoor garden doesn't need an elaborate setup with shelves, grow-lights and perfect conditions. It can be as makeshift as a few pots on a windowsill, an empty glass jar, or a more ambitious setup that mimics a small garden in a fraction of the space. The University of Virginia provides a basic guide to indoor growing that applies to most gardens in temperate zones -- or warm, sunny houses anywhere.

Immediate Advantage

What you won't be growing is as much an advantage as the convenience of edibles at your fingertips. Indoor gardens are far less likely to harbor pests and pests are pretty easy to spot if you do get infested. Most can be wiped off with water or a simple plant soap. You will not have to worry about soil-borne problems like nematodes so only plant marigolds if you really like them. (Marigolds emit a chemical from their roots that nematodes hate.) Renovating poor backyard soil is eliminated because you create the right potting mix, fertilizer and drainage for each type of plant you grow in containers.

Types of Vegetables

The obvious choices for indoor container growing are dwarfs and miniature vegetables like Tiny Tim, Small Fry and Roma tomatoes. But larger varieties offer tremendous flavor and new cultivars are being developed constantly to thrive in container gardens in indoor conditions. Before settling for cherry tomatoes, check with a local nursery to see what will grow indoors in your area. Lettuce is a terrific indoor cultivar and you can grow heads of lettuce or leaf lettuce easily in a sunny window. Radishes, which are a quick crop, and carrots and peppers are also sturdy indoor plants that will yield a tasty harvest.

Herbs

A variety of herbs are favorites for indoor growers. They are as easy as houseplants to cultivate in pots and hanging baskets. Growing herbs in a protected environment means you have pest-free, inexpensive garnishes and flavorings on hand whenever you need them. Basil is sturdy, fragrant, attractive and delicious. Chives will give you onion flavor in a fraction of the space. Green onions are the next best onion choice for a few pots in the kitchen. Parsley will grow readily as will cilantro and both benefit from planting solo in a small pot. Those herbs don't last long when purchased at a store so pinching off fresh herbs from an indoor pot saves time and money.

Sprouts

The easiest food to grow indoors is sprouts. It happens that sprouts are extremely nutritious so sprouting is a win-win, even in a tiny space. Use organic seeds prepared especially for sprouting and you won't have to worry about pesticides or other poisons. Look for seeds certified pathogen-free and sterilize sprouting jars before use. Most seeds get a good rinse in a large Mason or cleaned mayonnaise jar, are soaked overnight, drained, covered with a screen or cheesecloth so they can breathe and rinsed each day until they sprout and end up in the salad. It takes just three to five days for sprouts to be ready to eat and you can stagger sprouting jars to always have fresh sprouts available.

References

• Virginia Cooperative Extension; Vegetable Gardening In Containers; Diane Relf
• University of California Davis; Growing Seed Sprouts at Home; Trevor V. Suslow et al