The move toward more sustainable living has gained traction in recent years with people looking to help the environment and their wallets. Gardening is a great hobby to support a more sustainable lifestyle. It's fun, saves money on groceries and helps you feel accomplished by eating something you grew. It also promotes healthy living, cooking at home and eating more nutritious foods. When you grow your own food at home, you also know exactly what's in it and how it was produced.
Gardening can be difficult, especially outdoor gardening, because there are so many variables, such as climate changes, unpredictable weather, and wildlife or pests. Indoor gardening allows you to grow veggies year-round in the comfort of your home, with a greater likelihood of success because you control the environment.
Growing plants indoors is good for your health in other ways too. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the air and generate oxygen, making the air in your home cleaner. Exposure to nature and the accomplishment you feel from successfully starting a garden is also good for your mental health.
Ideal Indoor Herbs & Veggies
Herbs, leafy plants and microgreens are the most common edible plants for indoor growing. They generally do well with shallow soil because they're smaller and don't need as much space. They also don't need as much sun and are easier to grow if you're just starting out.
Leafy greens (spinach, kale, lettuce), carrots, scallions, mushrooms and microgreens thrive indoors, as do herbs like mint, cilantro, parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, lavender and oregano.
Preparation
Plants need tending and care to grow successfully. If you're a newbie to gardening, you may want to start small and simple, perhaps using a grow kit that supports your growth process.
Plants need water, nutrients and light, and of course, you'll need the plant seeds or seedlings. Also, think about what your space is like and what will grow best in that environment.
To give your plants the best chance of thriving, find a specific place you can control. Decide if you'll use one room, spread them around the house, dedicate just a windowsill or perhaps build a smaller controllable environment within your home. Also, be aware of your home's humidity, especially during dry winter months, as plants need a moist environment. Plants do best in stable, consistent temperatures in the 60s to 70s with good air circulation to prevent mold or fungus.
If you're planning to use mostly natural light from your windows, consider the amount of light they permit and at what time of day they allow for more or less light. Generally, a south-facing window will give you the most sunlight. This will likely change throughout the seasons.
Supplies
The supplies depend on your budget and how involved you want to be. Some products do nearly all the work for you. You can also find those that offer simple setups yet where you're more engaged with the process.
Containers should be big enough for your plants' needs. Consider how big the plants will grow, the depth needed for roots and how far seeds must be planted from each other. When growing plants indoors, you need to consider drainage, so excess water doesn't build up and cause problems like root rot or bacterial growth. You don't need fancy, expensive containers. Depending on the individual plant, you can even repurpose old plastic containers.
The soil for growing indoors is different from ordinary garden soil. Use potting mix or soil made explicitly for seedlings and the indoors. These soil varieties are made to drain better than garden soil and aren’t likely to contain organisms like fungus or bacteria.
If you're growing plants throughout the winter, you'll need a light source to make up for the lack of natural sunlight. Grow lamps are specifically designed to provide the right type of light to help plants grow. Common types of grow lamps are LED or fluorescent. Consider which plants will need more or less light exposure and place them at appropriate distances.
Since your plants won't get rain, you're in charge of making sure they have enough but not too much water. Always check how dry the soil is before watering, ensure appropriate drainage and be aware of the plants' needs. Self-watering containers, drip systems and hydroponic kits that may use pumps or other methods to make the process easier can be helpful.
Get Planting!
Before planting your indoor garden, prepare your environment. If using a growing system, read all the instructions before starting. If you're doing the whole process on your own, have a way to track everything yourself and make sure you've researched what you're doing. Each type of plant needs to be planted within particular dimensions at specific depths and distances apart.
Garden Care
Edible plants generally take more effort than just putting seeds in the soil and forgetting them, especially indoors. Each plant has different needs: some may need pruning, adjustments to watering and soil, and various harvesting or replanting times.
In terms of harvesting, some plants need to be completely picked and then replanted. Other plants, especially herbs and leafy greens, can be harvested as you need while the plant grows and regrows where it was cut.
Finally, keep in mind you can do everything right and still fail, which can be frustrating. But indoor gardening is a learning process—if at first you do not succeed, you can always try again.
Freelance writer Kimberly Blaker is founder and director of KB Creative Digital Services, KBCreativeDigital.com.
