Can You Grow Vegetables Indoors?

Don't let anybody tell you that growing vegetables indoors is not possible. It certainly is! An indoor vegetable garden can allow anybody living in an apartment or other restricted space to enjoy the satisfaction of eating their own home-grown vegetables. It just takes a little know-how and planning.

Certain plants are obviously more suited than others to your aim of growing vegetables indoors. Large plants that enjoy colder climates, like the brassica family or leeks, are not the best choice for growing in a small apartment. Most root vegetables require a deeper depth of soil than you probably want to provide. However, if you have a large apartment that does not have heating directly under the windows, you can grow larger plants by placing rectangular containers on the floor in front of your windows.

Herbs are a very popular choice for people growing vegetables indoors because many of them are small plants that will grow happily on a windowsill. Herbs like fresh air and you will probably find they grow better if you can leave a window slightly open for them during the day, as long as the weather is not too cold. They also prefer well-drained soil so they are best watered little and often.

Growing your own vegetables in containers means you can move them indoors or outdoors as needed. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Of course, you do not need to restrict your indoor vegetable garden to herbs. You can grow other plants too.  For example, tomatoes enjoy sunny, sheltered spots and are perfect for growing indoors near a sunny window. They can grow rather tall and require a trellis to climb up, so you might want to site them on a small table or shelf near to your window rather than have them on the actual window sill where they could block a lot of light by growing in front of the whole window. Leafy greens like lettuce often grow well indoors as well.

It is important to choose the right containers for your plants. A seedling starts out very small but it can grow into a large plant. In order to avoid disturbing it later, it is best if, after germination, seedlings are transferred into the container appropriate for the final plant.

You will also need to think about what to put in the containers. While plants will happily grow in regular earth outside, they need more nutritionally-adapted soil to grow indoors. This is because they do not have the benefit of all of the microorganisms and other nutrients that are available in the deep beds outside. So you will need to buy compost or soil that is suitable for the specific plants that you are planning to grow. You cannot necessarily use the same compost for everything. For example, there are many brands of compost designed specifically for tomato plants.

Of course, your lifestyle can be the difference between success and failure when growing vegetables indoors. Plants in containers dry out very easily, and the more shallow the container, the truer this is. If you spend a lot of time away from home for work or social reasons, you may find it difficult to give your plants the water and other care that they need, unless you have a friendly neighbor who will take care of them for you.

Even more important are the conditions inside your home. If you have a north-facing apartment with small windows, it will be difficult for your plants to get enough sunlight. You will have to choose them very carefully to produce any worthwhile crops.

However, if you keep these points in mind, there is no reason why you should not have an indoor garden to be proud of. With a little care and planning, most apartment or city dwellers can enjoy all the benefits of successfully growing fresh vegetables indoors.

House Plant Care Basics

As houseplants are living in an unnatural environment (indoors), instead of in their natural habitat, we need to give them extra care to get the best results.

They will require all the elements outdoor plants do - such as their need for good nutrients, water, ventilation, light and a suitable climate. Without this balance they will soon wither and die.

It is vitally important that potted plants have top quality soil that drains well - as well as drainage holes in the bottom of each pot.

(Photo credit: SheepGuardingLlama)

As with outdoor plants they will need soil that is light enough for their roots and to hold water and air but not so light as to allow the nutrients to wash through and not be made available for their roots. One thing that will not be as much of a concern as outdoor plants is their need for support against winds. This can allow you to use lighter soil; however you will still need to ensure the plant is getting the nutrients it needs. This might sometimes require additional feeding that is over and above what you would give an outdoor plant.

Getting good potting mix for your indoor plants can make a noticeable difference to their condition as the soil that we get from outside can sometimes have diseases or insects in it. Organic indoor potting mix is readily available in different varieties to suit the requirements of various indoor plants.

The environment can also affect plants, and air pollutants such as smoking in the house will affect the plant growth and result in poor health just as it does to the person smoking.

Plants will also benefit from having their leaves cleaned, as there can be a buildup of dust when growing indoors and not having the rainfall to wash them clean, and this can prevent light from getting to the leaves.

You can buy inexpensive moisture monitoring kits and also small units designed to release water into the soil when dry soil is detected. For a more sustainable indoor gardening practice, catch rainwater in containers to use for watering your indoor plants.

If there is an opportunity to do so, it is a good policy to put your indoor plants outside in the sun for a few hours every so often to get some extra light and fresh air - or put them out in the rain for a good washing and soaking.

Houseplant Care Resources: 
   

Video - Controlling Pests In Your Indoor Garden The Natural Way

Here is a short video with some ideas for getting rid of bugs on your indoor garden or houseplants, without using harmful chemicals that can pollute your home. Check this out for some quick tips, and keep your indoor plants healthy and pest-free this winter!

Indoor Gardening Tips : How Do I Kill Little Bugs on House Plants?
House plants will likely attract all sorts of little bugs throughout their life. Kill little bugs on house plants with help from the owner of a nursery in this free video clip. Expert: Oscar Carmona Bio: Oscar Carmona owns Healing Grounds Nursery, lo...



For more sustainable gardening tips, visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html.