5 Essential Plants for Your Indoor Garden

Eating food you’ve grown is one of the best ways to enjoy a meal and feel the satisfaction of having made it yourself. You don’t need a green thumb to start your own at home garden. You don’t even need a yard. 

You can grow your food in an apartment, studio, or even a van. All you need to do is choose the right plant for your living situation.

Hydroponics vs. Soil

Before you decide what you want to grow, you need to determine how you want to grow it. There are generally two ways you can go about starting a garden. You can either use the soil or hydroponic method.

Most of us should be familiar with the soil method. You take a seedling, bury it, water it, give it sunlight, and voilà, you have a delicious vegetable to add to your next meal. All you need to get started is a container large enough to house the plant you’ve chosen and some potting soil.

The hydroponic method has recently become more popular because it is more accessible than ever. This method doesn’t require soil but instead uses a solution of water and essential nutrients. As long as you give the plant plenty of water and sunlight, it should give you a healthy and delicious vegetable.

1. Potatoes

Potatoes are one of the easiest plants to grow, making them an excellent option for beginners. Cut your potato into medium-sized sections and plant it 6 inches deep with the cut side down.

Once you’ve planted your potatoes, make sure to leave them in an area with at least 6 hours of sunlight and water them every few days. Before you know it, you’ll have more potatoes than you know what to do with.

Potatoes are so easy to grow and produce such a plentiful harvest that they have become one of the most consequential crops in history. They’ve allowed empires to spread, provided food to everyday people for generations, and remain one of the most imported crops on the planet.

2. Carrots

Carrots are another easy plant to grow for those of us who live in cooler climates. Carrots thrive in 60-degree weather but still need plenty of sunlight. The trick to growing carrots is to give them a lot of vertical real estate, meaning you need a deeper pot.

Water your carrots every few days, keeping the soil moist but not too wet. As long as the temperature is right and your carrots receive enough sun, growing them should be easy. After 2-3 months, your carrots should be ready for harvesting. 

Did you know that a single carrot has 200% of your daily value of vitamin A? That’s why so many people say carrots are good for your eyesight. Vitamin A not only helps with visions; it also helps your immune system and cell growth.

3. Scallions

Scallions are incredibly easy to grow, and they continuously produce throughout the year. They thrive in 60-65 degree weather, making it suitable for most indoor growing. Just make sure to leave it in an area that has plenty of sunlight.

As your scallions grow, you need to trim what you need off the top. Just be sure to keep at least 6-8 inches of the plant to continue to grow. Cutting too much may shock the plant and cause it to no longer produce.

Scallions make a great addition to many dishes, giving them their signature pungent flavors. You will also be happy to know that scallions are a great source of fiber. They not only taste good, but they are also good for you.

 

4. Herb Garden

If the flavor is what you are looking for, then you need to start a herb garden. Nothing beats adding the freshest herbs to a dish that needs a little more of a kick. The beauty of a herb garden is that most herbs are easy to grow, and they don’t take a lot of space.

You might be wondering which herbs would be the best to grow. If you are concerned about the taste, you can customize your herb garden to include anything you want. If you are thinking about which herbs are the easiest to grow, you have many options.

Perennial herbs like thyme, chives, rosemary, mint, and oregano are easy to grow and will continue to produce for a long time. If you don’t have a well-lit area, you can also buy indoor grow kits that let you grow fresh herbs anywhere in your home.

5. Sprouts

Are you looking for an effortless growing process? Then you need to add sprouts to your indoor garden. They hardly require any space; you can put them in areas with minimal direct sunlight and grow quickly.

That means anyone can grow sprouts, and it doesn’t matter how much space you have to work with. All you need to do is plant, then eat. The best part about sprouts is that they are packed with nutritional value and are incredibly easy to add to most dishes.

During WWII, scientists recommended that people supplement protein with sprouts because the supply of meat was limited. Sprouts are also high in fiber, making them an excellent option for people who want to lose weight.

Found the Perfect Plant?

Once you’ve settled on what you will grow and how you will grow it, there are a couple of tips that will help you keep your plants alive and well.

Start with seedlings. Growing a plant from seed can be difficult for beginning gardeners. It requires a lot of time and patience to grow a mature plant from a seed. You can find already sprouted plants at your local home goods store.

Put your garden in a well-lit location. Pay special attention to how much sunlight your plant needs. Windows or balconies are perfect locations for indoor gardening.

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