With winter well underway, you may be yearning for the warmth of summer and the fresh fruits and vegetables that come with it. But you don’t need to wait for the seasons to change. You can start a lush, green indoor garden – today!
These are some of our favorite indoor garden ideas to get you started.
You can plant herbs the old fashioned way in a little pot in the kitchen window, and snip cuttings as you cook all year long. Keep your kitchen herb garden in a south-facing window for maximum growth. Herbs can also thrive in a warm space under grow lights.
Try these herb groupings:
- For Italian flavors – rosemary, oregano, and basil
- For French-inspired dishes – tarragon, sorrel, and marjoram
- Medicinal use – lavender, mint, and chamomile
Some herbs grow better together. Parsley and chives, sage and rosemary are great pairings outdoors to keep insect pests at bay; they can also thrive as partners in a kitchen window.
Green leafy lettuces, kale, and bok choy can also do well indoors. Start them from seed if you’d like, just give them plenty of moisture and light. And make sure you have these items on hand:
- Pots that drain with reservoirs underneath so the runoff won’t ruin your floor
- Clean gardening soil, with vermiculite if possible
- Don’t bring in soil from outdoors; any insects living in the soil will hatch inside your home
- A watering can
- A spray mister to combat the drying heat inside your house
Tomatoes, on the other hand, are more a labor of love. But the time investment is worth it to get that homegrown taste in the middle of winter. You’ll need a big pot and an easy-growing variety, such as a cherry tomato. Make sure to plant an indeterminate plant, which can produce fruit all year long. Provide the plant a nice warm spot with eight hours of sun or artificial light. You’ll also need to be your own bee! Using a cotton swab, pollinate each flower as it blooms by gently brushing to share pollen between buds to ensure the tomatoes grow.
No time for gardening but still craving that summertime taste? Look for an all-inclusive garden kit instead. Local and online retailers sell herb kits to fit any budget, and mushroom kits are increasingly available. Most mushroom kits’ care instructions are simply to presoak the mushroom spores and mist them every day.
Now, find those gardening gloves, channel warmer weather and get to growing!
For more gardening inspiration, visit us on Pinterest.
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