Starting a Vegetable Garden Indoors

Starting Your Indoor Vegetable Garden

Gathering the right tools and supplies before you begin your indoor vegetable garden project helps create an enjoyable experience. Quality tools help your garden flourish, and with proper care, they'll last for many years – so they're definitely worth the investment. I like to keep all my indoor garden tools in my Fiskars^® Garden Bucket Caddy. My tools fit neatly in the removable pocket apron, while the interior holds all my indoor garden needs. Keeping everything together means I can quickly grab my gardening tools whenever inspiration calls.

Recommended Tools for Indoor Gardening:

• Big Grip Garden Knife (400S) – Perfect for all your cutting needs, from loosening root balls to opening bags of potting soil.
• Big Grip Trowel (400S) – Good for filling the bottom of egg cartons or whatever container you'll start your seeds in.
• Big Grip Transplanter (400S) – The large surface of this gardening trowel makes it easy to scoop potting soil and transplant all sizes of plants.
• Multipurpose Garden Shears– Great for cutting plastic garden containers, making healthy cuts on herbs and vegetable plants and cutting garden twine.

Recommended Supplies and Steps for Indoor Gardening:

• Seed starting mix – When starting a vegetable garden indoors, this special mix of organic material is designed to stay moist and give seeds plenty of the oxygen they need.
• Potting soil – You can purchase your potting soil or sterilize quality top soil from your outdoor garden for planting vegetables indoors.
• Seed starting containers – Peat pots, Dixie cups or even toilet paper rolls can be used to start a variety of seeds. I save and reuse biodegradable cardboard egg cartons as well as seed starter trays. After you've selected your tray, add the soil into each container using the Fiskars™ Big Grip Transplanter. Next, add in your seeds. I've listed the easiest plants to grow indoors later on in this article. Make a little hole for the seed to sit into, and then add it into each container. I then place all my containers onto one tray to keep in a safe place in my home.

• Plastic wrap or covers – Used to cover started trays, a clear plastic helps trap in moisture and heat for quick germination when starting vegetable plants indoors.

• Spray bottle or plant mister – Seeds require gentle moisture to germinate.
• Watering can – A watering can with a single spout can help you control watering without making a mess.
• Fertilizer –Plants grown in containers can require more fertilizer than those grown outdoors. If you choose to add fertilizer, there are a wide variety ofoptions available, including liquids, slow-release pellets and organic composts.
• Pots and containers – Once germinated and established, you'll need to transplant seedlings into containers appropriate for their mature size. After you've gotten to this point, you've won half the battle – your seeds have sprouted!

Which Vegetables Work Best for Growing Indoors?

While you won't be able to grow watermelons or pumpkins indoors, you might be surprised to discover the wide variety of edibles you can grow in the comfort of your home. When looking at which vegetables work best for growing indoors, first consider your space. A sunny windowsill may be just enough room for a few herbs. If you're blessed with a large sunny indoor space, you can grow enough veggies for a feast. One of my favorite indoor vegetable garden ideas is to create a pizza garden with tomatoes, basil, bell peppers and green onions.

The easiest-to-grow indoor vegetable garden plants include:

• Herbs. Perfect for growing indoors, most herbs require very little space. As long as they get plenty of sun, you can fill a space with basil, oregano, mint, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, dill and many other culinary favorites.
• Greens. From micro-greens to full leaf varieties, lettuce is easy to grow. Fill an entire window with lettuce for a continuous harvest.
• Carrots. Perfect for children and beginners, carrots only need good soil and a deep container. Try out short varieties for a unique look.
• Radishes. Requiring at least 4-inches of soil, radishes are perfect for indoor vegetable gardening for beginners. Many varieties are harvestable in only a few months and provide a quick reward for gardening efforts.
• Scallions. Green onions can be grown straight from the grocery store. Simply plant to the top of the white bulb and trim to harvest. They will continue to grow back.
• Tomatoes. There are many varieties of tomatoes perfect for container or indoor gardens. From cherry varieties to patio-sized cultivars, you can find a wide range of types and colors.
• Peppers. From the hot and spicy to your friendly bell peppers, growing peppers indoors is easy due to the small, compact size of most pepper plants.
• Spinach. This beautiful green does not like heat, making it ideal to grow indoors. It requires only 3 to 4 hours of sunlight each day. Harvest the outer leaves to encourage continuous growth.
• Mushrooms. If you don't have a lot of sunny spots and want to grow something entirely different, consider mushrooms. Button and oyster mushrooms are easy to grow from ready-made kits.

Indoor Vegetable Gardening Tips

Growing an indoor vegetable garden is not that different from growing one outdoors. With a few basic indoor vegetable gardening tips, you'll be quickly on your way to a bountiful harvest without ever having to leave your house!

• Moisture – Containers dry out more quickly. Vegetables grown in pots require more frequent watering for the soil to remain consistently moist. The key is good drainage. Make sure all pots and containers have drainage holes and drip trays to keep plant roots from becoming soggy.
• Mulch – Not only does mulch hide your soil, but it will also help reduce moisture evaporation from your vegetable containers. Consider adding it to peppers and tomato pots.
• Temperature – Although vegetables grow perfectly well in the summer heat outdoors, most indoor vegetable plants do not require excessive warmth. Temperatures between 70 and 72 degrees F work well for both you and your plants.

Common Questions About Growing Vegetables Indoors

Where should I set up my indoor garden?

Place an indoor veggie garden anywhere you have a bit of room and a lot of sunlight. You can group all of your vegetable plants together in one large sunny spot, or you can spread them throughout your home in different windows. The best spot for an indoor garden is a large sunny area near a window you can open for ventilation. Tile flooring is ideal in case you have any water spills. However, I have used a ceiling fan for circulation, grow lights for a sunlight substitute and a plastic carpet liner to protect the flooring – so I'm proof that you can grow an indoor vegetable garden in just about any circumstances.

Does indoor vegetable gardening take longer?

With plenty of sunlight, moisture and fertilization, most indoor garden plants should reach maturity for harvest at the same time as outdoor plants. In fact, you can often garden much longer with continued harvests with an indoor garden. Plants can be started earlier in the year and many annual vegetables in your growing zone become perennials when grown in indoor vegetable gardens.

How often do I water indoor vegetables?

Indoor vegetable plants require more water than those grown outdoors do. Certain types of containers, such as terra cotta, speed evaporation. Most vegetables and herbs require consistent moisture – not too wet and not too dry. The top of the soil should be springy and moist. If it begins to feel dry, give your plant a good drink.

How much light do indoor vegetables need?

The light needs for growing vegetables indoors depends on the plant being grown. Seed packets or transplant tags will indicate how much sunlight a specific vegetable variety requires. For example, tomatoes need at least 8 hours of sunlight a day, but lettuce can get by with 6 hours and spinach only needs 3 hours.