Growing and Indoor Garden- What Can I Grow

Cherry Tomato

Here we are at the end of December and for most us were are long past the end of the growing season and we are enjoying the fruits of our labor.  Maybe you are the type of person that is saying finally I can take break and relax a bit or maybe you are like me and are bemoaning the lack or warm sun and rainy nights that led to such a beautiful outside garden.
Even though the weather is getting colder and you know the frost is coming fear not because you can continue to grow delicious food inside your home.  With today’s LED light technology it is easier and cheaper than ever before to set up a system for growing food inside all winter long.

---

Lettuce almost ready to start harvesting

What I want to talk about today are what types of plants you should be looking at for growing in an indoor garden.  A few key things to look at when deciding what to grow will be the following,

• How much space does it need?
• Does it need pollinators?
• What part of the plant are you eating? ie. leaves, roots, fruit
• Does it produce one big harvest or a bunch of little ones?

 

​Space Requirements


The space you have available is typically the most limiting factor when it comes to growing things indoors in pots.  Your large garden plants like pumpkins, squash, cucumbers or corn are typically not the best things to try and grow indoors.  They are large, spreading plants that produce a limited harvest during one time of the year.  You could potentially try a bush version of these plants like this bush cucumber. 
For successful indoor gardening I would look to more of the following types of plants since they will give you more produce for less space.

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Herbs
• Root crops like beets, carrot, radishes

For slight larger spaces you can also look at things like cherry tomatoes or bush or pole beans which don’t need pollinators and produce a continuous crop for as long as the plant is alive. 

---