Beginner’s Guide to Indoor Gardening

Get ready for winter crops

Iryna Inshyna/Shutterstock

Growing vegetables, herbs, and more is not just for top chefs and preppers; it’s also a popular, fun, and relaxing hobby. It is easy to assume it can be pursued only by those with large plots of land, and then only during the summer months, but the reality is that it’s possible for even apartment dwellers to create a viable, albeit compact, “indoor farm.”

The first step is to determine the crop, a step that dictates what is required in terms of space, time, and effort. People with no experience growing plants might start with an easy species to learn the steps. These won’t result in edible crops, but they will build confidence in the process. Good plants for beginners include aloe vera, which provides on-demand first-aid gel, or the super-easy-to-grow philodendron.

Featuring heart-shaped leaves, philodendron can be grown from a cutting taken from an established plant. Dropping the cutting into a small glass of water will soon lead to roots, at which time it can be planted. Philodendrons are often seen in offices, stores, dormitory rooms, and elsewhere because of their ability to thrive even if neglected. As vines, they are easy to propagate and spread quickly, climbing or dangling, with the bonus of being very attractive. They are drought-resistant and grow in various light conditions, allowing one to learn gardening basics, such as how and when to water, how to propagate new plants from cuttings, how and when to use fertilizer, what to do if insects appear on the plants, and how different light conditions affect growth and overall health.

Other relatively easy species include Chinese evergreen, dieffenbachia, and peperomia; however, the leaves of these and many other decorative plants can be harmful if chewed by pets or children, so an awareness of plant toxicity is one of the more important lessons to be learned in any type of gardening, indoors or out.

A low-maintenance indoor houseplant can be an easy starting point for the absolute beginner. Mallmo/Shutterstock

Once the basics are mastered, for many indoor gardeners, the next step is to grow herbs. It’s a good idea to start with species that are easy to grow, such as mint, lemongrass, basil, parsley, and dill. These can be used in meals or beverages and can be purchased at many grocery stores or home improvement centers. Because this process has a bit of trial and error involved, it may be best to start with just one of each and use them to learn about differences in light preferences and how some species like a lot of water while others need to be kept relatively dry. When one species is growing well, it’s safe to add more.

Growing your own herbs is a fun way to enliven your home cooking. Christine Bird/Shutterstock

While many indoor farmers stop at herbs, there are plenty of vegetables that can be grown indoors too. Consider warm-season species, such as carrots, tomatoes, or zucchini, which can do well indoors. Growing vegetables indoors does pose several challenges, including pollination, which might seem like an insurmountable problem except for the fact that some species, including carrots, beets, and broccoli, don’t require it. For those that do, such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, there is a much better alternative to setting bees loose in the house.

There are three ways pollination occurs: insect and animal contact, the wind, and hand pollination. By using a tiny artist’s paintbrush, indoor farmers can pollinate their plants by hand, or the flowers can be gently shaken to mimic the action of the wind moving the pollen. Once mastered, growing tomatoes indoors can be very rewarding. Starting as seeds in a repurposed ice cube tray filled with soil placed on a windowsill, they are grown to about four inches before being transplanted to pots with either a tomato cage or stakes to allow upward growth in a location that gets at least 10 hours of light per day or has an artificial source of light. When the flowers appear, they can be hand-pollinated, with tomatoes appearing soon afterward on the vines and then in a salad bowl.

Although many indoor growers use soil or peat obtained from garden supply stores, others use a hydroponic system in which plants are cultivated in a solution of water and nutrients. These systems can be DIY or commercially produced, with many also incorporating a grow light that can provide exactly the right amount of light. The advantages of a no-soil garden include the ability to increase yield by having plants much closer to each other than if they were in soil, more efficient watering as the water doesn’t have to move through soil to reach roots, and the absence of weeds that compete for nutrients. Not all plants are suited for these systems, including water-hungry tomatoes, while herbs, peppers, and microgreens seem to do very well.

If your natural light situation isn't ideal, consider adding grow lights. EvgeniusD/Shutterstock

Light is another issue; natural light is preferred but may not always be available because of window size or location. The solution is to use grow lights that allow gardens to be placed virtually anywhere.

Indoor gardening can be addictive, so be prepared to rearrange furniture and add planters to every windowsill to allow a larger crop each year.

At a Glance: Living Room Farms

Start Small

A good way to learn how to care for herbs and vegetables is to start with a simple houseplant such as a philodendron that is easy for even beginners to grow.

Enjoy the Harvest

Houseplants are nice, but consider growing herbs and vegetables that you’ll use and enjoy every day, such as mint and tomatoes.

No Soil? No Problem

Hydroponic systems use nutrient-rich water to feed plants, and many also feature grow lights so they can be used to produce crops pretty much anywhere.