Your grocery bill seems to be higher every month. Any fresh produce goes bad within days of bringing it home. You’re wondering why it’s so difficult to eat healthily.
Growing your own food makes it much easier. And contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t require a lot of space, money, or time. With a bit of ingenuity, you can enjoy a steady supply of delicious vegetables in your home — even indoors!
Read on to learn how you can cultivate an amazing vegetable garden at home, even if you’re limited on space or funds.
Create Container Gardens
You don’t necessarily need a huge outdoor space to grow vegetables. Many species have an upright growth pattern, which means you could start your garden with indoor containers.
As long as your plants get sufficient light, they can thrive. (More on indoor lighting in a moment.) They’ll also benefit from high-quality soil and plenty of TLC.
In fact, some species do better in containers because you can ensure proper drainage. In comparison, outdoor garden beds may become waterlogged after a heavy rain.
Here are some vegetables that grow well in containers:
- Peppers, peas, and tomatoes grow quite tall, so a container with plant stakes helps them thrive. They need well-drained soil and plenty of light.
- Cucumbers love moist soil and warm temperatures, which are easier to maintain in indoor container gardens.
- Lettuce, chard, arugula, and kale benefit from partial shade, so they perform well indoors.
- Radishes are easy to grow in any well-drained soil.
You can grow these vegetables in any roomy container that helps the soil retain moisture. Planters can be expensive, but even 5-gallon buckets will do. Simply drill a few holes in the bottom to allow drainage.
Let There Be Light
Your houseplants can thrive indoors as long as they’re by a window that gets plenty of sun — usually on the southern or western side of your home. However, indoor container gardens often need longer exposure and a broader spectrum than you’d get from ambient light.
You will need some grow lights to help your indoor garden thrive. The containers can be cheap, but the lighting should be an investment.
Look for full-spectrum UV or LED lights. These replicate the sun, giving your plants the ultraviolet waves they require for photosynthesis. Give your garden 14-20 hours of light. If using LED lights, your plants will need at least 16 hours for optimal growth.
Build a Watering Toolkit
Indoor plants don’t have access to rain, so you’ll need to water them regularly. But if you have to lug water from your kitchen sink or bathroom sink, you’re less likely to do this chore. You must also be careful not to drown delicate seedlings. Without direct sunlight, they won’t dry out as quickly, so don’t overdo it.
A watering can and a mister bottle are your new best friends. They let you control your watering. Plus, they’re easier to fill at your sink and carry around your home.
Start a Compost Heap
Synthetic fertilizers are pricey — and bad for the environment, too. There’s nothing like organic compost to nourish your garden. And it’s easy to make your own!
Fall is the perfect time to begin composting as you’ll have plenty of fallen leaves to add to the mix. By springtime, your compost should be ready to nourish your outdoor vegetable garden.
When done correctly, compost piles don’t smell. They’re a sustainable way to dispose of kitchen scraps, old newspapers, grass clippings, dead leaves, and more. The result is a nutrient-packed substance that will make your vegetables grow nice and big!
Starting your compost heap is easy:
- Choose a spot in your yard that gets partial sun, ideally near a source of water.
- Put down a mix of straw, bark, or twigs on bare soil.
- Begin adding your materials. Alternate layers of “brown” materials (yard waste, newspaper, wood ash) and “green” materials (food scraps, coffee grounds, grass clippings). Note: Don’t add cooked food, meat, or pet waste to your compost pile.
- Aim for a mix of 2/3 brown materials and 1/3 green.
- Moisten the compost heap. You’ll need to keep it damp, so if rain has been scarce, douse it with the garden hose as needed. However, it shouldn’t be soggy, either.
- Turn the pile every so often to make sure the beneficial microorganisms can get oxygen. How often you turn depends on the mix of materials, the weather, and the size of the pile. Once a week is a good cadence to start. If the pile smells, turn it more often.
Once your heap starts breaking down, it requires very little maintenance. In a few months, you should have dark, crumbly compost that’s perfect for nourishing your vegetables!
Keep Track of Your Vegetables’ Growth
Baby plants may not look like much. If you’re planting multiple species, take note of which seeds or seedlings went where! Plastic knives make easy water-proof labels; simply label them with permanent marker, then insert into the soil.
Start a garden chart and document when you planted the seeds/seedlings, how long they take to germinate, and how often you need to water them. This will help you stay on top of their care and minimize both lost time and failed seedlings.
Conclusion: Vegetable Gardens are Family-Friendly Projects
Growing your own food at home isn’t as hard as you might imagine. It’s even easier when your kids can help with seeding, weeding, mulching, watering, and other vital tasks. This teaches them how plants grow and encourages them to love vegetables, which helps them adopt a healthy diet.
Plus, many gardeners find that their homegrown produce tastes SO much better than the store-bought, artificially-ripened kind! Even the pickiest eaters can learn to love veggies — especially when they helped grow them.
We’re committed to helping all Marion County residents take control of their wellness journey. Learn about Fitness and Nutrition in Schools (FANS), which brings state-of-the-art greenhouses and gardens to Marion County schools.
