Indoor Gardens
Enjoy a garden all year.
While space is a factor, even window sills are large enough for gardens. The primary consideration when choosing a location for plants is looking at where you get the most light.
Window sills that have southern or eastern exposure are prime locations for a kitchen garden. If you have a southern or eastern facing window behind your kitchen sink, that would be an ideal location. Choose a window that will get at least six hours of sunlight per day.
You might consider installing a garden window, which is ideal for indoor windowsill gardens. A garden window is a smaller version of a bay window. It is usually located right above the kitchen sink. A garden window protrudes out about 18-inches from the exterior wall of your home. It creates the perfect nook for a garden.
Once you have a space for your window sill garden, decide what kind of garden you want. You have a couple of choices.
Decide What Kind Of Garden You Want
You can grow both vegetables and herbs indoors as long as you get started off the right way.
Herb Garden
To grow an indoor herb garden, you’ll need to select a windowsill that offers at least six hours of light per day. The more light you have, the more flavorful your herbs. Temperature is another critical factor when it comes to indoor herb gardens. Make sure your indoor temperatures stay around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Choose the right containers for your herbs. If you select a bowl too small, the herbs won’t do well. Select containers that are at least 4-inches deep. Next, you’ll want to add the herbs. You can either purchase an indoor herb garden kit to get started. Or, you can buy seeds or cut branches from existing herb plants. After you have the herbs, add soil and then fertilize once per month or so while you wait for the herbs to grow.
Vegetable Garden
With about six hours of sunlight and the right soil, you can grow a beautiful indoor vegetable garden. Purchase specially designed indoor potting soil and pots with drainage holes. Fill up the jars with soil and add your vegetables. For vegetables, you’ll need 8 to 10 hours of sunlight a day and 4 to 6 hours for fruits. Some of the best vegetables and fruits to grow indoors include:
- Spinach – This vegetable does well year-round. Just make sure to choose a container with good drainage.
- Strawberries – These can also grow year-round. They do need plenty of sunlight.
- Radishes – Radishes do very well indoors. They don’t need a lot of light either. Just make sure you choose a good-sized container to accommodate the growing bulb.
- Scallions – These types of onions are great for beginning gardeners as they are very easy to grow.
