5 Steps To Growing Indoors

Are you ready to grow your own greens, fruits, and other veggies in your home or office? Not sure how to get started? Maybe you've dreamed of using that sunny spot in the living room or those colorful artisan pots to bring in something both beautiful and useful. Wait no more! Here are 5 easy steps to making your space food productive!

Step 1: Plan Your Space 

Choose a place that gets at least half a day of sunlight, either shaded (partial) or full sun. Make sure that the space can handle run-off from water, or provide a dish to catch water before it runs onto your coffee table, your homework, or worse, your laptop!

Step 2: Plan Your Plant

Choose plants that will fit your grow space, and will not outgrow that space. Indoor potted plants include herbs and greens such as basil, dill, parsley, or cilantro! Lettuces can also be grown indoors. Outdoor spaces can better handle larger vegetables: carrots, radish, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower.

Step 3: Plan your Container

If you have ceramic pots or even some upcycled artistic bowls, choose your container with care. Once you commit to a container, the contents will begin loving their new space, and you will be visiting it often. 

Step 4: Plan Your Soil

Most veggies and herbs will love the fluffy texture and water retention qualities of a good potting mix, not to be confused with potting soil, that can be a little more course with wood chips and other large debris. Potting mix is also great for starting seeds. It's easy for their roots to grow and stretch in the soft potting mix. For potted herbs and greens, a 4-inch pot or a window-box container will hold about 1 plant per 4 square inches of space.

Step 5: Purchase and Plant!

Dampen the soil from your purchased plant (supporting local Nurseries with your purchase is great, as well as buying from box stores such as Home Depot or Lowe's). Dampen the soil you are going to plant into in as well. Dry roots could cause transplant shock. Transplant your plant into the new soil, and set in you chosen space. Don't forget to water!

That's it! You've just welcomed an oxygen-producing, air-cleaning, food-producing friend into your space. Enjoy the benefits of being more "green", reducing your carbon footprint, and starting on your way to being more food-sustainable!

--Elisa Parmentier 02/24/2022