I like to keep my garden thriving all year long, so I typically bring in some containers for indoor container gardening. There’s nothing better than a thriving vegetable garden in the dead of winter (though, you might have to self pollinate!) and this guide will give you the tools to help your indoor garden thrive. Once it’s warm enough to resume outdoor gardening next spring, just move your containers outside and resume there! Keep reading to see how I do it.
How to start indoor container gardening
To start indoor container gardening, clear an area of your home for the space. You don’t want the area to be too cold or drafty. I keep my container garden in my laundry room, on a set of wire shelves. Additionally, you’ll want to pick a location where there will be adequate light as most garden vegetables require lots of sunlight. If you don’t have enough sunlight via a window, you’ll need to install plant grow lights. These are pretty cheap–I found a decent set on Amazon for $40! The best part is that they don’t run my power bill too high either.
Once you have picked a location, the real fun can begin! Fill terra cotta pots, plastic bins from Home Depot, burlap sacks, etc with a DIY potting soil mix and fertilize (find my favorite recipe here!). It doesn’t matter what you use as a container, but I like to make sure my container has handles for easy maneuvering.
Picking plants for indoor container gardening
If you want to great a producing garden (aka one that you can harvest from throughout the winter) I recommend planting vegetables like garlic, potatoes, carrots, kale, lettuce, onions, etc. These don’t need to be pollinated and thrive in chillier conditions, so where ever you decide to place your container garden will provide a perfect growing environment.
If you’re looking for an indoor container garden with a little bit more of a challenge, you can grow strawberry and blueberry plants well in containers. These plants will have to be self pollinated if you want to produce a crop, and this guide from Tower Garden is extremely helpful when learning how to hand pollinate.
Other great plants for container gardening include dwarf cavendish bananas and citrus trees.
Tips and tricks for indoor container gardening
As I mentioned above, adequate sunlight is crucial for container garden success. Make sure that your crops get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight everyday. If that can’t be supplemented naturally, solar lights will have to be used, and since these are different than direct sunlight, should be on for at least 8 hours every day.
Pests, also, can be a problem when container gardening indoors and out. Spider mites (diagnosed by spider like webbing in between plant leaves), and scale (large while spots on plant leaves and stems) can become an issue. If you’re struggling with pests, thoroughly wash plant leaves with a mixture of Neem oil and water. It’s usually a good idea to repot the plant into a fresh soil mixture as well.
Yellowing leaves may be a sign of a nitrogen difficency and can be remedied with crushed eggshells placed directly into the soil.
Root rot can also be a problem as most container gardens don’t have built in drainage. To combat this, water ONLY when the first few inches of soil are completely dry. I typically only water when my plant leaves begin to droop. It’s proved successful so far!
