Indoor Vegetables Organic

Indoor Vegetables:  Organic Gardening in the Winter

If you live in a cold weather climate, growing indoor vegetables can be a challenge and a bit of fun in the winter.  To grow indoor vegetables, organic gardeners need to know the specific requirements of each plant and the special conditions of indoor gardening.

The first problem in growing indoor vegetables organic gardeners encounter is what to grow them in.  Outdoors, you grow veggies in dirt and use organic fertilizers.  Regular garden dirt is not a great choice for indoor gardening because you can introduce pests into your home that way.  So, to grow indoor vegetables, organic gardeners must find an organic potting soil.  You’ll also need some kind of organic fertilizer, preferably in a liquid form and preferably one that doesn’t stink.

To grow indoor vegetables, organic gardeners need seeds or starter plants, which are usually not available in the fall.  That means you need to plan ahead.  Either purchase your “winter” seeds in the spring, or use non-hybridized seed and harvest your own.  You’ll need to start your own plants.

In growing indoor vegetables, organic gardeners need to recognize that you probably won’t want to grow a 300# pumpkin in the living room.  Even if you wanted to, veggies don’t get as big indoors as they do outdoors.  For indoor vegetables, organic gardeners should choose smaller varieties, such as cherry tomatoes, and expect smaller fruits.

One problem with growing indoor vegetables organic gardeners face is the lack of light during the winter.  Most vegetables need 6-8 hours of sunlight a day.  Plants should get as much natural light through a window as possible, but it may be necessary to supplement the light with a grow light.

Another problem with growing indoor vegetables organic gardeners face is temperature control.  Some veggies, like lettuce, like cooler temperatures.  They can tolerate temperatures that are nearly freezing, but start to bolt and get bitter when temperatures are much over 60.  Other veggies, like tomatoes, can’t tolerate temperatures much below 50 and like it hotter rather than cooler.

If you grow indoor vegetables, organic gardening is definitely the way to go.  You do not want chemical fertilizers or pesticides in your home, especially if you have pets or children around.  It may be a challenge, but indoor vegetable organic gardening will give you great fresh veggies in the middle of winter.  That’s something to be proud of.