Produced by Patti Moreno the Garden Girl
Contributor to:
- Organic Home
- Edible Landscaping
- Recycling
- Backyard Livestock
- Altervative Energy
- Composting & Vermiculture
- Eco Design
- Organic Lifestyle
- Gardening
- Gardening Tips
- Organic Vegetable Gardening
- Hydroponic Gardening
- Container Gardening
- Square Foot Gardening
- Water Gardening
- Vegetable Garden Layouts and Plans
Starting a Vegetable Container Garden Indoors
A Little Bit About Me
I grew up in New York City and had no idea what a garden was. The gardening bug bit me when I became a mother. After my daughter Alejandra was born, I looked in the mirror, saw that I had gained 70 pounds, and decided I had to do something about it quick. A new mother in a new house, I decided to start getting into shape by working on landscaping my yard at our home near Boston.
At first, I was like many other newbies—a serial plant-killer. But I built on my small successes and learned from the defeats. Eating food fresh from my garden makes me a better cook, too, as I work with the freshest and most delicious ingredients. I travel the world through my garden, growing and eating varieties from Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean. At the same time, I’m reducing our carbon footprint, because our food hasn’t traveled from the ends of the earth.
Summer is long gone in now, but my obsession with gardening brought me indoors as well. I grow many herbs and vegetables indoors in containers. The scents of my potted basil, oregano, lavender, and mint waft through my house. Using the fresh herbs gives my meals a fresh taste. I also bring containers indoors where I grow plants that aren’t cold hardy in the Northeast like my citrus trees and olive trees.
Tips for Starting an Indoor Garden
- Most food plants need at least six hours of direct sun light. (Lettuce and other salad greens make do with just four hours of sun.) Set up your garden on the south or west side of your house to expose it to the maximum about of sunlight.
- Containers need proper drainage so make sure that there are holes in the bottom of the container.
- Think big, start small. Begin with a few plants at first. Once you’ve established a routine of taking care of your plants you can add more without the worry of not being able to keep up.
- Grow plants that are suited for containers like herbs and smaller vegetable plants like peppers, lettuces, and Asian greens.
- Use compost based organic potting soil for the perfect nutrient rich growing medium.
- Water your containers about 3 times per week if the plant has dried out. Fertilize your indoor container garden regularly with organic fertilizer like liquid kelp that can be used once a week when you water.
Sun days: Plant your garden where it will get at least six hours of sunlight each day.
