Growing your own vegetables is a great way to add colour to your household, save money on grocery shopping, and most importantly reduce the amount of environmental pollutants. Growing your own food helps reduce the amount of fossil fuels burnt as a direct result of imported foods from commercial farmers. It also reduces pollution caused by food packaging, pesticides, and fertilizers. However, not everybody has the space to grow a full garden of their own, so here below are a few plant suggestions that are perfect for growing indoors.
1. Green Onions and Chives (Water only)
2. Beetroot Greens (Water only)
Beetroot itself has high nutritional value; however, its green part is just as healthy too. To regrow beetroot greens, cut no more than one-third off the top part of a beet. Place the beetroot top into a filled glass or bowl of water with the cut-side facing downward. Then set the glass in a location where it can receive an adequate amount of sunlight. Within a few days, you should already see the beetroot greens slowly start to form! Just make sure you remember to add or change the water every other day.
Radish is a very easy vegetable to produce indoors and outdoors. You can often find radish seeds at the local farmers market, and if not, many online plant stores provide them. Just make sure to keep them in a container that is at least 14 inches wide and place them near the window so they can get good sunlight. Water them every few days, and within a few weeks, they will be ready to eat!
Basil is an excellent introduction to indoor edible plants. Basil plants can be bought fully grown and already potted at many markets. Simply place the basil plant near the window so they can have access to sunlight and water it every other day. It is a beautiful and delicious solution to having a constant supply of basil leaves at home. *Remember to snip off any flowers that start to grow to prevent the leaves from becoming too bitter.
Here is a great guide on how to grow your own basil - Click Here
5. Lemongrass (Water only)
Keep the leftover lemongrass stalks and keep them in a cup of water in a sunny spot. Make sure to change the water every day. New leaves will begin to grow almost immediately. After a week or so, you will notice roots start to grow and eventually, the stalk will divide itself into two after a few weeks. After this process, you can use it or continue to grow it in a soil pot.
6. Bok Choy (Water only)
Bok choy is a very nutritional vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked. To regrow the bok choy bought from the market, first cut the base of the stem and place it in a small bowl of water. Within 2 days, new leaves will already be growing. From then on, you can either decide to eat the young leaves or continue to grow the bok choy. It is also possible to keep growing the bok choy in a soil pot, but for convenience, many people opt for the easier water-only option.
Mint is another really easy-growing indoor plant. Just cut 5 to 6 inches in length off the tip of an already established mint plant. Remove the bottom leaves and place the tips in a glass of water. Set near the window and watch the mint grow. Like all the water-growing plants, the mint can also be planted in potting soil to maximize growth lifespan.
8. Lettuce (Water only)
Lettuce is another one of the water-only growing vegetables. Merely place the stem of the lettuce into water and watch it grow! Make sure it gets plenty of sun too. Just like all the other plants, you can also decide to place it in a soil pot. Regardless, it is an easy way to enjoy fresh greens all year long!
9. Garlic Greens
Green garlic is the green shoots that grow from the cloves. Its delicious aroma and garlic-like flavor is perfect for spicing up any preparations like salads or baked potatoes. To grow garlic greens, plant 3 or 4 cloves in a soil pot and let them sit near the window. Water lightly every other day and within 7 to 10 days you will be able to snip off the fresh garlic greens.
10. Celery (water only)
Celery is another one of those vegetables that can be regrown in water