So You Want to Take Your Garden Indoors

by Cindi Sutter, Founder & Editor Spirited Table® - content provided by freelance editor, Rae Steinbach:

"Rae is a graduate of Tufts University with a combined International Relations and Chinese degree. After spending time living and working abroad in China, she returned to NYC to pursue her career and continue curating quality content. Rae is passionate about travel, food, and writing, of course. Worx."

photo courtesy of green leaf plans

Gardening is generally considered a spring and summer activity, but you don’t have to leave your garden behind during the winter months. Regardless of the size of your home, indoor gardening is the perfect way to keep your garden going throughout the winter while giving your electric grass trimmer and cordless lawnmower a well-deserved break in the shed.

These are some of the most important ideas to keep in mind if you’re interested in growing fresh greens this winter in your indoor garden. Keep in mind that growth depends on a variety of factors including soil, space, and light along with the specific plant—it’s important to be aware of everything that could be affecting your unique garden.

Start by Watering

Indoor gardening is broadly similar to outdoor gardening, but there are a number of differences that need to be considered when growing plants inside. Rather than the typical approach of watering your seeds after planting, for example, it’s often better to soak them in water before placing them in the soil.

It can take days for new seeds to absorb enough water from the soil to start growing, so soaking them beforehand speeds up the process in an indoor setting. Similarly, you should consider leaving new seeds on the soil’s surface to put them closer to the light and reduce the risk of disease.

Keep Seeds Closer

Conventional wisdom says to give seeds some space while planting, but this isn’t necessarily true when it comes to indoor gardening. In the shorter season, plants won’t have as much time to obstruct each other’s growth.

In fact, there’s nothing wrong with leaving seeds close enough to touch—the goal is to generate as much growth as possible in your limited space. You’ll be disappointed in your results if you give each plant the same amount of space that it would get in an outdoor garden.

Simulate Outdoor Darkness

Light is obviously crucial for a plant’s growth, but you should actually try to minimize light during the first day or two after planting new indoor seeds.

Outdoor seeds are generally placed deeper in the soil, so it takes them more time to reach the light. Leaving your tray in darkness for a few days simulates this darkness and leads to even faster growth.

Don’t worry about completely removing every source of light—a room without direct sunlight should be fine. You can move them into a brighter room once they’ve completed this initial phase of growth.

Growing plants inside for the first time can feel overwhelming, but you’ll learn quickly once you get started. These tips will help you avoid common beginner mistakes and have a successful first harvest.