All over the world, people are turning to indoor vegetable gardening. With numerous benefits, including better control over growing conditions, the ability to extend the growing season, and sustainability, indoor gardening offers a viable and rewarding way to grow fresh produce. From urban gardens or restaurants to community organizations, successful indoor vegetable gardens can be a game changer.
The short answer is yes - maintaining an indoor vegetable garden can be both easy and rewarding! Of course, like any new hobby or skill, there’s a learning curve, and growers need to pay close attention to detail and consistently care for their indoor garden. In our experience, here are the key factors to consider when starting an indoor vegetable garden:
On average, most vegetables need at least 6-8 hours of sunlight daily. For indoor gardens, this means that spaces need to have a way of providing natural or artificial light. For natural light, windows (such as south-facing) can be the answer. If an indoor space does not have good access to natural lighting, the most effective type of lighting is LED grow lights.
These types of lights ensure that plants get the kind of energy they need, all while:
Growers can configure their gardens with a DIY approach to lighting or invest in a vertical system, such as a hydroponic gardening system that comes with customized lights.
When growing indoors, it’s crucial to choose the right growth system. Traditionally, this has been a combination of soil and containers, such as:
For containers, pots with drainage holes can prevent waterlogged soil, as long as the container matches the vegetable's root depth requirements.
For example:
However, with the unpredictability that can come with growing with soil, manygrowers are bypassing it entirely. Instead, growers are looking at indoor hydroponic systems. Hydroponic systems, well-suited for indoor environments, use nutrient-rich water solutions in place of soil. A few advantages to indoor hydroponics include:
Due to the direct access to nutrients and controlled growing conditions, plants grown hydroponically often grow faster than those grown in soil. These systems also support a wide range of plants, including herbs, vegetables, and fruits.
Good air circulation is a critical aspect of maintaining a healthy indoor vegetable garden. Mold, mildew, and pests can thrive in stagnant air, making it challenging to grow healthy plants.
Here are the best practices for improving air circulation in an indoor garden:
When it comes to temperature control, it’s important to know the type of environment a plant is being grown in, even indoors. From there, depending on whether they are using a hydroponic system or soil, growers should consider investing in tools such as:
Another important factor is to keep the growing area clean and free of debris. If not maintained, an unclean indoor garden can harbor pests and diseases. Clean fans, ventilation equipment, and dehumidifiers regularly to ensure they operate effectively.
With the right setup, an indoor vegetable garden is relatively easy to maintain. By paying attention to light, water, and other environmental factors, growers can enjoy fresh, homegrown vegetables year-round. As the success of growing fresh vegetables relies heavily on consistency, many growers choose to invest in a ready-to-go hydroponics system built specifically for growing veggies indoors.
The Flex Farm, for instance, is portable and only requires a standard electrical outlet and less than 10 square feet of space. The easy-to-use system also only requires about 2 hours of regular maintenance per month.
Want to learn more about working with a hydroponic system? Learn more about our Flex Farm system today!