A few years ago I was working fifty plus hours a week or more with five children at home in a townhouse. I dreamed of a house in the country with huge gardens but at that time it seemed so unrealistic. I still loved to walk up and down the seed aisle and imagine myself in my garden weeding my vegetables. To cheer myself up, I bought a seed starter kit and a pack of seeds one day. You know, I found so much joy watching those seedlings grow. I examined each one as I washed dishes every evening. If you are interested in growing seeds indoors this Spring, here are some easy vegetables to grow inside.
What You Will Need to Grow Your Spring Vegetables
You actually need much less than you may think to grow your seeds indoors. You will need a sunny windowsill, a container, dirt, water and seeds. It can get more complicated than that but to start off, just try to keep it simple and have a little fun. You don’t need to buy a special container for your seeds, People use empty toilet paper rolls, cut into smaller circles, egg shells, aluminum baking pans. You will want to set a tray under the container to collect any water that drains after watering. Seed starting mix is great but not absolutely necessary. Have the kids bring in a small pail of dirt and use that. It is best to poke a few holes in the bottom of your container if it doesn’t drain. If not possible, just water enough to soak the seed and not flood the tray. A pack of seeds is under five dollars but if you buy everything that goes with it, it will add up very quickly.
Lettuce is My Favorite of The Easy Vegetables to Grow Inside
Lettuce is a fun vegetable to grow because it is so easy to eat. Making a salad is so much more rewarding when you are picking your own lettuce. A few tips on growing lettuce is to barely cover the seed with soil. Plant a little more seed than you might think, because they don’t always germinate well. Use a spray bottle to water the seeds. You can eat the lettuce right from the tray as baby greens or later transfer them to a pot outside. As you eat the lettuce, you can grow more.
Kale is another great option. Plant seeds about a 1/4 inch deep. You can eat kale as baby greens also. As with lettuce, you can transfer seedling to a pot outside to harvest kale until they are overcome by heat. If you have more seedlings then you need, cut and eat them on a salad as microgreens.
Sprouts Are a Healthy and Easy Way to Grow Broccoli
Broccoli is easily started indoors from seed. To keep things simple, I suggest eating them as sprouts or microgreens. Enjoy them on a salad or in a sandwich. They are a powerhouse of nutrition. Plant broccoli seed a 1/2 inch deep.
Chives may technically be a herb but you can use them in place of green onions and scallions in recipes. Chives are much easier to grow than onions, they are perennials and they have pretty purple flowers. You will eventually need to transfer them to a pot outdoors but you will enjoy their beauty and taste for years to come. Plant seeds 1/4″ deep. When they are six to eight weeks old, you can transfer them outdoors.
Try basil or cilantro. I know these aren’t vegetables but they are green and make actual vegetables taste better. Pick whichever herb you prefer most. Both seeds germinate better is soaked in water before planting. Soak basil for twelve hours and cilantro for twenty four. Plant both seeds a 1/4″ deep.
Choose Just One of The Easy Vegetables to Grow Inside
If you have never grown plants from seed before, start with just one kind. Grow the seeds in a sunny window that you will see everyday. By the sink is ideal, so that you can quickly water them. You will get a little spark of joy when you see those first seedlings emerge. That’s what this should be, a fun and easy way to grow fresh food you can eat. You are going to learn so much more than you think from that little seed tray on your windowsill.
Enjoy my friend!
