The 4 Easiest Things to Grow in Your Indoor Garden
If you’re intimidated by the idea of indoor gardening, don’t be! Earlier this year, we worked with green-thumbed pro Amy Pennington, author of Apartment Gardening, to come up with a list of the four easiest things you could possibly grow in your kitchen. She’s got all sorts of tips, tricks, and techniques — and she was willing to share them!
Keep reading to check out the four easiest things you can grow indoors.
1. Mint
Mint is one of those plants that you really cannot mess up. It can handle the abuse of lack of watering or poor sunlight. There are really just two key things to know. One: You should grow your mint from starts (a plant that’s already started growing). This way, you can taste a leaf before you commit. (Many peppermints, curly mints, and other plants are sold as mints, but they are not the same as the cool menthol plant you find in a mint julep and will likely disappoint in recipes.) Two: You’ll need to pick a pot with enough space for the plant to continue growing in, or else the roots could wrap around themselves in swirly patterns and start to choke the plant. (Weird, right?) It’s simple, other than those two things. Promise!
Read more: The Easiest Herb You Can Grow Indoors
2. Arugula
Usually when it comes to indoor gardening, people tend to think of herbs or, well, just succulents. But it’s actually super easy to grow arugula on your windowsill — especially if your windowsill doesn’t get a ton of sun. Arugula excels in north-facing windows — a rare trait for a house plant — and the cooler temps keep arugula from bolting or going to seed. Amy suggests using seeds and starts for your arugula garden. Keep reading to find out why.
Steal all of Amy’s knowledge: The Easiest Vegetable You Can Grow Indoors
3. Basil
There are two things you never need to buy again: those grow-your-own-basil kits and expensive packs of basil from the supermarket. Turns out, growing basil at home is totally foolproof and you really have no reason not to do it. You can do it from seeds or starts, and the biggest key here is to make sure to fill the pot with potting soil so it’s flush with the top. If you leave space, the lip of the pot will create a small shadow, blocking growing plants from sun.
4. Scallions
Perhaps you’ve seen all those hacks online showing that you can regrow your scallions simply by placing the white bulbs in a cup of water (and maybe eventually putting them in soil)? Perhaps you’ve doubted that it really can be that easy? Truth: It is, indeed, that easy! You can even manipulate the plant to grow to your liking. If you prefer to eat the white portion of the plant, which is more flavorful, you can bury more of that part deeper into the soil and it will grow larger than if it was sticking out of the soil.
Get even more tips: The Easiest Aromatic You Can Grow Indoors
Have you tried growing any of these things in your indoor garden? If not, will you now that you know how easy they are?