Grow Fresh Fruit, Vegetables and Herbs Indoors

Reader Contribution by Rachel Schwartz
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Rachel Schwartz is a Natural Home & Garden editorial intern. She attends the University of Kansas where she studies Journalism and writes columns about environmental and organic health for the campus newspaper, The University Daily Kansan. She is passionate about reducing her carbon footprint and filling her body with the best possible foods.    

 As the chilly, winter months have now come upon us, growing plants outdoors is simply out of the question. If you are one of those people that grow their own fruits, herbs and veggies, you may dread buying these food items at the store now. Luckily, you can still grow many edible plants indoors during the winter.

Herbs are quite simple to grow indoors. You don’t even need to purchase special lighting. For basil, plant the basil seeds in a pot that you should put next to a south-facing window. Parsley is another commonly used herb that can also be grown from seed. Be sure to place the pot by a window that gets plenty of sunlight. Other herbs are best started by clipping off a piece of the plant or digging up the whole plant to pot and place inside.

In addition to growing herbs to add flavor to dishes, you can also grow great fruits and veggies. One of my favorite foods is avocado. Growing avocados indoors is not the easiest process, but I think it would be worth it.

First, cut out and rinse the pit. Let the pit dry overnight then scrape off the extra dried layer. Put the pit in a pot with the tip poking out of the soil. Water thoroughly. If you are impatient, like me, place the plant by a sunny window to aid in the growth process. Water the plant each week. During the spring and summer months, move the plant outside so that it can be pollinated. You may be discouraged by having to up to a year, but, I’m pretty sure that after you have a taste of this delicious fruit, it will all be worth it.

There are so many other edible plants you can grow inside, including tomatoes, mushrooms, lettuce, carrots and, in my opinion, the most exciting, bananas! So, what are you waiting for? Get growing!

Image: Photo By Pippa Buchanan/Courtesy Flickr

  • Published on Dec 14, 2011
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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