If you’re a vegetable gardener, the snow on the ground may have you longing for spring, when it’s time to put in those seeds and transplants to get your edible harvest going. Even though it’s too cold outside to do anything but make plans for spring in your outdoor vegetable garden, there are things you can do indoors to satisfy your taste for fresh produce.
The easiest is a windowsill herb garden. Many home and garden centers have kits with several small pots of herbs. Or you can make your own with a few pots and packets of your favorite seed herbs. Just keep them pinched back so they don’t overgrow the space you’ve got. Most will do well on your windowsill, provided they get some sun.
Other things to consider are dwarf varieties that might do well indoors in pots. There are some varieties that will thrive on a half-day of sun. In addition to herbs, consider dwarf citrus, carrots, and some peppers. If you’ve got a good, bright area, consider a basket with a hanging tomato plant. Lettuces and other salad greens do well in containers also. Consider potting in larger wheeled containers that you can move out onto your deck when the weather warms up.
Make sure that wherever you put your growing veggies that they are not exposed to drafts or blowing air from heat vents. Also avoid putting them too close to a cold window pane. If you’re worried about the amount of sunshine you get, you can add a grow light. If you’ve got the space, you can assemble a variety of pots with design accents such as stones, etc. to create an indoor landscape that’s edible.
Container gardening – indoors and out – is just one of the ways you can extend Minnesota’s vegetable growing season and find new areas to put in edible plants even if you don’t have the space for a full-fledged vegetable garden. Finding unique landscape solutions is what we’re about, and we know that at some times of the year that involves bringing gardens indoors, too.