The impacts of air pollution, further heightened by the mass scale deforestation, are grave upon nature. For instance, according to the researchers, the Florida Panthers in Everglades National Park, an endangered species, have experienced poor reproduction because of increased levels of mercury in the air.
This is only one example. There are several examples of the environmental deterioration caused by vast-spread air pollution and lack of plantations in the world.
However, due to the rise in population, most people living in towns and cities do not have houses big enough with gardens or yards. Should that stop you from trying to improve the environment or practice your favorite hobby—gardening?
No!
In fact, for people with limited living spaces, such as shared living, paying tenants or apartments and even houses, indoor gardening is a great idea!
As a beginner, your focus should be on growing the easiest and most convenient plants—and what could be easier to grow than herbs and vegetables? In this article, we look at some herbs and vegetables you can grow in your indoor garden.
Herbs to Grow in Your Indoor Garden
With your own homegrown herbs, you can notch up all your dishes by adding a unique flavor and aroma to each of them. In addition, herbs can also be used for medicinal purposes and detox drinks.
Since herbs are packed with vitamins, minerals, and all the essential nutrients for your body, it is a great product to start with. Some of the most common, flavorsome, and easiest herbs are mentioned below:
1Mint
Another essential plant, which is also the easiest to grow, is mint. You can grow mint from both—seed and parent plant, but the outcome is usually different. This is why it’s advised to grow it from a nursery-bought parent plant.
Mint is popularly used in refreshing drinks such as lemonades for detox and digestion purposes. Its aroma has calming effects, enabling you to become relaxed and mindful—so growing it indoors can lead to a more stress-free life!
Rosemary
Known as the “beginner-friendly” herb, Rosemary comes with limited needs. It can be grown in any kind of soil, which makes it super easy to grow indoors and in a diverse climate.
Apart from adding flavor and fragrance to your cuisines, Rosemary is popular for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Using it in your food has several benefits as well, such as enhancing overall digestion, strengthening memory and focus, offering anti-aging benefits to the brain and preventing hair loss problems.
Oregano
Not only is oregano an important ingredient in pizza, pasta, and salsa, but it is also easy to grow indoors. However, it needs to be placed in a warmer area where it can access sunlight. So if you have a window in your room, instead of growing flowers, you can actually sow some oregano seeds in the pot, and they will grow into extremely useful plants. And, you won’t have to lose out the aesthetic element either since oregano grows with beautiful little pink flowers.
Oregano is a natural detoxer. It offers antioxidant properties, which prevent the flow of free radicals in your body. Other than improving the digestive system, immunity system, and heart health, it also aids in a healthier skeletal structure as it is packed with iron, manganese, and most importantly, calcium.
Basil
Apart from being the best topping for a margarita pizza, basil is renowned for being the avatar of the Hindu goddess “Lakshmi” and is planted in shrines, temples, and homes for blessings and prosperity.
Basil itself is quite easy to grow if it is provided with the right kind of temperature—warmth and light. So you can place it near or out of your window, next to your oregano plants, and let it grow into a full plant.
But this is not enough of a reason to grow it. This herb is exceptionally aromatic, which gives your cuisines a ravishing scent that drastically impacts the appeal of your overall meal and makes it more scrumptious. In addition, it is known for treating colds and flu as well as curing the swollenness or redness after an insect bite.
What’s more is that basil is packed with antibacterial properties, keeping you strong and healthy. It improves focus, memory, and attention span and can also have soothing impacts during a strenuous day. Whether you have basil essential oil or the fresh plant itself, its scent offers soothing aromatherapy to your mind, helping you relax and de-stress with minimal effort.
Parsley
Whether you’re cooking pasta or pizza, parsley is the one ingredient that can change your dish’s look, flavor, and aroma. In addition, it is packed with vitamin C, which combats germs and diseases in your body.
In addition, this wonderful herb is known for balancing blood sugar levels, which makes it an ideal ingredient in herbal tea for diabetic patients. Parsley also fights asthma and prevents inflammation, making it extremely healthy to use. Since it contains vitamin B, is also decreases the levels of homocysteine in your body. This is extremely important in maintaining heart health as high levels of homocysteine in your body can lead to strokes.
Sage
Sage is the kind of herb you need in your home for most meal preps. The only thing you have to be careful about is keeping it away from a moist atmosphere, so the best place to keep the pot indoors is near the window or out of it, where it can receive as much sunlight as possible. In addition, make sure that the soil in the pot is well-fertile.
But sage isn’t just useful as a flavorsome herb. In fact, it has several other benefits such as treating different kinds of skin conditions, including psoriasis, eczema, and breakouts. Crush the leaves and create a pasty texture to apply for spotless and smooth skin.
Apart from this, sage is also packed with vitamin K, which is known for improving your bone health and ensuring that the bone density remains consistent as you age. This can prevent diseases such as arthritis that are likely to occur in old age.
From improving concentration to boosting your immune system, sage has offered a wide variety of health benefits, which makes it the perfect herb to grow in your indoor garden.
Most herbs are used for their medicinal purposes, and by incorporating these herbs into your daily meals, you can enjoy these benefits with delightful flavors and mouthwatering scents. But not only will these indoor-grown herbs provide you with medicinal benefits, but they will also make your home fragrant and promote an overall environment of peace and relaxation.
Amazing Vegetables to Grow as a Beginner
Now that we have covered the best and easiest herbs to grow, it is time to move on to something more essential to your cooking—vegetables. Whether you are vegan or vegetarian, or simply enjoy vegetables as a side to your main courses, having an indoor vegetable garden can prove to be extremely useful for you.
Not only will a vegetable garden provide you with all the necessary vegetables for your daily meals conveniently, but it will also save you some extra trips to the grocery store, and you won’t have to purchase vegetables either. Instead, you will have all the daily essentials right at home—even in winters!
Vegetables may not be as simple to grow as herbs, but there is definitely no rocket science behind it. With these easy-to-grow vegetables, you can kick start your indoor garden as an amateur and move on to more complex veggies or a full-fledged outdoor garden to the pro level!
Carrots
If the first thought that comes to your mind when you hear “carrots” is a large field of sprouts with carrots buried underneath, then you might be a little shocked to know that you can actually grow carrots in your indoor garden as well!
Although the carrots grown indoor won’t be gigantic like the ones grown in full-fledged farmland, you will still be able to grow fresh baby to mid-size carrots indoor and enjoy a year-round supply. In order to grow your own baby carrots, you will need an 8-inch deep pot, while a mid-size carrot requires around 12 inches deep pot.
In addition, you will also need to use an organic fertilizer to ensure that the carrot grows out really well. It is typically recommended to sow the seed ¼ inches deep and keep the pot near the sunlight to ensure they receive optimum light to grow.
What makes carrots such a catch to grow indoors is their usefulness. Whether you need a healthy and hassle-free snack to gobble down or need to add more color to your meals, carrots are the perfect vegetable to go for!
In addition, carrots have several benefits and are particularly renowned for being rich in vitamin A, which boosts your overall vision. Carrots are also well-known for their anti-aging effects as they are packed with beta-carotene. Overall, carrots can cure sun damage, improve skin health, and even improve your gum health!
Tomatoes
Surprisingly, tomatoes are indoor-friendly and are an amazing addition to your indoor garden. Ideally, you should grow tomatoes on flatter surfaces instead of pots to ensure healthy growth. This is why it’s best to start in a box or carton. Once the seeds begin to sprout, you can use a hand transplanter to transport them to the pot. But make sure that the carton or box is placed right next to the windowsill or under the LED lights as they require direct energy to grow well.
While the debate of whether tomatoes are fruits or veggies is still unresolved, everyone can agree that they are a staple to most meals. Whether you need a base for your pizza or stew, tomatoes add a burst of flavor to every meal!
While tomatoes are rich in minerals and vitamins, they are extremely useful in countering the negative impacts of smoking on your body. They are rich in coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid, which enables them to battle against nitrosamines found in cigarettes or cigars.
In addition, tomatoes also decrease the chances of hypertension in your body, which leads to high blood pressure problems. As a result, it ensures heart health and keeps your body relaxed.
Lettuce
Another essential and easy to grow vegetable includes lettuce. Whether you are making yourself a double patty burger or a weight-loss-friendly healthy wrap, lettuce is the key to your prep. And what makes it the perfect veggie to grow indoors is it’s easy to regrow ability. Simply plant the leaf again in fertile soil, and you will have another bunch of healthy and delicious lettuce with minimal effort!
To grow lettuce in your indoor garden, start by sowing around 15 seeds in fertile and moist soil. Keep it by the window or under the lights to provide energy for germination and mist every other day.
Just like other leafy greens, lettuce is a great choice for salads as it provides the essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that benefit your body. However, what makes lettuce such a great choice of consumption is that it contains high levels of water. As a result, it has a juicy flavor, which makes it a more delectable leafy green than the others.
In addition, since it has high levels of water, it can be consumed in high quantity, making it a staple in salads, wraps, and sandwiches. And particularly in summers, it can keep your body hydrated and nourished at the same time.
Ginger
Ginger requires the least bit of effort and yet, provides multiple benefits. All you have to do is buy some organically grown ginger, store it in a container, and add a thin layer of fertile soil. The soil should be damp but not wet. Keep it under growing lights (as per instructions) and let it grow!
While ginger has anti-inflammatory benefits as well as a significant role in reducing indigestion, it is widely used in treating nausea and preventing vomiting caused as an after-effect of surgery, morning sickness, anxiety, pregnancy or motion sickness.
In addition, not only does ginger treat high or irregular blood pressure levels, but it is also used to decrease high levels of cholesterol levels found in the body to promote regular, healthy and balanced blood flow. This prevents heart problems, as well.
All of these vegetables and herbs are easy to grow and will lend some credibility to your gardening skills. Learn the skills and develop your indoor garden today.
