Garden expert shares five vegetables that are ‘easy’ to grow in small spaces

When it comes to gardening, you don’t need to have a huge garden or outdoor space to grow delicious vegetables and blooming plants. In fact, there are many crops that thrive indoors with limited space.

If you don’t have access to the outdoors, all you need is a sunny window and plenty of patience while you wait for your vegetables to sprout this winter. According to Bonnie Plants, there are some important steps that you should follow to ensure your veggies grow successfully inside.

Firstly, it’s important to choose an indoor space with good lighting and warmer temperatures – avoid cold, drafty areas. Green-fingered folk should also keep their plants away from heat vents and fireplaces, as this dries them out and overheats them.

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Make sure to use containers with drainage holes and use good-quality soil to guarantee the best growth. It’s essential to water your plants regularly and keep an eye out for any pests and plant diseases.

If you’re looking to harvest your own edible indoor garden, Bonnie Plants has revealed the best place to start. As the temperatures start to drop, here’s the full list of home-grown vegetables you can enjoy this winter.

Lettuce

This versatile veggie can grow quickly and easily, but they need to be placed by a very sunny window to thrive. If your natural light is dim, Attainable Sustainable recommends providing supplemental lighting to help the growth. It writes: “The full spectrum of light should be placed about 4 inches above the top of the leaves.”

Tomatoes

Bonnie Plants says it’s important to pick dwarf-type tomatoes, which are bred for container growing. Tomato Growing notes that you can get “very good results” by growing the plant on a windowsill in a six to eight inch pot.

Peppers

Peppers need at least six to eight hours of sunlight a day, so make sure to place the vegetable plant in a well-lit area. Bonnie Plants adds that smaller peppers, including chilli and shishitos, are great additions for your indoor garden.

Microgreens

Microgreens are a great source of nutrients, and packed with vitamin A, E, C and K, as well as calcium, magnesium, iron, selenium and zinc, notes Banner Health. They are young seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs, including radishes, kale, basil, and mustard greens. Bonnie Plants suggests they should be grown in a shallow container, and placed in a sunny area.

Chives

Chives grow nicely in pots and are a great replacement for garlic and onion – which are difficult to grow inside. Make sure they are placed in a bright, sunny location and the pots have holes in the bottom for drainage. The gardening site adds that there are a selection of other winter plants that thrive indoors, including: