The cool wind of fall whips the leaves around outside, creating an itch to scratch the soil and plant some vegetables. Unfortunately with winter coming, the season has passed for working the soil outside. There is, however, another way to satisfy your craving to grow fresh produce for your kitchen! Learning how to grow vegetables in your window. Farmer Nathan has 5 wonderful vegetables to share with you that grow great in the winter. Before jumping to the list of vegetables to grow in your window, there are a few tips that will help you gain success. Similar to gardening outside, a garden planted in haste often ends in a hurry.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read our disclaimer for more details.
Lighting
Window placement in a house makes a difference for indoor vegetables. If there are trees outside or it is a north window, there may not be enough light to sustain growth. My favorite windows to choose from either face south or southeast to get maximum sunlight for the plants. This is needed as the sunlight in winter is much weaker than during the summer.
Soil
Soil is critical when planting inside. If it holds too much moisture, it can suffocate the plant’s root system. If it doesn’t hold enough, you may end up with stunted root growth and poor growth. I do not suggest using soil from outside as the chances of bringing bugs or pests inside is pretty high. And crops grown inside offer a beautiful environment for pests to grow plentifully. FoxFarm offers an indoor blend that has a beautiful blend of properties to get you started on the right foot. With it being bagged, it also reduces the chance of pests coming in on the soil. I have had great success starting my seedlings in the winter for spring plantings and the consistency is perfect for window growing as well.
Potting
I greatly enjoy eclectic pots to plant inside plants in. But not every pot is created equal for using inside. I like to start by measuring the area around the window being allotted for growing vegetables in your window. This provides a good basis for how many pots to purchase and what size is practical. For indoor pots, I like the ones that come with a bottom to help prevent a mess when watering. If your favorite pot doesn’t have a bottom, I like these pot bottoms for placing underneath the pots.
Watering
Water is an essential element to get any plant to grow. It can also be a source of problems when growing inside. Too much water and it can water log the soil and overflow the trays. Whereas too little water and the plant will struggle to get the nutrition it needs to grow properly. I have found that watering once per week is a good balance for most vegetables indoors, allowing the surface of the soil to dry out in between waterings.
Airflow
Airflow is another tricky factor. If there is a ceiling fan in the room where you are growing your vegetables in your window, I like to leave it on for 8 hours a day. This is to simulate the breeze outside and is more important inside to keep fresh air cycling around your plants. The primary issue is too little airflow and the nutrients won’t be able to travel to the tips of the leaves.
Stagnant air can also create pockets of too little carbon dioxide, slowing down the growth rate of your plants. If you do not have a ceiling fan, positioning your pots near an air vent can help. The older home my wife and I live in doesn’t offer either the ceiling fan or floor vent as an option, making it particularly tricky for us. To compensate, we try to keep the ceiling fans in the adjacent rooms on periodically to keep the fresh air moving.
By balancing the above, the growing environment is prime for growing vegetables in your window! Not every plant grows well inside, unfortunately, due to the lower light levels. Generally any vegetable that we eat the fruit of is going to be quite challenging to grow inside. This makes leafy greens the easiest to grow all winter long. Here is a list of my favorites:
Varieties of vegetables to grow
Kale. It grows fast and can handle multiple harvests all winter long.
Lettuce. Once you have tried a winter salad with your own greens, it is hard to turn back to the flavorless store lettuce.
Herbs. Parsley, basil, thyme, and oregano all grow great on window sills, offering a lovely fresh flavor to your winter dishes.
Microgreens are the fastest and easiest crop to grow in the winter! Pea shoots and micro broccoli are my personal favorites and grow in less than 14 days. (We like Johnny’s Seeds for microgreens)
Arugula. This peppery green is sure to add a dash of flavor that will tantalize your taste buds! It also regrows just as well as kale and can sometimes produce fresh leaves for up to 3 months.
Lastly, here is my secret indoor vegetable water recipe to help boost your plants! I hope these tips on how to grow vegetables in your window and the list above helps get you started on your journey of winter farming inside. Happy growing!
If you are looking for additional activities to do during the winter, check out our other post on putting the garden to sleep!