Kitchen Garden: Grow Your Own Food In Your Kitchen
Growing a kitchen garden is a great way to feed your family. From fresh herbs to vegetables you can grow many great foods right in your kitchen.
With a little creativity, you can grow food at home even if you do not have the space to put in a full garden.
Why should you start a kitchen garden?
Growing a kitchen garden is a great way to save money on feeding your family. As the prices of everything continue to rise you can help fight this by growing some of your own vegetables and herbs right in your kitchen.
Whether you live in the country and want fresh salad greens in the winter or you are an apartment dweller that wants to grow food year-round the kitchen is a great place to grow your own food.
For me, the kitchen garden is a great way to supplement my food budget in the winter when the garden outside is not an option. I like to grow things like baby spinach which is very expensive during the winter and easy to grow with a simple grow light on the shelves in the kitchen.
What do you need for a kitchen garden?
What you will need for your kitchen garden will depend on the type of garden you are starting. If you are growing simple herbs in a south-facing window you do not need much for your kitchen garden.
Some flower pots, soil, add seeds can get the job done though you are limited on what can grow this way over the winter. If growing in the winter I suggest adding LED grow lights to help ensure that your plants are getting enough light.
The other option that allows you to grow more nourishing food in your kitchen-like vegetables is a hydroponic garden system. The options you have are dependent on the amount of space you have in your kitchen.
A large-standing hydroponics set option is great for feeding your family over the winter. If you need something smaller a countertop hydroponic garden is a great option.
Many people choose to grow a garden over their kitchen sink. A kitchen window garden can be as simple as a few herbs in pots or as advanced as shelves with fresh baby spinach and salad greens depending on your wants and needs. You can find window garden shelves to make this easy.
Growing herbs in your kitchen
For the average person starting their first indoor garden herbs are the best starting point. herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, and mint can all thrive in pots right in your kitchen without any issues. These can be used to add flavor to your favorite meals and even be used to add some flavor and bulk to salads.
To grow some basic herbs in your kitchen all you need is a south-facing window that gets plenty of sun shining in during the day. As you become better at indoor gardening you can make investments in other tools that allow you to grow more food for your family right inside your home allowing you to have more than a simple kitchen window garden.
Growing vegetables in your kitchen
Salad greens are great for growing in your kitchen. These vegetables can grow in the shade so as long as they are getting some light even if not full direct light they can thrive. After you have masted basic herbs or if you choose to start a hydroponic garden you can benefit from growing these leafy green vegetables.
Tomatoes make a great option if you have the space. You can choose a variety like Delice De Neuilly, Tiny Tim, or Tumbling Tom that all grow to 2 feet or less.
Microgreens are sprouts that provide a large amount of nutrition. These are quick to grow right inside your home and do not take any special equipment making them a great first vegetable growing option for your indoor garden.
