Healthy Vegetables You Can Grow at Home

By Samuel Peters

Imagine savoring the crisp sweetness of freshly picked vegetables, bursting with flavor and nutrients, in the comfort of your home year-round. Growing your own vegetables indoors isn’t just a hobby; it’s a savvy investment in your health, wallet and taste buds. Some veggies are easier to grow than others. It’s best if you are able to grow vegetables from the comfort of your own home, never mind going to the grocery store.

Here are five vegetables you can easily grow at home. 

Potatoes

It’s easy to grow potatoes at home. You don’t need a huge setup. Just take an old potato that’s grown sprouts and cut it up, so that there are two or three sprouts for every piece. Put these slices in the pots with the sprout side facing up on at least four inches of soil. Put four more inches of dirt on top of them. It won’t be a quick harvest. Potatoes will take one to two months before they are ready to pick.

If you don’t want to rummage through dirt at harvest time, you can use potato-growing sacks. You will know they’re ready for harvest when the foliage becomes yellow.

Learn more about growing potatoes at https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/potato/how-to-grow-potatoes-when-to-plant-potatoes.htm. 

Chili Peppers

If you like spicy food, chili peppers are one of your best choices. If you have a space in your house where there is exposure to at least six hours of sunlight, you can grow your own chili peppers and you can grow them from the seeds of chili peppers you buy at the supermarket. Almost all types of chili peppers can be grown at home, whether it’s habaneros, jalapeños or Carolina reaper. While chili peppers are usually self-pollinated, it wouldn’t hurt to put them in an open space where insects can help them. Also, chili peppers are tough plants which means they won’t die even if you forget to water them for a couple of days.

Carrots

Carrots are also a great vegetable to have handy, especially if you’re keen on salads. Carrots need space, so you need to ensure your pots are spaced out to ensure air circulation and prevent overcrowding. You don’t necessarily need bigger pots but instead, deeper pots (at least 6-8 inches) with good drainage. Alternatively, you can try to utilize containers specifically designed for carrot growing. 

Salad Greens

Salad greens may be the easiest plants to grow at home. All you need to do is water the plants daily, and you can take the leaves any time you want. For a steady supply of salad greens, plant a few pots at the same time. You can also plant new seeds every couple of weeks and you can even plant them in small containers. Use mixed green seed packets which contain a blend of lettuce, kale, arugula and other greens, or buy individual seed packets for specific varieties, such as spinach, romaine or Buttercrunch lettuce to customize a diverse mix of greens together for a colorful salad, or grow specific varieties to suit your taste preferences. Embrace the culture of eating more greens!

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are, quite possibly, one of the more popular indoor plants that people grow at home, not only because they are delicious and versatile, but they are relatively easy to grow and return high value for the space they occupy. They are also self-pollinating plants similar to chili peppers. For great results, choose smaller tomatoes like Red Robins or Tiny Tims. 

Tomatoes have an advantage over chili peppers – they can be grown in climates that are a bit colder. In winter, rather than eating flavorless tomatoes, grow your own for a steady supply of tasty tomatoes. You can import a new plant every couple of weeks to have a continuing cycle.

Apart from potatoes, every other vegetable on this list requires seed (or seedlings) to grow. These seeds can be bought at certain grocery stores, nurseries, farm supply houses, feed stores, big box stores, farmers’ markets, etc. You can also buy them online. Here are some good seed companies trusted to provide quality products that are convenient to purchase from. 

1. Burpee Seeds Company: Offers a wide variety of seeds. https://www.burpee.com/ 
2. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: Based in Missouri. https://www.rareseeds.com/
3. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange: Features interesting vegetable varieties. Based in Virginia. https://www.southernexposure.com/

4.  Johnny’s Selected Seeds: https://www.johnnyseeds.com/ 
5. Finally, your local seed store and farmer’s markets are underrated places to find high-quality seeds. 

Growing vegetables at home is a great idea. Veggies are filled with nutrients that are good for your physical and financial health. Try growing some of these vegetables, which will improve your health, burn calories, and save you time and money at the grocery store.
 
Samuel Peters is a food nutritionist turned gardener. He may be reached at [email protected].