If there’s any plant that will convince you there’s no substitute for fresh-picked produce, it’s leafy greens. Even farmers market greens start to wilt and lose their crisp, sweet freshness within hours. For gardening enthusiasts, leafy greens are incredibly rewarding to grow – they are fast, easy, and highly productive. In this intro, we’ll cover the different types of leafy greens suitable for indoor gardening, their lighting needs, and the planters we use to provide each type with perfect growing conditions.
What Leafy Salad Greens Can I Grow Indoors?
Leafy greens grow exceptionally well indoors. In fact, most commercial lettuce is grown indoors because outdoor greens have a very short growing season and are often prone to pests. This makes indoor gardening a preferable option for many. We’ll cover the best varieties for indoor gardening and also highlight some leafy greens that you may be better off purchasing from the store.
Growing Lettuce and Spinach Indoors
Lettuce:
No matter what type of lettuce you prefer, there’s an indoor option for you. Head lettuce varieties like Romaine, Butterhead, and Summer Crisp, and loose-leaf varieties such as Oak Leaf and Salad Bowl, are excellent choices. However, we don’t recommend growing crisphead types like iceberg indoors, as they take a long time to mature and are quite large. Lettuces are shorter-lived crops, as they become bitter once the plant bolts (sends up flowers), but there are some tricks to extend their harvest.
Spinach:
Like most vegetables, spinach can be grown indoors, but it requires brighter light and grows slower, so it’s not as recommended. To start growing spinach indoors, you will need water, potting soil or hydroponics, containers, and seeds. While it’s possible to grow spinach indoors, you might find better success with other leafy greens.
Growing Greens Indoors: Other Options
Growing greens indoors is not an impossible task, especially salad greens such as kale and arugula. These heartier greens are more resilient and can provide a continuous harvest with proper care. They are excellent options if you prefer greens that are robust and packed with nutrients.
Indoor Lettuce & Leafy Greens Growing: Setup and Supplies
How Much Light Do You Need?
Leafy greens need at least 5 hours of direct sunlight daily, though they’ll grow faster with more. While a bright window might work fine, we prefer using grow lights for a couple of reasons. The plants thrive in their consistent light conditions and can be “tricked” into longer harvest periods by maintaining a perpetual spring environment. Grow lights are an essential tool for the indoor edible gardener and open up many possibilities once you know how to use them effectively. Whether you’re just starting with a window, curious about grow lights, or unsure, our lighting for leafy greens section will guide you to an effective setup.
What Type of Planters & Soil Should You Use?
Leafy greens love consistent moisture and nutrient-dense soil, making a regularly fertilized, self-watering planter a fantastic option. However, if you can’t get enough lettuce, you might consider trying hydroponics for your indoor greens growing – for whatever reason, lettuces grow nearly twice as fast hydroponically.
Self-Watering Planters
Self-watering planters are an excellent match for leafy greens. They have a separate reservoir that you fill about once a week, which slowly delivers water to the soil, keeping it consistently moist. As leafy greens produce a lot of foliage, the soil needs to be rejuvenated regularly. We provide recommendations for potting mix, watering, and fertilizer scheduling in our self-watering planters for lettuce & leafy greens blog.
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is a method where roots grow in a mixture of air, water, and nutrients. This method can grow lettuce twice as fast and is an excellent option for those looking to maximize their yield. Although it can be more complicated and expensive, the benefits often outweigh the challenges. If you’re curious about hydroponics, our hydroponics for beginners guide can help you decide if it’s right for you and show you how to set up a simple yet effective system.
Growing Your Salad Greens and Lettuce Indoors
Continual Harvests from Your Leafy Greens
To ensure a constant supply of fresh greens, you need to thin your seedlings, maximize growth through pruning, harvest the best-tasting leaves, and employ strategies to extend your plant's harvestable period. Our skills section for Leafy Greens will teach you how to achieve this. If you haven’t read our Sprouting skills section yet, it’s a good idea to brush up on those basics first!
Using Fresh Picked Greens in the Kitchen
Leafy greens are so much more than just salad ingredients! Their sweet, crisp leaves are great for adding to burgers, sandwiches, and a variety of recipes. Having fresh greens on hand encourages you to incorporate them into meals more frequently. Our recipe section offers loads of ideas for using your home-grown greens, ensuring you never run out of delicious ways to enjoy your harvest.
By following this guide, you can enjoy fresh, home-grown leafy greens year-round, straight from your indoor garden. Happy gardening!
There are no comments for this article. Be the first one to leave a message!