Vegetables: Eating Indoor Gardening?!

This summer will be the first time I’ve had to buy all my own groceries, and live apartment-style.  (I can’t tell you how excited I am to get out of the dorms and off the meal plan…)

And with that, why not try my hand at growing my own food?

…. I can see so many things going wrong with this.

In the past, my experience has dealt mainly with flowers and indoor houseplant container-type gardening.  Growing stuff that I’ll actually consume is daunting.  I am by no means any type of “foodie”; Google is my friend, and recipes are usually followed to the letter.  So why am I trying this?  It’s another experiment! Yay!

So I’ve done some research, and these plants are ones I’m most interested in growing this summer.  They also all look fairly easy to take care of.

First up, tomatoes.  The rest of my family is mad about them, but I’m not a big fan.  The internet says it’s ridiculously easy to grow them, though you may need a grow light to get substantial produce.  Cherry or plum tomato varieties work best for indoors, because they produce a large(r ) amount of fruit and ripen quickly.  If anything, just remember to choose a smaller variety that isn’t quite so spreading like outdoor tomatoes.  It usually takes 8-14 weeks for a tomato plant (grown from seed) to produce fruit (the length of time depends on the cultivar).  (Usually what our family does is buy an almost mature plant from a nursery…)

Peppers.  Both bell and jalapeño peppers work nicely.  No one in my family habitually eats peppers, but the food I’ve had with them in have been amazing.  They can be grilled up, used in soup, you name it.  Bell peppers can be anywhere from 6-36 inches high, and 18-24 inches wide once grown.  Depending on the variety, it can take 8-12 weeks to mature. 

Peas.  Honestly, growing up this was the only veggie that I liked from the garden.  I was a pro at harvesting them, and eventually even figured out how to properly nuke them in the microwave to get them from garden to plate.  There are three main types of peas: Green, Snap, & Sugar.  The vining varieties get huge, but there are also bush varieties!  (Joy to the world, it is possible to grow them indoors!)  Usually bush types range from 1-3 feet tall.  The Internet recommends the Tom Thumb variety, which is actually only 8 inches tall.  It takes about 7 weeks for this particular variety, and others vary from 7-10 weeks.

And finally, spinach.  I prefer spinach over lettuce because it’s sweeter, and lasts longer in the fridge.  This one looks the simplest to grow; all you do is sow the seeds, have basic care, and 4-6 weeks later you can eat the leaves already.  Great for my lack of patience.  :]