I have been growing vegetables indoors for more than a decade and I have grown more than twenty plants indoors. You aren’t limited to carrots. There is a wide variety of tasty and nutritious plants you can grow inside your home.
1) Dwarf Cherry Tomatoes
Tiny varieties of tomatoes are often tastier than larger ones. Regular large tomatoes found in grocery stores are designed to be cheap and easy to grow, not tasty or nutritious. Try growing dwarf cherry tomatoes at home and you’ll be amazed by how much better they taste.
2) Astro Arugula
Astro Arugula is a salad green that grows very quickly, especially indoors. It is best to harvest it after only three weeks, or it will become too tough to be good to eat. You can add it to pasta or use it to make pesto instead of adding it to salads.
3) Cilantro
Cilantro is an herb that adds a unique flavor to many foods. It grows well indoors with the right amount of light and is loaded with vitamin C and vitamin A. When harvesting, remove the mature leaves near the base of the plant, not the younger leaves near the top.
4) Spearmint
Spearmint is a medicinal plant that does much more than freshen your breath. It reduces inflammation, improves digestion, and even works as a painkiller. It is commonly used in drinks, but I find it adds flavor to many foods.
5) Red Leaf Lettuce
Lettuce has always been popular with indoor gardeners. Red leaf lettuce has a distinctive taste, color, and texture that can make your salads more unique. It contains vitamins A, C, and K, plus folate.
6) Strawberries
Strawberries don’t grow as quickly as some of the other plants I recommend, so you can’t easily produce them in huge quantities indoors. However, strawberries you grow yourself can be a delicious treat on a hot summer day. Try unusual varieties of strawberries, and not only the usual ones found in stores.
7) Kale
Kale is one of the most nutritious things you can eat, and it grows well indoors if you know the tricks. A lot of people don’t eat kale because they don’t know how to prepare it. Try kale and sausage pasta, kale smoothies, kale salad, or chicken orzo soup with kale.
8) Thyme
Thyme is one of the greatest spices, comparable to oregano, basil, and sage. The herb grows fast (5 to 8 weeks) and should be cut early (when it reaches 4 to 5 inches). Try using thyme and garlic to flavor roasted potatoes.