Winter Veggies at Home: A Beginner’s DIY Guide

If you spend your winter months looking forward to the spring thaw when you can plant your first seeds, then you’ll be glad to know you can grow your veggie garden in the winter, without giving your green thumb frostbite. At Wood Country Building Services, we believe that  that with a little planning and know-how, an indoor veggie garden can give you fresh, homegrown herbs and vegetables throughout the year.

Like your summer garden, your indoor garden will need sufficient light. Vegetables tend to do better than fruit during the winter months, as veggies require at least four to six hours of direct sunlight per day, whereas fruits require eight to ten hours. If you have a spot in your home with adequate sunlight during the winter months, then you can grow your vegetable garden without the need for grow lights. However, you will find that providing extra light to your plants with grow lights will help them grow larger and faster.

You will need to plant your veggies in pots with adequate drainage. The amount of space you have for your garden will determine what you can grow, as different vegetables have different space requirements. Lettuce and herbs can be grown in pots only a few inches deep since you will harvest before they’ve grown too large. However, vegetables that require larger root systems, such as tomatoes, cucumbers or beans, will need pots large enough to support this growth. The same is true for any root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes or radishes.

You will need to plant your indoor vegetables in soil specifically designed for indoor potting. This is not the same soil that you would use in your outdoor vegetable gardens. A mix of even parts perlite, vermiculite, peat moss and sand is ideal for indoor growing. These premixed soils can also be purchased to include moisture-storing crystals and time-released fertilizer.

Your growing plants will benefit from fertilizer. Organic, water-soluble fertilizers that work well for indoor gardening, like fish emulsions or seaweed, are a great choice. Alternatively, chemical fertilizers are available to give to your plants regularly (often weekly) or in slow-release form. Whichever way you decide to fertilize your garden, be sure to match the needs of your growing veggies with the appropriate fertilizer and administer it according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Of course, regular watering is essential for your veggie garden to succeed. Unlike your outdoor garden, a missed watering won’t be made up with a conveniently timed rainfall. Different plants require different watering schedules, but all potted plants are prone to drying out quickly due to the small amount of soil in each pot. This is particularly true for veggies planted in small containers. Follow your watering schedule and check your soil regularly. It’s important to know that overwatering your plants can also be detrimental, and plants left in soggy soil will have rotted roots.

That’s why proper drainage is so important. Look for signs of overwatering, such as mould on the surface of your soil, the dropping of new leaves and stunted growth. It’s interesting to note that it’s not just the water in your soil that affects your indoor plants – during the winter months, when most homes have their furnaces on, the air is likely to be dry. You can combat this warm, dry air by running a cool-mist humidifier near your garden to simulate the conditions they would experience outdoors.

Not all vegetables will do as well indoors as others. For your first indoor veggie garden, try a few of these easier-to-grow indoor plants:

• Scallions – require less sunlight than many other vegetables
• Microgreens – they are cut when they are still small, so it won’t take long to grow and collect your first harvest
• Radishes – require less light but do need deep containers for their bulbs
• Herbs – require only small containers and can be harvested when they are small, but are susceptible to cold if kept too close to windows or drafts
• Salad Greens – spinach, lettuce, baby kale will do well indoors and in small containers, but do require sufficient drainage and regular watering

The more variety of plants you have, the more maintenance you'll have, so it’s best to spend some time researching which types of vegetables you want to try for your first indoor veggie garden. While an indoor garden will likely not produce the same crop as your outdoor garden, you can still have fresh, homegrown produce year-round.

If you need more information or have questions, our team is always ready to help you.