Top 5 Veggies you can grow indoors in any weather!
Eating home-grown organic vegetables is all the rage now; and with good reason! It’s definitely better for our health as need not worry about the preservatives that have gone into the vegetables since we would be growing them ourselves. And let’s face it, there some extremely charming about being able to nurture something and see it growing under your care. So if you have been itching to test your green fingers, let the fact that you live in a desert country not stop you! Here are the top 5 easiest vegetables to grow indoors in Dubai, whether it’s an apartment or villa and under any weather conditions!
You can often find seeds for growing vegetables indoors in organic food markets in the UAE or any plant nursery in Dubai. Make sure to read the instructions carefully and follow their directions as these will usually be customised to grow veggies indoors at your home in Dubai.
Best veggies to grow indoors
Let’t take a look at which vegetables you can grow at home and join the growing organic food movement across the world.
1. Carrots
One of the easiest vegetables to grow indoors is the carrot. Just make sure the pot you are using is deep enough, when you decide to grow this veggie indoors. Longer varieties of carrot will need at least a 15-inch pot and shorter varieties a 10-inch one. After you have planted the seeds, make sure to keep the pot near a window with access to a decent amount of sunlight. Make sure you keep the soil moist, but it should not be too wet. Once they germinate, thin them out(remove some of the baby plants in a row to free up space for the rest) so each individual carrot has enough space to grow to its full size. You can plant a fresh batch every two weeks and grow them all year round. Your eyes are definitely going to thank you for the steady source of vitamin A! They are ideal even if you are looking for easy vegetables to grow in apartments.
2. Tomatoes
If you like some fresh cherry or lemon tomatoes in your salads, you would be happy to know these are one of the best vegetables grown indoors. You can start sowing tomato seeds using a seed starter mix. Plant them 1/4 inch deep in pots which are at least 6 inches tall. Ensure the soil is moist and keep the pots in a warm location. Once it germinates, move the pot close to your window sill or in front of any direct source of sunlight. Tomatoes grow best in warmers conditions so they are great plants to grow indoors in Dubai. Move the seedlings to a new pot when they are about 3 inches tall and help the plants support the weight of the tomatoes by keeping short sticks in the pot. Start a new pot of seeds every two weeks for a constant supply of home-grown tomatoes over winter and into early spring.
3. Lettuce
The next entry on our list of interesting vegetables to grow indoors is the highly versatile lettuce. Used heavily in salads and as a wrap it’s one of those vegetables which is also low maintenance when it comes to options for growing vegetables indoors in Dubai. You can use either a clay pot or a plastic one, but if you are using plastic, line it with a plastic bag with punctures to facilitate water drainage. Fill it with fresh soil and spread the lettuce seeds in it. Add a fairly thin layer (1/4 to 1/8 inches) of soil over the seeds, make sure the soil is moist at all times and keep the pot next to a wide window for maximum sunlight. Spray the pot with water every morning and add some organic fertiliser for the best harvest.
4. Radishes
Radishes are one of the vegetables that you may not think of growing indoors. They do require a lot of sunlight, and need to be kept moist, but in Dubai we have plenty of access to sunlight even indoors, so you can easily attempt to grow this veggie indoors. Find a window sill with enough sunshine streaming through and if possible invest in grow lights to stimulate the growth of vegetables indoors. Choose a variety of radish that does not grow too large, such as perfecto (small red radish), ping pong (white radish), easter egg or cherry belle. Stay away from varieties such as the daikon radish as they need deeper soil to grow in. Use soil enhanced with compost, plant about half a dozen seeds in a medium sized container and water with a spray can till shoots appear, after which you need to water more regularly. Make sure there is enough moisture in the soil at all times.
5. Beetroots
One of the other surprising vegetables grown indoors is the beetroot. Start by choosing a pot that is fairly wide and at least 17 inches deep with holes for water drainage. Place this in a tray so that any water seeping out can be collected in it.Add fertile soil to the container, making sure to stop at the 16-inch mark. Make sure to leave enough space between each beet so they have space to grow. It’s best to place the seeds 1/4 inches deep in the soil and roughly 1 foot apart from each other. Keep the pot near a window and make sure the temperature indoors stay a cool 20 degrees. Water only when the soil feels dry and you should be seeing the beets germinating 17 days into planting. Rotate the containers, so the pot gets sunshine evenly. You can harvest them when they are the size of golf balls or slightly larger.
Try out with one of these awesome veggies and learn how to build your indoor vegetable garden right at home! Now that you know more about growing vegetables indoors, why not try to being in more green-elements to your home decor and take a step in the right direction towards preserving the environment and staying more healthy. You can also work on growing your balcony garden or use some of our useful tips for gardening in the hot weather in Dubai.
