Grow vegetables indoors all year-round

Window sills, kitchen counters, pedestals, and tables - all surfaces where you can place a plant lamp are perfect if you want to grow vegetables indoors. It is not any harder than growing outdoors, and it is great fun to be able to pick your own cucumbers and other vegetables while the snow still lies white outside the window.

In order to cultivate indoors, you need good soil, but the most important thing is plant lighting. Without light, the plants become thin and droopy. The hours of sunlight we have here in the Nordics are not sufficient. From March to April, you can still grow in a window with daylight, but this does not work throughout the winter half-year.

Examples of vegetables that are ideal to grow indoors are Asian greens such as pak choi and tatsoi. Cucumber is another favorite - a tip is to choose the so-called parthenocarpic cucumbers - meaning those that do not need to be pollinated and only produce female flowers. Of course, you can pollinate flowers on other varieties yourself with a brush, but it is easier with the self-pollinating ones. Cucumbers thrive best in large pots, preferably ten liters or more, and should be watered regularly. But be careful not to let the stem become too soft, as it can easily rot. Let it stick up on a small mound in the middle of the pot so that the water drains down. Tomatoes are also possible to grow in the window. Here it may be wise to choose varieties in the "patio tomatoes" category, they do not get as bulky, but more like small bushes. Vilma is a nice, old variety that is well suited for indoor growing.

Both cucumber and tomato need a lot of light, and you should have the plant lamp on for about 14 hours per day for them to thrive. Around 14 hours of sunlight is good for many other vegetables you sow indoors as well. But there are exceptions; for example, cabbage should only be illuminated for 8-10 hours to avoid starting to bloom. If you want to keep it simple, there are suitable mini-greenhouses that can be placed on the bench - they have built-in plant lighting that can often be increased in strength based on how the plants are growing, in addition to the great advantage that the plants do not need to be close to a window.

Cabbage, tomatoes and cucumbers are just a fraction of what you can grow indoors. Spices, cress, lettuce, ginger, chili, bell peppers, pineapple, physalis, garlic, microgreens, strawberries - yes, even potatoes are possible to grow indoors with the right lighting, good soil and nutrients. There are actually few limitations, apart from space - and if you have that, you can also grow larger plants. How about picking a cluster of bananas from the couch? It's actually entirely possible with a little care and patience. Apart from the vegetables you eat directly, it is also entirely possible to pre-cultivate the plants to later plant them outside. Many vegetables have such a long development time that they must be sown in winter to have a chance to bear fruit in summer. This applies to, among others, chili, bell peppers, eggplant and artichoke.

When growing indoors, it is easy for the seeds to dry out, as the indoor climate is often dry. Therefore, it is a good idea to have transparent plastic with air holes over the cultivation and make sure to water carefully during the period when the seeds germinate. Most vegetables thrive well in regular potting soil, or compost soil, with the exception of some herbs that prefer a more sandy soil. Repot into larger pots as the root systems need more space, and fertilize regularly, preferably a little every time you water. Easy as pie - so start experimenting with indoor gardening now, so you can harvest fresh vegetables throughout the year.

Liselotte Roll, a Swedish garden enthusiast, journalist, and author of books about nature, gardening, and animals, such as "Jord", "Odla för insekter", and "Höns som hobby". (Photo: Sandra Birgersdotter Ek)