Grow Vegetables Indoors: No Bio-Dome Required
Whether you only have a shelf for herbs or a whole backyard of greenery, there’s a gadget for you
Heather Arndt Anderson and Nena Farrell
Recently we learned via the New York Times that lettuce grown in outer space was just as nutritious as lettuce grown on Terra Firma. And this got us thinking: why aren’t we growing more food indoors? Without the challenges of growing astro-greens (lack of gravity being the top concern), and new kits increasingly space-efficient, there’s never been a better time to take a shot at it—or at least starting them early for transplanting outdoors in late spring. If you’ve ever wanted to grow vegetables indoors, new grow kits and lights make it easier than ever — and we can grow so much more than greens. Here are some of the new gadgets and tech to help start an indoor garden.
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1 /4 Photo courtesy of Hamama Microgreens Kit Designed By MIT Geniuses
The gateway drug to growing vegetables indoors has always been sprouts, and there are dozens of ways to produce these little nutritional powerhouses at home. One of our favorites is with the HAMAMA Home Microgreens Growing Kit.
HAMAMA was started by two MIT graduates who did years of research and work in high-tech indoor agriculture, which makes a lot of sense when you see how efficient (and sleek!) their kit is. That said, there isn’t really anything particularly technological about these kits; they consist of a black plastic tray that nests in an (optional) open bamboo frame. The real breakthrough is in the seed delivery system: a seed quilt sits on a bed of coconut fiber, which acts as the substrate for the sprouts’ roots as well as a wick to keep the seeds and sprouts moist. After the sprouts have been harvested, you simply compost the coconut fiber mat with the roots.
On the plus side, this is pretty much the ultimate “set it and forget it” microgreens kit—once you start it (with only a cup or so of water), you don’t have to do anything else until you harvest a week later. And you don’t need any lights — sprouts are ready to harvest before they really start needing to photosynthesize. On the down side, you have to buy HAMAMA seed mats for it, which ends up costing nearly as much as buying tubs of sprouts at the store.
2 /4 Courtesy of Click and Grow A Total Unit
It almost feels too easy when you set it up — you simply follow the instructions on the box (no extra paper!) to put together the minimal pieces of the Smart Garden (which can either grow three or nine pods at once depending on the size you choose). Then pop in the plant pods, put the plastic greenhouse cap on top, fill the bottom with water, and plug it in for growing to start. There’s an app, but it doesn’t control the lights or the device; rather, it scans the wrapper of your plant pod to help you track when you planted it and when to retire it. We saw growth within just a couple days, and while many seeds might sprout, Click and Grow recommends thinning fruiting plants (like tomatoes and chiles) to one seedling.
Growing your vegetables indoors doesn’t even require the flip of a switch — the grow lights turn on from the time it’s plugged in. If the Smart Garden has any natural light exposure, make sure to plug it in in the morning so that the lights are off at night (so the plants can get their rest).
3 /4 Courtesy General Electric Grow Bulbs From the Electric Grandaddies
For those of us in northern climes, the biggest challenge to growing vegetables indoors in the lack of light. From the company that literally financed Thomas Edison’s original research on electricity back in the 1880s comes a sleek, new grow bulb designed to integrate neatly with the home without the need for extra equipment. The GE LED Grow Lights are full-spectrum lightbulbs that fit into any lamp— no special ballast required — so you can get started right away. Because they’re LED, they’re also energy-efficient and long-lasting. We recently started our cucumber, chile pepper, and tomato seeds using the Full Spectrum Grow Light, to get a jump on spring with strong young plants (which is going to save a TON of money on buying plant starts). We’re happy to report that the plants are flourishing!
If you want to continue growing through to harvest, just swap out the Full Spectrum bulb with the Red Reproductive Spectrum bulb to encourage flowering and fruiting.
4 /4 Courtesy VIVOSUN Kick-Start Your Germination
When it come to seed germination, maybe even more important than a good light is warm soil. This isn’t the easiest factor to control if you’re attempting to grow vegetables in your basement, and that’s why the VIVOSUN heated seed mats are so handy. Just slide this flat pad underneath your soil-filled seed tray, and the soil will warm up to encourage those little seeds to wake from slumber.