Beat the frost – grow winter veg indoors

Ground that’s frozen solid is just one reason why outdoor vegetable cultivation tends to take a dip in the winter. But there’s no reason to give up on home grown additions to your food supply even if it’s snowing a blizzard outside. Now’s the time to create you very own indoor vegetable garden.

Containers for indoor growing

Space can be an issue but rather than only thinking in terms of large containers, consider dividing vegetables up into smaller pots and tubs.

Depth is probably more important than width (for retaining moisture), keeping in mind that the air in your home may be very dry. You need space for water as well as roots.

And invest in moisture retaining compost.

Light

You need to place your containers where they’ll get the most natural light. Conservatories are a bit of a no-brainer but I’ve also had good results in loft conversions with large dormer or Velux windows. On warmer, sunnier days think about ventilation as well as light.

But even the most enthusiastic winter veg may need some artificial light. Take particular care if you plan to grow your veg from seedlings as they can become rather long and weak if they’re struggling to get enough light during the day or the light source is narrow and high up.

If you do decide to supplement with artificial light you need to invest in proper grow bulbs that emit full spectrum light.

Another reason to go for smaller containers is that you may have to rotate pots to ensure everything you’re growing gets its fair share of the available daylight. Choose windows that give the maximum exposure to light rather than those that emit a lot of light but for much shorter periods.

Don’t over-heat them

It’s somewhat ironic that while it’s too cold to grow veg outside it may be too warm to grown them inside. Central heating is not ideal so so use cooler rooms or ones where you’re prepared to turn the heating off. A draught may not be your idea of fun but plants love it. (I mean a draught and not an icy blast, so avoid placing containers too close to external doors which are opened regularly.)

What to grow

Herbs and lettuces are obvious choices. But don’t stop there. As well as various other leafy greens experiment with peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, peas, courgettes and garlic greens.

Tomatoes - cherry tomatoes look pretty as well as working well on window sills. Full-size tomatoes may need to be tethered to something fairly substantial to stop the pot falling over (and they will definitely need a grow bulb). I haven’t tried growing tomatoes upside-down in the house – but its worth a go (and let me know if you do).

Leafy greens – try spinach and swiss chard.

Peppers – again, go for mini varieties and even chillies.

Cucumbers – lovely but keep in mind the space you’ll need or opt for mini varieties.

Beans – a bit more of a challenge and more light dependent but look at Mange Tout and Sugar Snap varieties.

Peas – same as beans but there are small varieties designed to be grown indoors.

Courgettes – as with cucumbers, there’s the space issue. But you can harvest them young and don’t forget that the flowers can be stuffed with savoury rice, dipped in batter and fried.

Garlic greens – plant garlic cloves (garlic from the garden centre is best) but harvest the shoots rather than the bulbs. They are great diced in soups and stews or added to mayonnaise.