Indoor vegetable gardening can be very rewarding, but there are several things to think about before you start. First, do you have enough light? Plants do require a good amount of light to grow strongly and produce a crop. This does not matter so much for general house plants where you just want the plant to survive, but if you intend to grow a plant for its vegetable crop then it will need more light.
A large sunny window ledge is fine for smaller plants. If you have a conservatory or a room where the windows reach the floor, that is even better because you can use the floor space.
Clearly, choosing what to grow will be important. In fact, the most important thing you will do for your indoor vegetable gardening project is choosing the plants.
Tomatoes can work well indoors because they grow upward and do not need much space. They do like a lot of sun so you will need to put them right in the window. You can buy a trellis to stand in your container to support them.
Herbs also make good indoor plants. They usually like well drained soil. Too much water can cause fungal growth. They also like a good supply of fresh air. Most herbs will grow happily in pots on a sunny windowsill. Some, such as parsley, rosemary, mint and thyme, can handle less sunlight.
Root vegetables do not work well indoors in most cases because they need a bigger depth of soil than most homes can provide. The exception may be if you have a conservatory with large containers.
It can be hard to treat indoor pests. You should not have a major pest problem if you are growing from seed, but be very careful when buying growing plants. Be aware of the pests that target different plants, such as red spider mite for tomatoes, and check that they have not infested any plant in the store. It is not enough to check the plant you plan to buy because there could be eggs on it.
Also, check your house plants for pests before you start. There is no point in buying the perfect vegetable plant and then putting it right next to something that has an aphid infestation when you bring it home. It is possible to spray indoor plants although you would probably not want to use chemical pesticides in your home. Organic is better for anything that you plan to eat. Plant garlic with your tomatoes to deter red spider mite.
Hydroponics can be an excellent solution for indoor vegetable gardening. This is an intensive growing method that allows you to control the water, nutrients and light that plants receive. You can use grow lights to augment natural light. Hydroponic equipment does not have to be very expensive either. Simple starter kits are available for indoor vegetable gardening beginners.