How to Grow an Indoor Salad Garden

Salads are versatile in the kitchen. You can serve them as a side dish or the main meal and make it as healthy or unhealthy as you wish. Salads are one of my favorite things to eat, which is why I grow lettuce indoors. While I’m content to open up a package of pre-chopped greens from the grocery store, growing it myself feels so much more rewarding, and I swear it makes my salads taste better!

Indoor salad gardens are a great way to start gardening, but even if you’re a seasoned gardener, cramming a few more plants into your home doesn’t hurt. Growing salad indoors is a great way to keep fresh food in rotation even in the dead of winter, allowing you to take a break from the grocery store or the food you preserved earlier in the year.

You aren’t limited to just growing lettuce—almost any green leafy vegetable will grow well indoors. And beyond that, you can grow small varieties of vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Tomatoes may require some more maintenance, but it’s certainly possible. Let’s take a look at how to grow a bountiful dinner indoors.

Step 1: Choose Your Growing Medium

Soil, right? Actually, you have a few growing options when you grow indoors. If you already have soil on hand, then it might be the most accessible option for you. However, there are hydroponic options that may be better for small spaces and limited budgets.

Soil

Your basic soil is generally a low-cost growing medium, although the price depends on brand, quality, and size. A large bag of organic soil fresh from faraway places is certainly going to cost more than a small bag of topsoil with added nutrients. If you already have soil on hand, try growing your lettuce seeds in it. You may not need to buy anything special for it.

Lettuce grows best in sandy loam soil, according to Oregon State University, so look for something that’s well-draining while retaining moisture. Lettuce roots are small and need a soil that won’t compact easily. Choosing a coarser soil or adding compost to it should sufficiently prevent compaction.

Cup of Water

If you’ve ever seen videos of “garden hacks” online, you may have seen people growing lettuce in cups. You really can do it this way! You’ll need to start with the roots of a head of lettuce rather than seeds in order for it to work. This method is good for beginners and kids since it’s a quick process that rewards you with instant gratification.

This method will have the quickest turnaround of the three. Lettuce can’t grow indefinitely, even if you provide everything it needs. It will eventually bolt, which is when it grows flowers and seeds. It can also rot after producing some leaves.

Since you start with the stalk of a fully-grown head of lettuce, you’re starting at least halfway through the plant’s lifecycle, whereas you’re at the very beginning with seeds. If you don’t mind replacing lettuce stalks every few weeks, you can keep this method going indefinitely.

Hydroponic System

I finally jumped into the wonderful world of hydroponic systems, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say it changed my life. Growing an indoor salad garden filled with lettuce and herbs in my kitchen is a treat, and I have yet to have any pest problems. I highly recommend this method if you have the budget for it and love convenience as much as I do.

There are several hydroponic systems out there. I use a countertop version sold as a complete system with lights, pumps, and wires built into it, but you can purchase just about any size you want. You can even DIY your own with two-liter bottles or containers. Whether you go the store-bought or the handmade route, either one allows plenty of customization to make it fit into your space.

Step 2: Choose a Site

Even if you have the best soil in the world, you won’t get far without proper lighting and temperature. While every part of the growing process is important, you can argue that the location determines the success of your garden. My house is a step up from a cave in terms of natural lighting, so I know what it’s like to struggle to get enough sunshine. If you can relate, you’ll need to examine every room closely to see what kind of light you have and your budget to see what kind of grow lights you can afford.

Finding the most rays indoors will be crucial for your salad’s success. If you want to focus on greens, growing on a windowsill won’t be so difficult since many greens do well in partial shade. Tomatoes and peppers, however, likely won’t thrive by a window since they have a greater demand for direct sunlight.

South and west-facing windows are ideal for indoor gardening because they let the most sunlight in. East-facing windows can work if they allow full sunlight in the morning, but you’ll have the least amount of success with northern windows and will likely need to supplement with grow lights.

Grow lights changed the way I garden; I grew and harvested peppers in my bedroom one time! They may have an upfront cost, but they’ll make gardening far more accessible to you, which is great if you don’t have a lot of space to start with.

Step 3: Choose Your Seeds

Now for the fun part: seeds! If you’re prone to overspending due to your seed-collecting hobby (trust me, that’s a hobby), try to make a well-thought-out game plan. Unlike outdoor gardening, indoor gardening has much less space to tuck seeds. You’re limited by the availability of soil, containers, and window sill or counter space, so you really have to think about what you want to grow. 

Start with a Base

What’s a salad without some greenery? Lettuces are the easiest route to take because they’re simple to care for and reward you with a quick growth rate, allowing you to harvest in a month or so. If you want baby greens, you’ll only need to wait a couple of weeks.

The Truchas Mini-Romaine Lettuce is a good place to start. It has a gorgeous purple-red color that will pop out on the dinner plate, and it’s resistant to many diseases, making it a good one for beginners. The slender leaves work well in containers and hydroponic systems. Buttercrunch Butterhead Lettuce grows into compact heads that won’t take up too much space. If you allow them to grow to full size, you can stagger your plantings and use one head per serving of salad to make it easy.

Apple Blossom Swiss Chard Blend is a fun way to add some color to your meal. It’s one of my favorite greens to include in my salads, and I love sautéing it with other vegetables, too. This blend is rich in nutrients and ideal for containers. Pick the leaves when they’re young to keep them tender and the plant small, and you won’t have to worry about running out of space.

If you don’t want to grow an average salad, add Baby Choi Bok Choy to your indoor salad garden. This bok choy (or pak choi) grows to six inches tall, which is the perfect size for growing indoors. It resists bolting, allowing you to use the cut-and-come-again method for a long time.

Consider Some Toppings

There are a few non-leafy vegetables you can easily grow in your indoor salad garden. While you can technically grow anything inside with a little bit of effort and patience, you should start out with easier plants to get the hang of it.

Root vegetables aren’t off the table; the French Breakfast Radish will be ready to harvest in less than a month, and the root is only a couple of inches deep. It shouldn’t be too hard to find a container that will comfortably fit them. Radishes thrive in full sunlight, so you may want to use a grow light with these. Even though they’re root vegetables, you can still grow them hydroponically.

A salad almost always has tomatoes, so try growing the Patio Choice Yellow Bush Cherry Tomato in your home. This prolific plant will reward you with gobs of yellow tomatoes and only reaches about 18 inches tall since it’s a determinate variety that won’t grow out of your control.

Step 4: Plant and Grow

Once you have your seeds and location picked out, it’s time to grow! Planting an indoor garden is an easy process that won’t take long.

Growing in Soil

Prepare your seed-starting pots by filling them with soil. Don’t pack them too full, or the tender roots may struggle to push through it. Seed-starting soil is ideal because it’s designed to be easy for plants to grow in. When you repot your plants, you can use nutrient-rich potting soil.

You can start seeds in just about any container as long as it has a drainage hole. Choosing a container or pot that will be large enough for the mature plant may be more convenient, but pay close attention to moisture levels, as a tiny seed in a large plant can be difficult to look after. Consider The Epic Seed Starting Bundle if you’re unsure how to get started.

Generally speaking, seeds typically don’t need to be planted deeper than 1/4 of an inch, although most lettuce seeds grow best uncovered. Read the seed packet directions so you can get the best results. Keep your seeds and seedlings moist since dry soil will quickly kill them.

As your plants grow, keep an eye on their roots. Rootbound plants will start growing their roots in spirals around the edge of the container and will eventually run out of space, leading to unhappy or dead plants. You may need to repot your plants into larger pots as they grow.

Growing in Water

If you purchased a hydroponic system, follow the guidelines in the booklet it came with for the best results. If you have a DIY system, you should research the best way to care for your seeds. There are several hydroponic growing media options, like starter plug sponges, sand, and even packing peanuts, so the method you need to use to start seeds will vary based on your system.

The indoor salad garden system I use comes with sponges with little holes for seeds. I fill the tank with water, put the sponges in baskets, and then put seeds in the sponges. I set it and forget it, and after a week or so, I see tiny leaves appear.

You don’t need to worry about moisture levels in a hydroponic system since it’s a water-based growing method. However, you will need to keep the tank full of water and pay close attention to fertilization, which I’ll discuss in the next section.

If you’re regrowing produce in a glass of water, it’s super simple. Wash off any dirt from the roots of your lettuce, onions, or whatever else you want to grow. Grab a glass or other container that doesn’t have a drainage hole and fill it with an inch or two of water. Place your plant in the container so that the roots are submerged. You’ll need to refill the cup periodically as the plant grows.

Step 5: Maintenance

Maintaining an indoor salad garden won’t take much effort. Since you can harvest these when they’re young, you likely won’t need to prune them aside from yellowing or dead leaves. If the plant starts to bolt, it would be best to remove it and start over with new seeds since bolting is a sign of the end of the plant’s life.

Be sure to keep up with fertilization for all plants, whether they’re grown in soil or water. Soil may be easier to keep up with since you can add a liquid fertilizer to the watering can and apply it when you water the plants. You can also choose a slow-release granular fertilizer that you’ll only need to apply once or twice a year. Be sure to follow the package directions so you don’t over-fertilize.

Pest pressures aren’t as bad indoors as they are outdoors, but you still may occasionally have to deal with them. Remove pests by hand when possible. Either take them outside or kill them so they will leave your plants alone. Neem oil and diatomaceous earth are natural ways to control larger bug problems. Chemical pesticides are an option, but remember that they’re not the safest, so spraying them indoors could put your family and pets at risk.

Step 6: Harvest and Enjoy

My favorite part of an indoor salad garden is harvesting! Your salad bases will be cut-and-come-again unless you opted for greens that develop tight heads that would be better harvested as a whole. If you cut and come again, harvest the outside leaves first. New leaves develop on the inside of the plant, so the larger outer leaves will be the ones you want to go after. 

You can also cut your greens at the base all at once, leaving a couple of inches behind. This will keep the plant alive and allow it to regrow. Of course, you can also uproot the entire plant, prep the soil for seeds, and start fresh every time. Succession planting will work best with this method. 

Although scallions are different than greens, you can harvest them similarly; either cut the greens off as needed or wait until the root is thick enough. Root vegetables like radishes and carrots will need to be replanted every time since regrowing the greens will only reproduce seeds.

Harvest fruiting plants when the fruit is fully ripened. Since you’re growing indoors, you should have little to no pests that are after your goodies, so you can allow them to ripen on the plant and harvest them as needed. Gently cut or twist the fruit off the plant so you don’t damage leaves. Harvest frequently to encourage the plant to continue developing fruit.

If you need to store your harvest, leafy greens store well in the fridge in a plastic bag or Tupperware with a paper toil to absorb moisture. Tomatoes, peppers, radishes, and onions can last a couple of weeks in the fridge.