The 5 Best Vegetables to Grow Indoors

Year-round vegetable gardening is totally possible — especially if you grow some of your goods indoors. These veggies thrive when they stay inside, so make some room in your kitchen and get ready for fresh, home-grown meals on the regular.

Good to Know: There are some limitations — like a lack of growing space — when growing vegetables indoors. Be prepared to make due with a shorter list of plants to grow and smaller yields than you would get outdoors.

1. Herbs

This veggie subset is the easiest to grow indoors. Unlike many fruits and vegetables that require copious amounts of sunlight and water to produce a crop, many popular herbs produce results with regular watering and a sunny windowsill. And while there are a ton of varieties to choose from, the best herbs suited for indoor gardening include rosemary, cilantro, basil, oregano, bay, chervil, chives, parsley, sage and thyme.

2. Root Vegetables

You don’t need to build a raised bed or even deep planters to grow some of your favorite root veggies. It can be as simple as repurposing pots, boxes and other kitchen items to serve the same purpose. Just keep in mind that round or glob varieties of radishes (like Easter Egg and Pink Beauty) and carrots (Round Romeo or short types like Little Finger and Parisienne) will grow best.

3. Microgreens

Microgreens are a great way to get nutrient-dense vegetables into your winter diet without investing a lot of time and space into your indoor garden. Simply put, they’re sprouted seeds that most of us can grow without much of a problem — all you need is a clean mason jar or flat dish, seeds and time.

4. Mushrooms

Not all gardeners think about growing their own mushrooms, but in recent years there have been mushroom kits sold commercially that take a lot of the guesswork out of the process. The best part of growing these guys indoors: you’re not limited by the time of year, and low light levels won’t ever pose a problem.

5. Beans

Beans are easy to germinate and a fun seed for the whole fam to grow. Look for dwarf broad beans and dwarf runner bean varieties that you can grow in tall, sunny windowsills.