Growing vegetables is a simple thing as you just need a container with good soil or potting mix, water and a sunny spot. Like discussed in how to start a garden, its not necessary to own a garden or space to grow herbs or vegetables, you may know more in our guide to plant selection. These days plant breeders have developed varieties of vegetables that grow in containers round the year and also produce a rich harvest.

People would normally practice growing ornamental flowers in their homes inorder to add appeal to their interiors. Due to this vegetable gardens or plants were normally shifted to the backyard however as time progressed people realized that vegetable gardens are for producing food which is more important than anything. Gradually vegetable plants gained more significance, as a result gardeners opted for growing food indoors rather than just having ornamental flowers around. Breeders made this hobby beautiful by developing new varieties of seeds which are colourful and attractive.

A small sunny space is just what you need to get started with growing vegetables. Containers, soil and water is required further along with few considerations as discussed below.
Plants prepare their food in presence of sunlight and water hence it is very essential to place plants in areas where sunlight will be available for a considerable amount of time daily. Vegetables are sunlight hungry, they need atleast 6-7 hours of sunlight daily this helps them grow strong and produce well. There are few plants specially the salad ones like basil, lettuce, broccoli etc which grow well in less sunlight. Your garden should have plants depending upon the amount of sunlight available.

Water is equally essential for your vegetables, most vegetables may not produce properly if not watered. Depending on rain is not an option in vegetable gardens, you need to have a steady supply of normal water. Drip irrigation is an excellent alternate to normal watering specially in home gardens as it felicitates saving of water and feeds water directly to the roots of your plants. New drip systems are cost effective and they can be installed easily, it reduces spillage of water and saves lot of efforts in watering.

Container plants specially vegetables need ample nutrition which should be made available to them through the soil. Soil effects the taste of your vegetables too hence it is essential to have a better soil mix, rich in nutrients and pest resistant. Providing the right quality of soil will help your plants bloom, produce more and make them stronger to external changes.
Setting up an indoor or backyard vegetable garden will be an interest based activity and not a commercial one. You can grow some good tomatoes and eggplants or gift yourself few weeks of free salad supply. You should hence grow vegetables which are not locally available or the ones which you like to grow. We provide you few more considerations while choosing your plants:

Space management is very essential while considering your plantation. Growing a couple of big plants may leave you with very less space for planting other vegetables. Even if you get the dwarf variety still the produce will be normal size hence space management should be practiced before actually planting the vegetables. Once your garden is ready it gets really difficult to incorporate changes though you can adjust your plants but there will always be some difficulty hence it is advised to keep plan and execute accordingly. Considering plants that grow in less space or the plants that can be grown on supports will help ease the space problem. Plants that spread need good space to thrive hence seek the right alternates of your choice.

Indoor or backyard gardening can be extremely rewarding if there is proper space management. The best way to conserve space or utilize it properly gardeners can practice companion planting as there are few plants like tomatoes who enjoy the sun whereas herbs like basil grow well in shade. Co-planting basil with tomatoes will help fill the empty space between tomatoes and enjoy produce from both. Planting shade tolerant plants between other taller plants will be beneficial. Gardeners can also choose plants on basis of their harvest time. Peas, spinach, radish etc produce faster hence they can be a good option to grow with peppers or broccoli which are slow producing.

Quick growing plants such as lettuce grow well in shade and produce good quantity on each harvest. While planting indoors the space is already limited hence growing quick and high producing will help you enjoy enough produce. This practice of reseeding throughout the growing season is also called succession farming.

Rotating the growing area of vegetables throughout the garden is an effective practice for controlling infestation and producing better however this cant be done in in small gardens or indoor garden beds. Hence in indoor farming it is advisable to recognize the problem in its initial days and try to get rid of the menace quickly. Incase the problem persists its best not to plant the same vegetable or crop for atleast a year as this will help in curing the root cause. Incase of a pest infestation an alternate crop can be grown but it should not belong to the same family else the pest will adopt to the change.

Growing vegetables in containers helps us to control the growing conditions and use them to the extent where it is best suitable for your crop. Small spaces in your home or apartment can be effectively used to produce good food. The advancement in production of seeds has given gardeners an opportunity to grow edible plants in containers and inside their homes. Small plants and herbs can comfortably grow in hanging pots, for bigger plants you may need bigger containers.

Plants grown in bigger containers need less watering as compared to small containers or baskets as big containers hold more soil which retain more water. Most nurseries keep special soil mix for growing indoor plants, this soil is enriched with slow nourishing fertilizers hence the effort and work gets reduced drastically. You may practice indoor gardening even on places you never expected like alleys, stairs or even your windowsill. Windowsill provides good sunlight and is an ideal place for growing herbs or leafy plants.