When you think of growing vegetables indoors, you may picture the small corner of a window sill that gets a few rays of sunlight each day. But what if you can’t see any sunlight and your home or apartment doesn’t have a greenhouse? What do you do then? You see, growing veggies inside is not as easy as many people think it is. However, with some time and effort, you can grow your own indoor veggies successfully. Here are some ideas on how to grow veggies indoors without sunlight.
How To Grow Vegetables Indoors Without Sunlight
1. Use a Grow Light
Using a grow light indoors is the easiest way to get started with indoor gardening. You can choose from different types of grow lights: fluorescent, incandescent, and LED. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. Using a grow light is the most practical method to start your indoor garden, but it does require some initial investment. If you’re not sure which grow light is best for you, consult the experts at Grow Lights Director read our article on How to Choose the Best Grow Light for Your Houseplants.
2. Move Plants Indoors
If you live in an apartment or home without windows, your only option is to move your plants inside. An easy way to do this is by using pots or containers made especially for growing plants indoors such as HydroFarm pots and containers. These pots are lightweight and easy to move around so that you can place them anywhere in your home where there’s enough space for them to rest comfortably. They also have drainage holes so that excess water doesn’t accumulate inside your container; another feature that makes them perfect for indoor gardening purposes! You can also use plastic storage bins which are easier to transport than pots since they don’t take up much space in your car or home storage area; however, they are not as sturdy as the above-mentioned containers since they lack drainage holes. Another option would be using buckets or other large containers over which you can place rocks around the edges to hold the soil in place.
3. Grow Plants Indoors
If you want to grow your own veggies indoors without sunlight, you need to start with seeds or seedlings. You can buy or rent a seedling starter kit and start growing from there. You can also use seedlings of existing plants that were started indoors for your indoor garden; for example, if you have some potted plants that have been started from seed, you can transplant the young plants into containers made especially for growing veggies indoors or into other pots or containers. Once you’ve planted your seeds indoors, it’s important to give them enough light and water so that they will grow properly. To help them get the right amount of light, use grows lights and put them near the plants so they can get enough sunlight; alternatively, you can put a small fluorescent lamp inside your container so that it illuminates the plant’s roots while it grows. Keep in mind that most indoor gardening kits don’t include a plant support system since they are designed only for starting seeds indoors; however, if you plan on moving your plants outdoors in the future and need support systems for your outdoor garden, don’t forget to check out our article on Top Outdoor Gardening Support Systems!
4. Use Containers with No Drainage Holes
If there are no drainage holes in any of your containers with no drainage holes, then there is an easy way to make your indoor gardening more effective! Just place rocks or pumice stones inside your containers so that they can hold the soil in place, and you will have no problem growing healthy vegetables indoors all year round!
5. Use a Hydroponic System
Hydroponic systems are different from regular plant pots since they don’t have drainage holes, and instead of using soil, they use water to hold the roots on the plants. They are also commonly known as a water-based system since the plants don’t need to receive any sunlight, and instead rely on water for all their needs. If you want to grow veggies indoors without sunlight, then you can use a hydroponic system that uses water as the nutrient source; these systems are generally cheaper than those made especially for growing veggies indoors since they don’t need an expensive power source; however, they are also more complicated because they require you to manually feed your plants with nutrients at certain times throughout the day. The best part about these systems is that once you master them, it will be easy for you to grow healthy veggies indoors all year round!
6. Use Soil-less Potting Mixes
The soil-less potting mix is another great way to grow healthy vegetables indoors all year round! These mixes contain a lot of organic substances that help plants grow, and they are also easier to maintain since they don’t need any soil; however, you will still have to provide your plants with nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium so that they can grow well. If you want to use soil-less potting mixes for your indoor gardening, then check out the best soil-less potting mixes available on the market today.
7. Use Artificial Light Sources
Artificial light sources are arguably the best way to grow healthy veggies indoors all year round! They come in different colors and intensities, but they all emit light that is similar enough for plants to be able to absorb it; this means that even though you might not get enough sunlight during the winter months, your plants still can grow well because they will receive enough artificial light from their lighting system throughout the day. If you want to use artificial light sources for growing healthy veggies indoors, then check out our article on Top Indoor Lighting Solutions You Can Use Today!
Decide Which Vegetables You Want To Grow
- The first thing to remember is that when you choose your vegetables, pick the ones that are in season. This means that they’re more likely to thrive in your climate and will have a better taste than those veggies which grow all year round. For example, carrots are a great choice because they’re in season during spring and summer. On the other hand, lettuce is not a very good choice for indoor growing because it does well only during the summer months.
- When you choose which vegetables to grow indoors, go for those that don’t need much sunlight but still want to get some sunlight. For example, asparagus is one of these veggies and it likes bright light but not direct sunlight, so you can place it near your window sill or near an open door.
- You can also try growing some of the vegetables that like partial sunlight indoors without too much difficulty: tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers are good examples of these kinds of veggies so you can try them as well if you live in an apartment with no direct sunshine exposure at all.
- Another thing to consider while choosing indoor plants is their size: some plants like small pots while others like larger pots or even windowsill gardening boxes (which are suitable for growing all kinds of plants). The small pots work best when tomato plants and other vines need to be trained on strings or stakes so they don’t fall over when they become too tall (which happens with some vines) or when they’re in a pot too small for them.
- You can also grow some of the plants that like light shade indoors if you live in a sunny place but don’t have direct sunlight to spare. For example, you can grow peppers and eggplants in pots on windowsills or even on a sunny balcony if you don’t want to use much sunlight at all.
- When you choose your indoor plants, it’s best to choose those that are easy to grow and can be grown indoors without too much effort: if the plants are not easy to grow, then they will take more time than necessary and won’t be as productive as they could be.
Find The Right Place For Your Plants
- Choose the right location for your indoor vegetable garden. You can’t just plant any veggies in your indoor garden, it has to be the right place. For instance, you don’t want to put a tomato plant in an area with direct sunlight. It will get burned and die before it even has a chance to produce tomatoes. So, first, you have to find out where you can grow your indoor vegetables without sunlight.
- Make sure there is enough room for plants in each container. Indoor gardening requires a lot of space, so make sure that you have enough room for each container and also enough space between them so that your plants will not get too close to each other or touch each other when they are growing in pots indoors.
- Consider the environment of your home or apartment before choosing the perfect spot for growing indoors without sunlight. If you live in a humid climate, then an area with no direct sunlight may be ideal for growing some tropical fruits and vegetables indoors without sunlight such as potted citrus trees like lemon or orange trees, papaya trees, mangoes, etc., because these fruits grow best in tropical climates where it is little or no direct sunlight during the day time and air humidity is high (more than 50%).
- Choose containers that are appropriate for growing vegetables indoors without light such as clay pots (as long as they are not broken), plastic pots with holes drilled at the bottom so that roots can breathe through them and soil can drain out from the bottom, clay pots with holes drilled at the top so that air can circulate inside them, and some containers with holes drilled on the sides for drainage.
- If you live in a cold climate where it is unlikely that you will be able to grow any tropical fruits indoors without sunlight, then you can choose containers with a lot of ventilation holes and/or some plastic pots or bags filled with shredded newspaper, newspaper bags, and even egg cartons. Whatever containers you choose, make sure they have good ventilation so that your plants won’t get too hot or too dry.
- You can also use potted plants like succulents or cacti as indoor garden decorations if you are an experienced gardener who knows how to take care of them properly. If not, then it may be better to plant potted plants like tomatoes or peppers indoors without light because they require direct sunlight during the daytime to grow properly (you should not plant them in direct sunlight).
Use Artificial Light
- Use artificial lights. The best thing about artificial lights is that they are completely safe and practical. You can use fluorescent bulbs or grow lights to grow vegetables indoors without sunlight. While growing vegetables indoors with fluorescent bulbs, you should make sure that the light is bright enough for plants to get enough nutrients. On the other hand, grow lights are more energy-efficient and provide better results than fluorescent bulbs.
- Grow your veggies in pots of different sizes and heights. You can use any type of pot for growing vegetables indoors without the sunlight: large pots, medium-sized pots, small pots, as well as hanging pots. For growing vegetables in hanging pots, you should make sure that they are not too big or too small so that they don’t shade other plants from the light.
- Start by putting shallow containers on your window sill or under a lampshade on a tabletop so that you can see the growth of the plants through some holes in your potting soil or container lid (if it has one). You should also start by putting a few seedlings in each pot to check which ones will grow better if placed under artificial light or not; then you can decide whether to continue using artificial lights or not after this first round of trial-and-error (and patience).
- The next step is to place different types of plants from various families into their own individual containers such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc., depending on what kind of vegetable you want to grow.
- Once your plants are in place and you have seen their growth, then you can decide whether to continue using artificial lights or not after this first round of trial-and-error (and patience).
- Make sure that the pots are kept in a warm area, but not too hot. You can also use a heating pad or a heating mat to keep the temperature at an optimal level for growing indoor veggies without sunlight. However, if you do not have enough space for growing indoors without sunlight, then try growing indoors with fluorescent lights instead of growing lights.
Add Some Soil And Fertilizer
- Add some soil to a plastic container and sprinkle it with fertilizer.
- Fill the container with water so that the soil is just submerged in it.
- Place your seedling into the soil and cover its root system with soil.
- Place this container in direct sunlight until your seedling has sprouted roots, which will be within 2-3 days after you’ve planted it.
- Now you can put this container in your home or apartment and grow your vegetable indoors!
Conclusion
Vegetables are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are great for overall health and wellness. Growing veggies indoors is not easy, especially if you don’t have sunlight. What you need to do is use artificial light, add some soil and fertilizer, and install a grow lamp. With these tips, you can grow veggies indoors successfully.