The Best Vegetables to Grow Indoors

Growing vegetables indoors is a practical option if you don't have adequate space in your yard for an outdoor garden. Just as growing an outdoor garden can save you money over time, an indoor garden can also mean a smaller bill at the grocery store. A key to growing vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and carrots indoors is giving them adequate sunlight.

An enemy to growing various kinds of lettuce and chard outdoors is that they can get too much water and die. When you grow these vegetables indoors, as is the case with everything you grow indoors, you can control the exact amount of water for the plants. Lettuce and chard grow well in lots of light, but don't need hot temperatures, unlike some other plants. They can be grown in a room as cool as 59 degrees Fahrenheit, making them easy to grow year-round. Their soil should be watered enough that it's visibly moist, but not so much that the water pools up.

Tomato plants, when grown outdoors, can reach several feet in height and can easily become unkempt. Tomatoes grow indoors easily, but depending on the space you're allotting for your indoor garden, you may wish to grow a miniature version of the tomato, such as a cherry tomato. Tomatoes can be grown in pots in an area of your home with plenty of natural sunlight. Tomatoes need six to eight hours of light a day. If the area isn't getting enough light, and your plants appear to be suffering, you may need to install hydroponic grow lights.

Whether your taste is sweet or hot, you can grow both of these types of peppers successfully indoors. Like tomatoes, peppers require a great deal of light, either through natural or artificial means. They should be grown in a daytime temperature of 69 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit, and the nighttime temperature should not be less than 59 degrees. An ideal spot to grow peppers is on a window ledge in your kitchen if there's adequate light. Having the colorful peppers close at hand will add color to your kitchen and may inspire you to try new, spicy dishes.

Carrots and beets can each be grown indoors, but buy a miniature, or small-rooted, version of each plant. These variations, available at garden centers, are ideal for growing indoors because they do not get so large that they require enormous containers. Carrots and beets are harvested when their green, leafy tops appear lush and the top of the vegetable is slightly visible through the earth.

Other vegetables ideal for indoor growing include some bean variations, radishes, miniature cabbage and certain kinds of cucumbers. Herbs, such as parsley, basil, oregano, mint and thyme, are also ideal for growing indoors.