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A Caveat and Affiliates
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Houseplants for Fresh Organic Produce
Why should you consider growing houseplants for fresh organic produce? It’s the 21st century. More people are choosing not to eat vegetables grown with insecticides and pesticides. Some studies show that farm products sprayed with non-organic insecticides may cause health issues, including cancer. While studies and the debates continue, many people opt for organic produce when possible. In addition to the controversy, much of our grocery produce comes a long distance. We cannot assume it arrives fresh.
However, what alternative options exist for those seeking a healthier route? You might be fortunate enough to live near a local organic farm that grows a variety of produce. But few people live in such an area. Others might find a good local farmers’ market with organic produce. Again, not many exist.
Some ambitious people choose to maintain a full-fledged kitchen garden but others might be content with growing a handful of plants in small pots. What you want to do is entirely up to you.
Deciding Factors for Choosing Houseplants for Fresh Produce
There are some deciding factors you might want to take into account before finalizing your decision about a particular houseplant you want to keep at your home
Read: Grow Salad Indoors
The kind of fresh organic produce you want to have
A long list of potential plants exists that provides a multitude of different kinds of produce. However, it rests upon your personal preference for options. Why grow a fruit or vegetable that you don’t want to eat?
Additionally, some plants grow indoors or on the patio much easier than others. Consider the potential success of the plants you want to keep. From the healthy basil seed plants to exotic mushroom varieties, the list exceeds most people’s space and time to grow.
Ultimately, consider plants that you want to grow and will grow for you. If you want to have easy-to-grow plants that the entire family will enjoy, consider a salad. Most components of a green salad grow easily indoors. In fact, some produce multiple crops from the same plant.
The level of maintenance required
Growing some plants may be more trouble than you find worth. They might require a lot of maintenance. Or perhaps they don’t produce much for the space they need. Indeed, at times it is simpler and more practical to just buy that particular food product from the fresh market instead of having to take care of that plant. However, one person’s concept of high-maintenance might be another person’s challenge.
Expensive products
Some food products might cause you a fortune if you go to a supermarket to buy them. In this situation a cheap alternative would be to produce these at your own home. These are the perfect houseplants!
Available space and amount of produce
For all intents and purposes, home-grown vegetables and fruits may not produce enough for year-round supply. However, you want to choose plants that give you enough product for the time spent. Also, you would not want these plants to take up a big space in your house, therefore a practical approach is to limit yourself plants that fit your needs and space.
Houseplants for organic gardening
Consider all the factors and then look through our list that follows. However, keep in mind that other plants might also intrigue you. Grow what is right for you and your family.
1) Lemons
Lemon plants are an absolute choice for a wide variety of reasons. Lemons are used for seasoning throughout the world so they are the most popular members of the citrus family. They can be easily accommodated in a pot but given their bigger-than-regular size it is advisable to keep them in a big clay pot. They are not very high-maintenance but still need watering every now and then.
2) Chives
Whatever food you are cooking you can’t go wrong with adding a handful of chopped chives on top. They are excellent for the health of your gastrointestinal tract and relieve constipation. They can be kept in small pots but their requirement for a humid environment means that you should place a water pot nearby to give them the best environment to thrive.
5 Favorite Flowering Houseplants
3) Scallions
Just like chives, scallions are another houseplant you should have at your home. They need well-lit conditions so it is advised that they should be kept on a windowsill where they can have constant exposure to sunlight. They have short generation time so you should have ready-to-eat veggies within 2 to 3 months unlike some other plants which give their produce annually.
4) Parsley
Parsley is pretty popular for garnishing purposes and the plant, if properly trimmed and maintained, takes up small space thus adding to their popularity and demand. In the container with parsley other herbs can also be grown. Although you might want to water them every day or two and apply fertilizers every fortnight or so.
5) Mint
Next on the list is the aromatic mint. Given their miniature size they grow easily in a small pot or even in a water bottle. They need good watering but they are evergreen plants so you can enjoy farm-fresh mint throughout the year. Just make sure that you carefully cut the mint leaves when you want to use them and you do not disturb their root system.
Need recipes to use your fresh mint leaves? Find them here.
6) Tomatoes
From the curries of Indian culinary tradition to the hamburgers of the southern US, tomatoes are probably the most famous vegetables on our list. Micro sized tomatoes can be easily grown indoors but their produce is not at par with their relatives which are grown on farms.
They are also not evergreen so you cannot have good produce throughout the year. Having said that we still included tomatoes on our list because they are very useful and usually suffice for the season in which they yield produce, at least for domestic use. You should water them daily but make sure you do not over water them as water logging can be bad for them.
Growing your own organic fresh produce at your home is the safest and most reliable option for a lot of people. Although it might sound like a lot of commitment, growing organic plants at home is easier than it sounds. There can be various ways you can grow the vegetables and fruits of your choice at home.
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