Elias Marat, The Mind Unleashed

As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, countless families are preparing to hunker down for what could be an indefinite amount of time. Whether it’s because of orders to “shelter-in-place,” self-quarantine, or simply our own conscience telling us it’s the right thing to do for the public good, many of us are preparing for a long stay at home.

With store shelves being stripped bare by panicked shoppers and many of our work hours—if not our entire jobs—being cut back due to the crisis, food security has suddenly become an issue, not only for our households but for our communities as well.

Because of this, home gardening could likely make a big comeback. Just as past generations of Americans responded to World Wars I & II with “victory gardens” at home, current generations could be set to revive the practice of planting, harvesting, and eating our own food. If anything, CoViD-19 could help us become reacquainted with some better habits when it comes to not just hygiene but general nutrition and self-sufficiency.

Here are just a few plants that can easily be grown in a small apartment or home.

1. Herbs

Whether you’re living in a sprawling condo or a tiny studio apartment, growing and harvesting herbs is supremely easy. Foodies who aren’t keen on blowing their hard-earned dollars on spices at Whole Foods can easily grow little pots of basil, mint, ginger, cilantro, parsley, or rosemary at home. All you need is a nice sunny spot on your window sill or fire escape and a bit of regular watering, and you’ll soon have fresh herbs in every meal!

2. Kale

Don’t let the price-tag fool you! While kale may be a trendy item at health food stores and restaurants, the plant is surprisingly easy to grow indoors—even during the colder months!

However, of key importance is to sow the seeds a bit farther apart than normal to allow the kale plants adequate room for growth. Within a week, you’ll soon see your kale sprouting! And then it’s only a matter of time before you’re baking kale chips, drinking kale smoothies, and enjoying a healthy kale salad!

3. Carrots

Carrots can be a super fun vegetable for beginners to grow indoors because anyone can help keep a steady level of moisture in the soil, it’s not too hard! Carrots also come in a dazzling array of different types—from the common Imperator to the dozens of varieties of the reddish, crunchy Nantes—that can all be grown indoors and aren’t always easily found at local markets.

All you’ll need is a 12-inch pot, soil, and a sunny window, and you’re all set to be on your way to harvesting some nutritious and tasty carrots!

4. Bell Peppers

Growing bell peppers indoors can help one gain proper control of the growing environment, which in turn produces stunning peppers. Bell peppers also have a nice and long indoor growing season, which means a much larger yield spanning longer periods of time.

5. Mushrooms

Mushrooms are one of nature’s gifts to our pantry, mainly because the low-calorie fungi are very healthy as well as tasty, high in fibre, and chock full of healthy potassium.

Growing them at home is extremely easy and because they grow in dark, moist environments, they can be grown by anyone just about anywhere. It takes about 4.5 weeks to grow mushies from start to plate, and there are few things as fun as picking the little guys and eating them in the same day.

6. Beets

Beets are a brilliantly colourful addition to any plate, but they also pack a strong nutritional power-punch of vitamins and minerals. The root vegetable is perfect for beginning gardeners because they are so easy to grow indoors, and a beginning chef would do well to experiment with beet dishes—be it a satisfying Russian borscht soup or some nice beet pickles.

7. Potatoes

Growing potatoes is one of the easiest things you could do, whether you are growing them in a large basket, a big bucket, or even in a plastic sack. But when you’re growing them, leave some empty space at the top so you can dump some fresh compost in and help the root veggie develop.

8. Micro greens

Micro greens are delicious super-foods, tiny green plants that are packed with flavour and normally cost an arm and a leg at the local supermarket. But they’re also very easy to grow at home with a few basic supplies, a bit of sunlight, and a small container. It takes only 2 to 3 short weeks from planting to harvesting before you can have a plateful of healthy micro greens.

9. Onions

Onions are awesome to grow indoors in decorative pots or water dishes because not only do they not take up much space or require direct sunlight, but they naturally re-sprout. What this means is that you can grow new onions from seeds, or you can take your old onion scraps and sprout new onions, ensuring that your kitchen never goes without fresh bulbs.

10. Garlic

Like onions, garlic is a re-sprouting plant that can be harvested year-round to ensure that you always have the tasty plant in your kitchen. You can also trim the shoots of the garlic bulb to use in soups, pizzas, or as a delicious garnish! Just get some good garlic from a nursery or online, break up the bulbs, and plant your biggest cloves. Soon you’ll see the green shoots of the plant, which are also edible, and after 10 months you’ll have some delicious home-grown garlic!

By Elias Marat | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com

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