One of the questions I get most often is about bugs.
No one wants to deal with bugs when they garden outside… so naturally inside would be even more disgusting!
The short answer is no – I don’t have to deal with bugs with my indoor gardens because I take careful measures to prevent getting them.
Indoor gardening has a much lower rate of pests compared to outdoor gardening.
BUT if you’re not careful, you can still get a couple pests like aphids, white flies and spider mites.
Here’s how to prevent bugs when you’re growing vegetables indoors.
How to Prevent Pests with Indoor Gardening
Avoid Soil
The #1 tip I have is to avoid bringing soil into your home.
I know lots of people like houseplants and don’t mind the occasional gnat, but if you have a couple gnats already, they’ll multiply like crazy with an indoor hydroponic system.
Gnats like water, and having a full tank of water with fresh plants is just too inviting for them.
all of my indoor gardens are hydroponic systems, using just water and no soil
I also like to avoid soil because dirt carries a lot of bacteria and bugs.
If you avoid bringing in any kind of soil (even potting mix which garden brands like to market as sterile), you’ll avoid most bugs.
A lot of times gnats will lay their eggs in the soil.
So you may not see visible flying bugs when you buy a potted plant initially. But eventually the eggs will hatch and you’ve got yourself a gnat problem.
When my gardens are in full bloom with tons of veggies growing, I also avoid flowers – just to be extra safe.
I’m always tempted by the cute pepper plants at Trader Joe’s, but I’d avoid them if you want to prevent bugs! Occasionally, I’ll make an exception and bring in a flower bouquet, but I really shouldn’t…
Consider LECA
If you do have houseplants (and want to keep them), you can switch from dirt to LECA.
LECA stands for lightweight expanded clay aggregate and basically refers to clay pebbles.
It’s a replacement growing medium that works well for most houseplants because it provides the ideal balance of moisture, food and air for plants.
LECA is actually a hydroponic growing medium, so if you switch your houseplants to LECA, you’ll have all your indoor plants growing via hydroponics!
I don’t have houseplants, but I do use LECA for my mason jar gardens and in my Click & Grow. They’re a great sterile growing medium!
Avoid Open Doors & Windows
It’s very easy to accidentally bring in pests if you’re not careful.
I like to position my indoor gardens away from any doors or windows that will be opened regularly.
In fact, in the room where I keep my hydro systems, I don’t open the windows at all.
It’s a little extreme, but I really hate bugs and don’t want to deal with them.
Ants and spider mites can often creep in through tiny holes in window screens or be brought in by the breeze.
For airflow, I just open the AC or use a room fan when I need air in my ‘garden’ room, aka living room.
Running the AC and fans actually helps my plants too!
It keeps the room at an ideal temperature for indoor growing (70-80 °F) and stimulates the wind to increase plant pollination rates.
This vertical garden is near a window because I don’t have anywhere else to put it, ha. I just make sure not to open the windows closest to it!
Check Your Clothes
I once accidentally brought in aphids into my apartment after spending an afternoon at the park.
I live in NYC and used to love going for daily walks and picnics in the park.
In the summer, I noticed tiny little green bugs would often fly into my face or attach to my sleeves.
It wasn’t until I brought one home that I realized those tiny green dots were not harmless.
Aphids are tiny white or green bugs, so small you barely notice them.
They like to munch on leaves (they especially seem drawn to peppers, lettuces and eggplants) and they’re a bit hard to notice if you don’t regularly inspect your plants.
What you will notice is a sticky residue on your plant leaves.
Aphids suck out the juice from a plant’s stems and leaves and leave behind a sticky ‘honeydew’. If your plants start having a sticky white film all over them, you’ve got an aphid problem.
They’re really quite gross!
How to Get Rid of Aphids Indoors
If you do find bugs on your plants, the best thing is to act quickly to get rid of them.
Soapy water kills aphids by dissolving them.
Make a spray by mixing a couple teaspoons of dish soap with warm water and liberally spraying your plants down.
You can also take out each individual plant and dunk it in a bowl of hot soapy water, making sure to soak the underside of the leaves and stems where aphids can often hide.
Prune off most of the plant’s leaves (to eliminate their food source and make it easier to spot any recurring pests)
And every couple days, use an insecticidal soap like neem oil.
The first time I got aphids, I learned my lesson. I started fresh, followed all my tips here, and haven’t gotten any bugs since!
But, honestly if you discover aphids, mites or any kind of little bug in your home, I recommend just getting rid of all your plants and starting fresh.
Throw out any current plants and wipe down your gardens with hot soapy water or Clorox wipes. Make sure to wipe down the walls, base boards and outlets near your gardens as well.
Wait 1-2 months to be sure the bugs are truly gone before starting new plants.
And always start plants from seed!
Don’t buy seedlings from a nursery that come in dirt. You never know what eggs may be lurking in the soil.
Overall, I haven’t had an issue gardening inside my apartment.
I love being able to harvest fresh veggies right from my home. As long as you take a couple precautions, you shouldn’t have to deal with bugs!
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