If you were to ask me what my #1 tip was for successfully growing vegetables indoors, I’d tell you: seed selection.
Choosing the right seeds makes a huge difference in how easy or difficult it will be to grow a plant.
More important than choosing the right indoor garden…
More important than watering correctly or the type of fertilizer…
And that’s because most plants are simply a result of their genetics.
Pick the right variety (and buy from a reputable online seed company)… and you’re halfway there to your first harvest.
I grow all my vegetables indoors, in my tiny NYC apartment.
I don’t have outdoor space, and I love having access to fresh, organic vegetables, so I grow everything in compact hydroponic systems.
Hydroponics is a little different than traditional, outdoor soil gardening.
I’d argue it’s dramatically simpler!
As long as you give it the right inputs.
Basically – buy the right seeds from the start.
Read more: Every Vegetable I’ve Grown Indoors (Garden Log)
just some of the seeds I’ve bought over the years…
My Favorite Seed Companies
I stick to a couple true-and-true seed companies.
These are all online seed companies who focus on selling high quality heirloom seeds.
They test for high (80%+) germination rates, sell non-GMO varieties and offer specialty, unique vegetables that would be quite difficult to buy from the grocery store.
In particular, I like:
I’ve tried cheap seeds from the dollar store and even big box stores like Home Depot, Lowes and my local Whole Foods.
But I find that they’re not really worth the money.
A lot of times, the seed packets are quite old.
Germination rates go down with time.
If a seed packet is 2.5, 3+ years old, it makes a significant difference in the germination rate.
I would not suggest buying any seed packet that doesn’t list a ‘packed by date’.
I would specifically make sure that it’s packed within the last 12 months.
The Indoor Gardening Guide
Cyclosporiasis, e.coli — whatever outbreaks affect grocery produce hasn’t phased me
…because I grow my own clean, pesticide-free lettuce!
If you’re looking to start an indoor garden, I’ve written down my exact process for growing herbs, leafy greens and fruiting vegetables in my ebook:
Go from black thumbs to flourishing indoor gardener! See a sneak peek inside here
The Best Places to Buy Seeds for Hydroponic Gardening
I like different seed companies for different types of veggies:
Kitazawa Asian Seeds
True Leaf Market has the best asian vegetable seeds, in my opinion.
I’ve bought box choy and Asian veggies from other brands and they’re just not the authentic varieties that I’m familiar with.
True Leaf Market bought out Kitazawa Seeds, one of the oldest Japanese seed companies in the US, so they sell their Asian seeds through them.
I particularly like these tiny box choy varieties.
Shop Kitazawa Asian seeds here.
I get my weekly greens through bok choy, so I always have some variety growing in my indoor gardens!
True Leaf Market Discount Code
Use code SHERSHEGROWS for 15% off your order
Botanical Interests
Botanical Interests has a great all-around selection of heirloom vegetables and cute illustrated seed packets.
In particular, I like their international herbs, like
I also like their peppers and lettuce varieties.
And they sell great garden supplies, like Birdies beds, if you like to garden outdoors.
Last year, I got garlic bulbs through them for my outdoor pots and they were so fun to grow!
Shop Botanical Interests seeds here.
I always have one countertop garden dedicated to growing fresh herbs
True Leaf Market
I buy a lot from True Leaf Market.
They have such an extensive selection of seeds and their menu filtering options make it easy to sort which vegetable varieties will perform well indoors.
I buy tomatoes, lettuces, Asian veggies, peppers and eggplants from True Leaf Market.
Shop True Leaf Market seeds here.
I love growing nightshades and peppers! These were seeds purchased from True Leaf Market
Ferry Morse Seeds
Ferry Morse is a more of a classic seed company.
They sell standard varieties of all the vegetables you’re familiar with, so they’re great when you want a familiar variety and more inexpensive seed packets.
I like them for herbs and flowers in particular.
Lately, I’ve been obsessed with growing flowers indoors.
It’s a nice way to add a bit of color to the apartment, especially during the winter when NYC is just grey for months on end.
And I find that some flowers are really quick growing, like zinnias!
Shop Ferry Morse seeds here.
I used to think growing flowers was ‘a waste of space’ but now I love growing them in my indoor gardens. They add some color and cheer, plus if you grow edible flowers they’re also functional!
Ferry-Morse
Use code SHERSHEGROWS10 for 10% off your order and free shipping!
I make mini flower bouquets every other week!
They’re also a great addition if you buy store bought flowers.
It’s a fun, relaxing activity to make flower arrangements.
And growing your own flowers, even if it’s just a couple blooms, helps make the hobby more affordable than buying flowers at the store.
Read more: 5 Easy Flower Varieties You Can Grow Indoors
Renee’s Garden
Renee’s is a woman-owned small business based out of California.
They have the prettiest illustrated seed packets and they’re always introducing new varieties each season after trialing them in their garden.
In particular, Renee’s focuses on small-space and container friendly varieties which makes them great for indoor gardening.
I’ve tried lots of their lettuces, peppers and tomatoes!
Shop Renee’s Garden seeds here.
I love experimenting with tomatoes and am always trying new varieties. These were from Renee’s Garden
Park Seed
Park Seed is another California company with great quality seeds.
They have all the classic vegetables along with a curated selection of heirlooms, flowers and herb varieties.
They also make great seed starting trays – very sturdy and hard wearing.
In particular, I like their selection of green beans and cucumbers.
They also carry Kitchen Minis, a cute line of specialty seeds that are designed to be super compact, dwarf varieties.
You can grow these in both soil and hydroponics!
I’ve tried the basil, cherry tomato and cucumbers and they’re fantastic.
Shop Park Seed seeds here.
cucumbers are super quick to grow, especially in hydroponics!
Microgreen Seeds
True Leaf Market is the best source for microgreens. They have a huge selection and really good prices.
A good ‘hack’ is to buy the microgreen packet for vegetables you like.
There’s no difference between microgreen seed packets and regular seed packets – they’re the exact same seeds.
But, since microgreens are grown and eaten as baby greens, manufacturers will sell big quantities of seeds in large packets labeled for ‘microgreens’.
So on a per-seed basis, the cost is much lower when you buy these.
For example, I bought a microgreen packet of Thai basil seeds.
These are significantly cheaper, about 37 cents per gram, compared to buying the Thai basil seed packet (~$8 per gram!)
Shop microgreen seeds here.
a plate of Thai basil and chives harvested from my newest indoor garden! these Thai basil seeds were actually a microgreen packet of seeds from True Leaf Market that I planted as regular seeds
And if you want my complete guide to indoor gardening, I’ve written down all my tips and tricks here.
It covers everything you need to know about creating a thriving, low maintenance indoor veggie garden!
I have two entire chapters dedicated to seed selection that go much more in-depth than I can fit in this blog post.
I cover
- how to select the right seeds
- which plant varieties work best for hydroponics
- and also include a curated list of my favorite seeds!
It’s taken me years of growing and experimenting to find vegetable varieties that work really well for indoor hydroponic gardening.
Get a sneak peek and the complete guide here!
And finally, I’ll leave you with a couple more tips for choosing seeds!
Plant Size Matters
Indoors, we’re mostly constrained by space.
So it’s important to choose compact vegetables. Look for words like ‘container friendly’, ‘dwarf’, ‘hydroponic’ or ‘greenhouse’.
All of those will help you to narrow down the right varieties.
Outdoors, the main constraint is the growing season. That’s why standard gardening advice is to ‘look up your frost date’ and work backwards.
Traditional gardeners are worried by a killing frost.
Indoors, we can grow all year round.
The biggest issue is running out of space.
So Does Your Hydroponic Planter
When I say space, I don’t mean the size of your home.
What I really mean is the size of your ‘garden bed’.
I use all-in-one hydroponic systems to grow all my vegetables. They take care of lighting, watering and oxygenation – all the heavy lifting and ongoing maintenance.
So the height of the machine is the constraint.
You can think of it like the size of a pot.
When you grow in soil, you typically start in a small pot, then transplant the plant to a medium pot, and then perhaps transplant to an outdoor planter or garden bed.
Plant roots will only grow as large as the space they’re contained in.
Indoors, it’s the same thing.
If we want healthy, large vegetables, we have to keep the plant happy within the size of its garden.
So it’s important to choose compact vegetable varieties that are already genetically programmed to stay small and to give them adequate space by choosing the right indoor garden.
Read more: My Complete Indoor Garden Setup (with links)
For Herbs and Leafy Greens:
I like small countertop gardens like these:
- LetPot Air
- Aerogarden Harvest Lite
- Aerogarden Harvest
- Click & Grow Smart Garden 3
- Click & Grow Smart Garden 9
- Click & Grow Smart Garden 25
- Lettuce Grow Counterstand
For Hot Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes, Beans, Cucumbers:
I like medium countertop gardens like these:
french beans, cherry tomatoes and tiny little brazilian hot peppers – all work well in these medium countertop gardens
For large fruiting vegetables:
I recommend large gardens that sit on the flower, or hydroponic tower style systems like these:
Fruiting vegetables like slicer tomatoes, eggplants and large peppers need a lot more space and stronger grow lights!
I wrote down everything I know about Indoor Gardening for beginners!
Take a look inside the book here and start confidently growing your own pesticide-free produce (no matter the size of your home)!
buy the right seeds from a reputable seed company and use a good quality indoor garden… and you’ll be overflowing in indoor veggies with very little effort!
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