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October 26, 2017

Edible Window Garden

This is the first post of many to come about indoor edible window gardening. Grow food year-round at any weather following these simple and proven techniques.

In the fall, when the outdoor garden is done and the temperature drops to freezing and below, we move back into our house and wait for spring grow an indoor edible window garden. This is the first post of many to come about indoor edible window gardening. Grow food year-round at any weather following these simple and proven techniques.

The edible window garden history

We moved to Alberta, Canada in the fall of 2007. Little did we know how long Canadian winters are. By March, I was sure that green grass was just around the corner.

It was not.

Instead we got even more snow.

At the beginning of May we experienced our first real rain in Canada, but even that did not bring green leaves just yet. In late May spring, as we know it, was finally here followed by a short, cool summer. Nevertheless, I decided to take the plunge into gardening in cold climate, and I did not stop when snow and ice covered the ground.

My passion for growing food particularly exploded after I realized how the homegrown food had a positive effect on my health. As long as I can remember, I’ve had a weakened immune system. That has completely changed in the last decade. The more food we could grow ourselves and eat, the better I felt. My enthusiasm for growing food did not stop at root vegetables and winter crops, I wanted sun ripe tomatoes in the summer, too. After achieving that, we moved indoors and tried to grow at least some fresh herbs and sprouts during the cold winter months.

Jakob has played a significant role in growing food year-round. From preparing our first raised bed to building greenhouses and installing south-facing windows, he made it possible to grow a real indoor window garden all throughout the long and cold Canadian winters.

Who can grow an edible window garden

You can grow an indoor edible window garden no matter where you live, it is just as applicable for the far north with cold, long winters, as it is for the super hot summers where nothing grows outdoors any longer (by the way, that is something we have a hard time wrapping our heads around).

However, since we are in Canada, I will write from a northern climate perspective. You will still learn how to grow a successful edible window garden in any weather.

This information has come from practice. We write from experience, not theory. Over the next months we will share all we have learned about growing an edible window garden with you, so you to can start growing food indoors.

Why grow an edible window garden?

This is the first post of many to come about indoor edible window gardening. Grow food year-round at any weather following these simple and proven techniques.

There are many reasons. Things like: it’s fun, it helps get through the winter blues, you can experiment with plants, have a bit of summer in the middle of winter, …
The main reason for an edible garden, though, is that it provides food for our table. After all, we do not stop eating with the first snow and continue after summer is back. Sure, we can preserve homegrown food in the summer for the winter, and we do, but we also want to have something fresh, living, and green in the winter, too.

If you live in a climate where greens can grow year-round outdoors with some protection, by all means, do it! But if you are like us in a real cold climate (Zone 4-0), nothing grows here outdoors any longer. Here an edible window garden is a solution.

Make sure to subscribe and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest so you do not miss a thing, and share this information with someone you know would profit from it. We look forward to sharing what we know with you and also to hear from you about how your windows became edible gardens.

More Indoor Gardening Posts You Might Enjoy:

Starting Seeds Indoors

Starting Seeds Indoors

8 Years of Year-Round Growing in Zone 3 Review

8 Years of Year-Round Growing in Zone 3 Review

Four Season Greenhouse:Growing Room Review

Four Season Greenhouse/Growing Room Review

Winter Solstice 2021 Indoor Garden Update

Winter Solstice 2021 Indoor Garden Update

Indoor Decorative Plants

Indoor Decorative Plants

Growing Cucumbers Indoors

Growing Cucumbers Indoors

Trouble-shooting in an Indoor Edible Window Garden

Troubleshooting in an Indoor Edible Garden

Start growing food the the Kratky hydroponics way today! It is a simple and fun container gardening method suited for off-the-grid and water saving growing.

Growing Food the Kratky Hydroponics Way

Temperature and humidity for an indoor edible window garden is important. You want to adjust what you grow to how warm or cool your room is.

Temperature for an indoor edible garden

Additional light for an indoor edible window garden

Additional light for an indoor edible window garden

What to Grow in an Indoor Edible Window Garden. Over the years we have grown a whole lot of plants indoors at a window: Microgreens, herbs, Aloe Vera, strawberries, lettuce, winter greens like kale, root vegetables like carrots, winter vegetables like broccoli, summer vegetables like tomatoes and even water melons.

What to Grow in an Indoor Edible Garden

N.F.T. (Nutrient Film Technique) Downspout Hydroponics

N.F.T. Downspout Hydroponics Setup

Growing an indoor edible garden in soil

Growing an indoor edible garden in soil

Planting a Hydroponic Garden

Planting a Hydroponic Garden

Preventing birds from flying into windows

Preventing birds from flying into windows

Fresh and dry basil in the winter

Growing and Preserving Basil

Growing Lemon in cold climate

Lemon tree in the indoor garden on Video

Why we heat the indoor garden with electricity

Why we heat the indoor garden with electricity

Indoor garden update fall/winter 2019. See our newly renovated indoor garden at the back of our old garage. It's a four-season growing room.

Indoor Garden Update Fall/Winter 2019

NFT downspout Hydroponics system upgrade

NFT downspout Hydroponics system upgrade

Filed Under: Gardening, Growing, Indoor Garden, Winter Growing Tagged With: Edible Window Garden, Indore Garden

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lee Hoy says

    October 27, 2017 at

    Thank you so much for the great info! I look forward to following you.

    Reply
    • Anna says

      October 30, 2017 at

      Glad to have you Lee. We hope for a great indoor growing season.

      Reply

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Jakob und Anna winter 2Northern Homestead is a blog about urban homesteading in a cold climate. We write about growing, raising, preserving, and preparing our own real food.
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