8 edible plants to grow in your apartment
By Autumn Sevy
Photo by Teona Swift
Many people think gardening isn’t possible in a small apartment without a backyard. But if you have a small shelf next to your dresser, a table with a grow light or a balcony on your second-floor condo, you can grow food.
Try starting a container garden. Grow your vegetables in pots rather than in the ground and cover a windowsill with greenery. Create your own indoor gardening space using thrift store finds or upcycled cans.
Check out your local nursery for herbs, fruit trees and seedlings ready to go in the ground. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is my go-to seed company that ships for free throughout the U.S.
Most plants only need adequate sunlight, water and soil to grow. Some are also more suited to apartments than others. Try growing one of these eight plants and start adding home-grown vegetables to recipes.
Mint
Photo by Cottonbro
Mint is a vigorous plant that’s very easy to maintain even for the most inexperienced gardener. There are so many varieties to choose from, although my favorite is apple mint which is great in mojitos. Herbs can be up to three dollars per bundle at your average grocery store, so growing them is especially worthwhile.
I make vegan pesto with mint, parsley and sunflower seeds. You can also dry mint for tea or add it to a beet and apple salad.
Sun requirement: Mint does best in full sun but will also grow in partial shade.
Water requirement: Water two times per week. These plants like moist, well-draining soil.
Soil requirement: Mint prefers fertile soil with a 6.0-7.0 pH. Add compost or worm castings to boost fertility.
Other tips: Your plants can be easily propagated from cuttings rather than starting them from seed.
Peppers
Pepper varieties that are labeled “ornamental” or smaller chilies are perfect for indoor growing. My personal favorite are shishito peppers, but habaneros and jalapeños would work as well.
There are so many uses for fresh peppers. You can make chili powder and hot sauce or add them to a variety of cultural foods.
Sun requirement: Peppers love full sun.
Water requirement: Water once or twice a week.
Soil requirement: Peppers prefer loamy, well-draining soil with a 6.2-7.0 pH.
Other tips: You will need to hand pollinate these plants for them to produce fruit.
Strawberries
Strawberries make great houseplants and provide you with so much fresh fruit. These little fruits are packed with vitamins, fiber and antioxidants. If you grow them at home using organic methods, you can also ensure that the fruit you’re consuming doesn’t contain pesticides.
They’re one of those fruits that I love to eat fresh, although they’re great in baked goods, in jam, dried, juiced or in smoothies.
Sun requirement: Strawberries require full sun to produce fruit.
Water requirement: Check your plants daily and water if the top layer of soil is dry.
Soil requirement: Strawberries prefer well-draining sandy soil with a high level of organic matter and a 5.5-6.5 pH.
Other tips: Your plants will most likely produce runners that may escape their pot and need to be pruned.
Photo by Teona Swift
Salad leaves
Salad leaves are some of the easiest plants to grow in your apartment garden. You can get a consistent harvest of many types of greens. I’d recommend arugula, mizuna, red lettuce and sorrel if you want to add variety to your diet. You can buy seed packets for common greens at most grocery stores or garden centers.
Use arugula and other greens for more than just salads. Add them to stir fries, dry the leaves to create a green superfood powder or eat them with pasta.
Sun requirement: Most salad plants will do well in full sun and partial shade.
Water requirement: Water your leafy greens about twice a week. Check your plants frequently and water if the top layer of soil is dry.
Soil requirement: Salad plants like rich, loamy soil with organic matter and a 5.8-6.5 pH.
Other tips: Try growing your salad leaves hydroponically.
Bush beans
Bush beans can grow to about two feet tall and are perfect for container growing. I’d recommend growing yellow wax beans which are super prolific and can be eaten with the pod on. They also come in purple and green varieties. If dried beans are more useful to you, black turtle beans are a good choice.
Beans are a staple in the diet of so many cultures. With the beans I grow in my garden, I fry them up with onion, garlic, pickled mustard stem and sweet soy sauce.
Sun requirement: Bush beans love warmer weather and full sun.
Water requirement: Water every three days or so and keep the top layer of soil dry.
Soil requirement: Bush beans need sandy, well-draining soil with a high level of organic matter and a 6.0-6.8 pH.
Other tips: These plants will also need to be hand-pollinated when they flower.
Chamomile
If drinking tea is a daily ritual in your life, I’d highly recommend creating a mini tea garden in your apartment. If you do, chamomile should be one of the plants at the top of your to-grow list.
There are a few chamomile varieties to consider, but Roman chamomile might be better suited to container growing. It’s less popular than the German chamomile commonly found in tea bags, but the flowers produce an apple-like scent and your plant will come back each year with more blooms.
Try making this wonderful vegan apple honey with your harvest.
Sun requirement: Chamomile plants will do best in full sun.
Water requirement: These plants are fairly drought tolerant, so you can water once a week and let them dry out.
Soil requirement: Chamomile likes rich, well-draining, organic soil and a 5.6-7.5 pH.
Other tips: Deadhead flowers to encourage new growth.
Cherry tomatoes
Photo by bacho nadiradze
There are two types of tomato growth habits: determinate and indeterminate. If you’re looking to grow tomatoes in your apartment, determinate varieties are your best bet. These plants ripen all at once within a few weeks and don’t create vines.
If you plan your seed sowing schedule just right, you could have ripe tomatoes fresh off the vine all summer long.
I could eat cherry tomatoes as a snack every day, but you can also roast and sun dry them.
Sun requirement: Cherry tomatoes thrive in full sun and may not produce fruit in shade.
Water requirement: Water your plants every two or three days. The soil should be moist but not too damp.
Soil requirement: Cherry tomatoes prefer loamy, sandy soils with a high level of organic matter and a 6.2-6.5 pH.
Other tips: Try growing your cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets to take advantage of space.
Green onion
Regrowing green onions is a “garden hack” I consistently see on TikTok and Instagram Reels, but it’s just as easy to grow green onions from seed. You could have fresh onions ready in just two months. Starting your own seeds gives you access to so many new varieties of common foods you might never encounter otherwise. Purplette scallions are a vibrant shade of violet.
I always prepare scallion pancakes with green onions I have on hand because they remind me of mornings with my mom. But you can also grill them, add them to stir fries and pickle them.
Sun requirement: Green onions do well in both full and partial sunlight.
Water requirement: Water your plants once or twice a week and make sure they stay evenly moist.
Soil requirement: These plants prefer well-draining, fertile sandy loam soils with a 6.2-6.8 pH.
Other tips: Try multisowing your green onions.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska
Honorable mentions
Pandan: A tropical plant that has so many uses within South and Southeast Asian cuisine. Pandan is very easy to grow in your apartment as long as you can keep the temperature around the plant warm throughout winter.
Aloe: It’s great for burns but also edible. Grow aloe the same way you would grow other succulents, and add the gel to homemade bubble tea.
Goji berry: Goji trees are compact enough to grow in apartments and will do well as long as they’re placed in direct sunlight. The berries are tart but are a great source of antioxidants and can be dried for so many uses.
Finger lime: Mini citrus trees like finger limes and kumquats will do great in indoor spaces and will gift you with tiny adorable fruits.
All other herbs: Any herb that you can think of is most likely suited to be grown indoors. Cilantro, basil, tarragon, lemon grass and thyme are a few that come to mind. Grow the seasonings you use most often in your cooking.
