With the new year approaching, cold weather is still pervading our living spaces. One popular homesteader on TikTok, Rowdy Claude (@rowdyclaude), suggested their tips for what plants to grow easily indoors to avoid braving the cold weather outside.
The scoop
"Do you have any suggestions for things I can grow in my Chicago apartment? It's like 3 degrees outside," a follower asked.
@rowdyclaude Replying to @thechicagoferrets ♬ Inspirational - neozilla
The TikToker emphasized that when selecting what crop to grow indoors, people should choose exclusively plants with shallow roots.
"If it needs deep roots to produce, it's not going to do well inside your house," they said.
Strawberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, and microgreens are all crops that they recommend considering as they all "have shallow root systems that can be easily grown indoors."
Strawberries in particular are said to be a low-maintenance crop. They can be grown in containers or hanging baskets as long as one makes sure to give them plenty of sunlight and water while planting them each about four inches apart.
Spinach and kale can also be grown in small areas, but the TikToker recommends harvesting at the right time and watching out for diseases.
These plants can start to be grown outside in the warmer seasons. Then they can be brought inside when it begins to get cold.
How it's working
Shallow roots are ideal for plants with limited space or growing inside. This is because they require less soil volume and dry out faster, which is optimal for indoor areas less susceptible to open air to encourage drying plants out. Plants with shallow roots are also ideal for container planting, which is a main component of planting indoors.
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For those who want to fill their small spaces with plants, opting for shallow roots will give them the benefits of gardening without a large space. For city-dwellers, such as the commenter who asked about the options, tending to plants indoors could still help with nurturing mental health.
As the days are darker and shorter, plants can be particularly helpful to "mitigate some of the problems that plague urban areas," according to Greenleaf Communities.
Nature has been linked to uplifting mental health — even small patches of nature can induce numerous benefits, including better sleep and risk of mental disorders.
Meanwhile, growing one's own food can minimize one's waste and pollution footprint while saving hundreds of dollars.
What people are saying
Commenters have benefited from the tips.
"This is exactly what I need," one commenter wrote.
Others offer even more tips.
"Green beans are great," they said. "They need less than a foot of soil, thrive in pots or planters, cultivars that thrive in almost any zone, and can be trained on any vent surface."
Homesteading continues to offer solutions to growing food for people with all different backgrounds. City-dwellers included.
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