Five ideas for inside food growing over winter

Editor and eco-expert Kim Stoddart outlines some more creative ways to bring the outdoors in this winter

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With the long dark days I'm going to offer up some creative inspiration and growing ideas to help bring some grow-your-own taste and excitement to your home over the weeks and months ahead.

EXCITING SALAD GARDEN

Let's start with a wider look at some of the luscious leaves that can be reliably grown as, in my humble opinion, salad should be sensational and full of flavour and variety at any time of the year. I generally grow pick-and-come-again types of lettuce as a salad base and add the likes of rocket, nasturtium, pea shoots, chive, baby brassica leaves and parsley. By planting them all together you have a productive salad garden all-in-one for quick edible rewards.

As plants grow bigger and start to spread, keep picking them because the more you do so, the more leaves will appear. When you spot salad leaves starting to deteriorate in quality, such as developing yellow leaves, then consider replacing them with younger plants. Also have a go at planting them on elsewhere to further grow and spread. Waste not, want not as they say.

This is an easy and incredibly rewarding indoor growing project which doesn't take up a lot of space and you can have fun getting creative with your choice of indoor planter in the process.

GROW MUSHROOMS

Start with a mushroom growing kit before moving on to further home-growing opportunities.