Best vegetables to grow indoors in an apartment

Herbs are the usual starting point, but plenty of vegetables grow indoors in an apartment too. As a quick answer: the easiest indoor vegetables are leafy greens, green onions, radishes, and microgreens, while cherry tomatoes and peppers are possible with a strong grow light. The whole setup comes together in the beginner apartment vegetable garden plan.

The easy wins: leafy greens and fast crops

If you want quick, reliable results, start here:

• Leafy greens — loose-leaf lettuce, spinach, kale, and arugula give repeat harvests and tolerate a bright sill. They are also the easiest crops in hydroponics if you go that route, as in the countertop hydroponic herbs guide.
• Green onions / scallions — the single easiest crop; they regrow from kitchen scraps placed in water near a window.
• Radishes — fast and compact, ready in weeks in a deeper pot.
• Microgreens — sprouted greens harvested young; very forgiving and quick.

The harder, rewarding crops

Fruiting vegetables are possible indoors but demand much more light:

• Cherry and dwarf tomatoes — choose compact varieties, give a strong grow light for 14 to 16 hours, and hand-pollinate the flowers.
• Peppers and chillies — similar light and warmth needs; slower but rewarding.

These need far more light than greens, which is why a grow light matters; see best grow lights for herbs (the same fixtures work for vegetables).

Match the crop to your light

The deciding factor indoors is light:

• Bright window only: stick to leafy greens, green onions, radishes, and microgreens.
• Grow light available: add cherry tomatoes, peppers, and a wider range of greens.

For the outdoor-leaning version of this with a little more space, see best vegetables for small balconies.

Start with one or two

Pick one easy crop and one you are excited about, learn your light, then expand. A pot of cut-and-come-again lettuce plus a jar of regrowing green onions is a satisfying, low-risk start that proves the apartment can grow food.