Skip to main content

Edible houseplants you can grow year-round

Growing edible houseplants indoors is easier than you think! From herbs (like basil and thyme) to vegetables (like ginger and potatoes), there’s a wide variety that can be grown in containers. But are the edible houseplants you can grow indoors able to be grown year-round? And which ones will keep producing a harvest? With the right conditions, many edible houseplants you can grow indoors will survive colder months and give you a nice harvest.

Potted basil growing in a kitchen

Basil, thyme, and other herbs

One of the most popular indoor gardens that don’t require a lot of high-maintenance work are herb gardens. Some are easier to grow inside than others — like basil, mint, parsley, and thyme — but most every herb can be grown indoors with the right care.

Recommended Videos

You can start your indoor herb garden in three different ways: With seeds, cuttings, and small plants from a nursery. The third option will be the easiest and fastest to start reaping your rewards from the plants, but you may find it more satisfying to grow them from the seeds. Whichever way you choose, you’ll want to make sure you choose a container that not only fits the plant but is maybe a bit big for the plant. After all, plants grow. And while you can choose a perfect-fit pot, it will mean you’ll have to repot sooner than you like.

The containers you choose should ideally have good drainage with a tray at the bottom to catch any excess water and keep your herbs from sitting in soggy soil. Overwatering could easily be your downfall. That said, there are many indoor herb-garden setups sold, like mason jars, that don’t have any drainage. If you want to use something like that for the look of it, be sure to place a layer of stones at the bottom. They’ll help catch the excess water and give the soil a place to drain.

Harvesting coffee berries

Coffee plant

“Coffee plants? Like, the plants that grow coffee beans?” Yes, exactly! Although it may take a few years to produce enough beans to for a cup of coffee, you can buy and nurture your own indoor coffee plant to grow your own morning brew.

This one isn’t as instantly gratifying as the herb garden, so keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to take this plant on. You can find young coffee plants in nurseries, and they’re usually a few years off from blooming and producing beans at that point. But growing it to the point of a successful harvest can feel very satisfying in the end — and you’ll get to grind your own homegrown beans!

Caring for your coffee plant

The coffee plant is an edible houseplant that can successfully be grown indoors year-round, provided you have the right conditions. These plants prefer bright, indirect sunlight, making them perfect for floor-plant stands near a window. Like many plants, they don’t withstand temperature below freezing and prefer to be kept in an environment above 65 degrees. To that effect, you’ll want to keep them away from any drafty areas of the home during the winter. This may mean relocating your plant for a few months, or setting up its initial home with that in mind.

These plants also require pots and soil that have good drainage. When watering, you want to make sure the soil stays somewhat moist without getting soaked. To achieve that, it’s best to let the top part of the soil dry out a bit between waterings (without letting the whole pot dry out). Pay attention to how much water drains out the bottoms, too, to help avoid overwatering. You know there’s enough in the pot when it starts to get in the tray.

Growing chili peppers

Chili peppers and other vegetables

Vegetables that can be grown in containers, like chili peppers, also make good edible houseplants that can be grown year-round. Typically, the types of vegetables that do best growing indoors are smaller varieties. They don’t take up as much space, don’t need as much space, and can still provide you with a relatively nice harvest for as long as they’re producing.

Chili peppers specifically (and many other vegetables) require well-lit areas, so keep that in mind when you decide which ones to grow in your home. For the colder months when there is less light, you may need to set up artificial grow lights to help keep them alive and thriving. Luckily, with most vegetables, the care requirements for outdoors versus indoors are roughly the same. If you’re well-versed in outdoor garden growing, the shift to indoor should be no trouble.

As with any container plant, though, you’ll want to be aware of how much you’re watering your peppers and other vegetables. Containers don’t dry out as fast as the ground outside, so watering will require more active attention to avoid overwatering (and underwatering).

With a good mix of herbs, vegetables, and plants that require longer nurturing like the coffee plant, you’ll have an indoor garden that supplies you with crops at many times, in many ways. Having fresh vegetables and herbs in the winter that you’ve grown yourself is very rewarding — and delicious — and you’ll be hooked once you brew your own homegrown cup of coffee.

Kiera Baron
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kiera Baron is a freelance writer and editor, as well as a budding digital artist, based in Upstate NY. She is currently one…
Croton plant care guide: Grow this colorful beauty with ease
Growing your own colorful croton plant
Colorful croton plant

When it comes to bringing vibrant colors into your home, colorful houseplants are an excellent option. There are many fantastic choices, with flowers and foliage plants that come in a wide array of colors. Crotons are one of the most popular plants for this, as their mottled leaves are colorful and unique, with a lovely tie-die-like pattern.

If you want to add a gorgeous croton plant to your indoor garden, then you’re in luck! We’ll explain everything you need to know about growing and caring for these stunning plants in this guide to croton plant care guide.
Planting crotons

Read more
How to propagate an anthurium for vibrant blooms
Here are three different anthurium propagation methods to get started
An anthurium in a pot

Anthurium plants, or flamingo flowers, are some of the most stunning houseplants that you’ll come across. A beautiful fixture in any home, they feature waxy, heart-shaped leaves and bold, glossy flowers. While anthurium plants are fairly easy to find in nurseries and online, there are other ways to get them. If you or someone you know already has an anthurium plant, you can propagate it to create new anthurium plants. Want to try it for yourself? Here's everything you need to know about how to propagate anthurium plants.
Method #1: How to propagate an anthurium by cuttings

Can you grow an anthurium from a cutting?
Long story short, yes. Growing an anthurium with a cutting isn't the most common way to propagate it, but it is possible. You can start a new anthurium with a cutting, but it has to be a specific kind of cutting — you want a stem cutting, not a leaf cutting.

Read more
Desert rose care guide: How to grow this stunning succulent
Keeping your desert rose happy indoors
Dark pink desert rose flowers

Desert roses are gorgeous succulents with lovely pink flowers, so it’s no wonder gardeners want to add them to their collections. Luckily, this plant is also easy to grow. It can become a part of an outdoor succulent garden, but did you know your desert rose also makes a great indoor plant? If you want to add a desert rose to your indoor succulent garden, or want to start your succulent collection off with one, then this is the guide for you. We’ll explain everything you need to know in order to keep your desert rose happy and healthy indoors.
Can you grow desert rose plants indoors?

Desert rose succulents are well suited to growing indoors, and they actually grow better indoors than out in most parts of the U.S. These cold-sensitive plants are only hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11, so keeping them indoors is actually the best way to grow them. Like most other succulents, start off with a container that has plenty of drainage holes. Desert rose plants cannot tolerate soggy soil, so both the container and the soil mix need to allow excess water to drain freely. A succulent or cactus-specific soil mix is perfect for your desert rose.

Read more