With the price of food rising and availability dicey, boosting food production in any way possible can only help. There's nothing cheaper or more available than the food you grow yourself! Both greens and micro-greens can be grown indoors, even in winter, even in an apartment. This article will tell you how!

How to grow salad micro-greens

Growing salad greens is the easiest of these two options, so we'll tackle that first. If you're already starting your own seeds, then you may have all of the equipment you need. A good, bright, south-facing window might be enough but grow lights will be better, especially if you live in a colder area.

The winter sun's light tends to be weaker than during summertime because of the Earth's rotation and tilt of its axis. So in winter, when the tilt puts our windows a bit further from the sun, the light coming through them is weaker. Also, the winter cold will affect any plants you try to grow by a window. Therefore, grow lights (and possibly a heat mat) can help.

You'll also need trays or pots with some drainage, potting soil or other growing media, and of course, seeds. Pot them up, give them water and 12-14 hours of light per day, and in 30-60 days, you'll be eating yummy food that you produced yourself!

I've also grown cat grass in this way. Why should I pay $5-$15 to Chewy for a little grow bag kit when I can grow my own, much more cheaply and in greater quantity?

So set up your trays, seed them, water them, and let Nature take her course!

(Make sure you check out our free QUICKSTART Guide on what to eat when the power goes out. Micro-greens could play into that!)