Fast Growing Indoor Plants from Seeds

Fast Growing Indoor Plants from Seeds

Fast Growing Indoor Plants from Seeds

Growing plants from seeds allows you to enjoy gardening gratification even when you lack an outdoor yard space. Sprouting an indoor garden is also budget-friendly since packets of seeds cost just a few dollars. Certain hearty, vibrant houseplants establish quickly from seed packets, creating lush inner greenery in less time with less work.

Here are 10 lively indoor plants well suited for fast, robust growth directly from seeds.

Best Indoor Plants for Fast Growth from Seeds

1. Coriander (Cilantro)

Coriander (Cilantro

Known for flavoring Southwestern and Asian cuisine, coriander grows speedily from seeds placed in small potting containers indoors.

  • Key Features:
    • Ready to harvest leaves in 40-50 days
    • Can be continually re-seeded every few weeks
    • Thrives in partial sunlight
    • Grows 6-12 inches tall at maturity
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Rapid germination in 7-10 days
    • Inexpensive – a pack of 1,000 seeds is just $2
    • Versatile for regular harvesting of leaves
    • Tolerates partial shade well

Coriander is one of the easiest and fastest-growing indoor herb options, providing abundant foliage for households enjoying cilantro dishes.

2. Radish

Radish

These crunchy root vegetables grow incredibly fast directly from seed to harvest in just 3-4 weeks. Their peppery flavor adds a delightful bite to salads and sides.

  • Key Features:
    • Ready to harvest in as soon as 21 days
    • Can grow well in small spaces like windowsills
    • Enjoy cool weather
    • Mature at 3 inches diameter
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Rapid 21-28 day growth period
    • Perfect for container gardening
    • Cold hardy vegetable for indoor winter gardening
    • Inexpensive seeds are widely available

With their sculpted globular roots tinged in vibrant fuchsia, Easter egg radishes make for an especially decorative indoor crop.

3. Lettuce

Lettuce

A salad garden favorite, leaf lettuce varieties like oakleaf and Lollo Rossa grow substantial leaves fast from seed starting indoors.

  • Key Features:
    • Thrives in cool temperatures around 60-65° F
    • Ready to begin harvesting leaves in 25-40 days
    • Grows 10-15 inches wide at maturity
    • Does well in hydroponics and vertical gardens
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Good for succession planting every 2-3 weeks
    • No need to transplant outdoors
    • Cut-and-come-again harvesting
    • Easy to grow in containers
    • Inexpensive seeds

A quality full spectrum grow light easily helps lettuce flourish indoors, allowing you to snip fresh greens no matter the season.

4. Pea Shoots

Though technically seed sprouts instead of plants, pea shoots generate quickly from dry pea seeds, offering a nutritional powerhouse of vitamins and antioxidants.

  • Key Features:
    • Ready to harvest delicate shoots in 7-14 days
    • Extremely healthy microgreens full of nutrients
    • Enjoy bright light and moist soil
    • Continual harvests possible from the same seeds
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Very fast-growing microgreens
    • High in vitamin C, vitamin K and carotenoids
    • Easy to sprout in a jar or tray
    • Adds flavor and crunch to dishes
    • Inexpensive dried pea seeds

Garden pea sprouts introduce sweetness and vibrant green color to homemade stir fries, pasta, and salads.

5. Green Onions

Green Onions

Also called Scallions, green onions grow back quickly when cut, thriving indoors from seeds to offer long-lasting bright flavor.

  • Key Features:
    • Ready to harvest green shoots in 50-60 days
    • Regrows when cut for months of yield
    • Enjoy well-drained, nutrient-rich soil
    • Grow over 12 inches tall at maturity
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Good in a windowsill herb garden
    • Tolerates partial sunlight
    • Rare need to ever replant
    • Important ingredient providing flavor

Easy to cultivate green onions endure through winter, enhancing Asian and Mexican recipes.

6. Arugula

A sibling to mustard in the Brassicaceae family, arugula is a speedy, vibrant addition to indoor salad bowls that can be continually seeded for sequential harvests.

  • Key Features:
    • Ready to harvest peppery leaves in just 3-4 weeks
    • Grows 10-12 inches tall
    • Thrives in cool weather and partial shade
    • Small white flowers bloom before bolting
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Rapid maturity is good for impatient gardeners
    • Essential for making gourmet salads and pizzas
    • Weekly cuttings with proper care
    • Spicy green color

Reviewers lovingly characterize the tangy, bold taste of homegrown arugula as “addicting” and “habit forming.” A little goes a long way to transform the flavor of a dish.

7. Buckwheat

Buckwheat

Despite its name and appearance, buckwheat is not related botanically to wheat but instead is an energizing, gluten-free seed good for microgreen growth or wheatgrass juicing.

  • Key Features:
    • Ready to harvest microgreens in 7-10 days
    • Wheatgrass ready for juicing at 8-12 inches
    • Thrives in evenly moist soils
    • Has pinkish-white blossoms
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Very fast growing as microgreens
    • High nutritional content when juiced
    • Often used for detox and cleansing
    • Has a sweet, earthy flavor

Easy to cultivate indoors, buckwheat’s rapid growth as juicy wheatgrass makes it a star for detoxing green juices.

8. Dwarf Sunflowers

Dwarf Sunflowers

Though most associate sunflowers with expansive outdoor fields, new dwarf and patio varieties thrive nicely inside on sunny windowsills with large blooms in about 60 days from seed.

  • Key Features:
    • Flower in 8-11 weeks
    • Grow 12-16 inches tall
    • Need lots of light
    • Make nice cut flowers
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Adds cheer with bright yellow flower
    • Fun to grow in garden pots
    • Attracts pollinators
    • Extremely fast for a flowering plant

Reviewers gush dwarf sunflower’s quick bloom time provides a mood-elevating indoor garden focal point.

9. Nasturtium

Nasturtium

With its radiant orange and red trumpet-shaped blossoms, nasturtium is a fast-establishing annual that embellishes containers indoors and out with vivid color while also offering peppery edible flowers and leaves.

  • Key Features:
    • Ready to harvest flowers/leaves in 5-7 weeks
    • Trailing vines grow 12+ inches long
    • Withstands partial shade
    • No need to deadhead spent blooms
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Fast-growing annual, ready in 5-7 weeks
    • Beautiful orange and red flowers
    • The entire plant is edible
    • Attracts beneficial pollinators

Gardeners characterize nasturtiums as reliable performers even for novice growers, yielding bountiful blooms to garnish summer dishes with a spicy kick.

10. Chamomile

Chamomile

With its apple-like fragrance and flowering daisy white petals, chamomile is a beloved tea herb that grows rapidly from seed when grown indoors.

  • Key Features:
    • Ready to harvest flowers in 8 weeks
    • Grows just 12-18 inches tall
    • Thrives in full sun
    • Perennial in growing zones 3-9
  • Advantages of Growth from Seeds:
    • Flowers are useful for making calming tea
    • Tolerates partial shade when grown indoors
    • Self-seeding once established
    • Withstands some drought

Reviewers praise how easily chamomile grows indoors from seed packets on a sunny windowsill to produce an abundant soothing tea crop in less than 2 months.

Comparison of Fast-Growing Indoor Plants from Seeds

PlantDays to HarvestHeightSunlight NeededKey Benefits
Coriander40-50 days6-12 inchesPartial sunLeaves for seasoning dishes
Radish21-28 days3-inch widthFull spectrum grow lightCrunchy, vibrant roots
Lettuce25-40 days10-15 inchesLED grow lightTasty nutrient-rich leaves
Pea Shoots7-14 daysVariableBright indoor lightHigh in vitamins and antioxidants
Green Onions50-60 daysOver 12 inchesSunny windowAdds flavor to recipes
Arugula21-28 days10-12 inchesCool + partial shadePeppery, nutrient-dense leaves
Buckwheat7-10 days8-12 inchesEven moistureWheatgrass for juicing
Dwarf Sunflower8-11 weeks12-16 inchesVery bright lightCheery yellow flowers
Nasturtium5-7 weeks12+ inch vinesPartial shade OKEdible flowers/leaves
Chamomile8 weeks12-18 inchesFull sunFlowers for calming tea

As the table illustrates, indoor plants grown from seeds can produce ready-to-enjoy foliage or flowers in as little as 3 weeks. Radish, arugula, pea shoots, and buckwheat microgreens offer the fastest turnaround times from seed planting to harvest. Dwarf sunflowers and chamomile give the quickest flowering results. Key variables like mature heights and light needs also vary. Comparing these differences helps match the right fast-growing plants to your unique indoor gardening situation.