Suppose you've decided to transform your indoor gardening hobby into a business venture. You might be planning to sell your wares at a local market or even online. The cultivation of produce will always be a lucrative industry, even on a small scale, but to guarantee success, choosing suitable crops is essential.

Ginseng

Easy to grow and highly profitable, Ginseng is a root that has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine. Along with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, this herbal supplement can lower blood sugar levels, reduce fatigue and strengthen the immune system. The medicinal assets of Ginseng make it a perpetually popular form of natural medicine. The roots can be boiled to make tea or added as an ingredient to various recipes.

Although it takes several years for Ginseng roots to grow to a marketable size, your patience will be rewarded. In the meantime, seeds and rootlets can be sold at a similarly fair price.

Wild Mushrooms

While wild mushroom pickers scour the forest carpet for fungal gems, you can produce your own in your grow room. Labelling your mushrooms as "wild" may seem disingenuous, but it refers to the species rather than the growing environment. Varieties such as Chanterelle and Morel that are usually found in woodland areas are highly sought after and used in gourmet cooking.

Once you've accumulated the correct spores and sealed your spawn within a grow tent, there is no discrepancy between safe, edible mushrooms and potentially dangerous varieties that bear a resemblance. Under appropriate growing conditions, mushrooms require minimal attention and produce impressive yields.

Herbs

Herbs will always be in demand for their various medicinal and culinary uses. Supermarket prices are continually soaring, and this includes the cost of packaged herbs. Many buyers are turning to their own gardens and small agricultural businesses for these aromatic greens.

Traditionally Mediterranean herbs such as coriander and basil generally fare better under warmer conditioners, making a grow room or greenhouse ideal. The same applies to lavender, which prefers high light exposure levels and fast-draining soil. This fragrant, purple flowering plant is famed for its soothing properties and is often used to make essential oil.

Saffron

Somewhat of a cliché in the culinary world - the price of saffron makes it an opulent ingredient in many rich, flavourful dishes. Saffron is so pricey due to labour-intensive harvesting. Each individual strand is a stigma from the centre of a Crocus flower. If you don't mind some fiddly stigma gathering, this bright orange-red spice can fetch between £5 and £10 per gram.

Tomatoes

A staple of greenhouses and grow rooms; there are over 10,000 species of tomato. By growing varieties that may not be readily available in supermarkets, you can appeal to local gourmet eateries and cooking enthusiasts by providing something unique.

Controlling the correct temperature and humidity levels will increase yields and encourage strong, healthy plants. Accessories such as LED grow lamps, and heat-resistant tape will help to ensure your grow room is sturdy and functional so your tomatoes can thrive.

Consider cultivating unusual varieties such as Indigo Rose or Green Zebra that are best enjoyed raw with salt and olive oil to bring out their uniquely sweet, tangy flavour.

Microgreens

Microgreens are the young edible seedlings of plants such as radish, peas, beetroot and fennel. These delicious and nutritious seedlings taste similar to their fully grown counterparts and are fantastic when used as a garnish for salads, soups and sandwiches. Packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, microgreens are often considered a superfood and can be used in a variety of dishes.

Microgreens are sustainable and space-efficient - these seedlings can be packed into multiple shallow trays on shelving units and will reach their harvesting stage in as little as two weeks.

Strawberries

Strawberries have recently been crowned the UK's most popular fruit. Growing your own in an outdoor garden can be tricky - pests such as slugs seem to favour them too. You can ensure your strawberries are safe from creepy crawlies in the safe confines of a tent.

Strawberries enjoy well-drained, fertile soil that is slightly acidic. Organic potting mix made from peat moss and enriched with perlite is favourable. Alternatively, you could increase growing density and produce maximum yields by growing your strawberries hydroponically.

Resources:

• ​Grow Lamp - Bloggi​
• ​Hydroponics Grow Lights - Slab​
• ​Grow Tent Kits - Clover​
• ​Grow Tents - Bear​
• ​Humidity Controller - GoDaddy​

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