Kitchen gardens -- in the kitchen

I've been thinking for some time about the value of growing food in the kitchen.  Obviously space for such is limited and there will be other challenges, but it seems logical to grow herbs and salad greens right there where you can harvest and eat in minutes.  I always have some houseplants growing, I usually start seeds for transplanting, but why not a permanent garden in the kitchen?  

I'm wondering if anyone has been doing this already and if so, what they're growing, and what their setup is.  Thanks!

I occasionally grow some small things in the windows of the kitchen/dining room, but it's usually just temporary due to outside temps or an extra plant I need to put somewhere until I find a better place for it. My herbs always tend to have better flavor when they're in the ground and have more access to sunlight. Since my outdoor kitchen garden is just a few steps away from the kitchen, I kind of see it as sort of an extension of the kitchen.
But, also, I have house cats who also think the herbs are delicious, so it's more practical to keep them in the garden.

I'm curious to hear what others say, because it's definitely a good idea!

Kc Simmons wrote:My herbs always tend to have better flavor when they're in the ground and have more access to sunlight.  

That is something I know to be true, but growing outside is so challenging here that I've got to try inside.  I don't want to get caught up in grow-lights or hydroponics or anything like that (for one thing, I'm off the grid) yet I'd like to somehow emulate outside conditions without having to be outside!

One reason I'd like to try a garden in the kitchen is because salad type plants don't seem to do well outside in my climate. In early summer it's super dry -- not just soil, but the air is so dry that no matter how much watering I do nothing is happy till the first rains in July or August.  Plus while it's super dry, all kinds of critters are desperate for moist food, and there's my struggling garden, so moist, so enticing.  Everything from big to small -- elk, rabbits, rodents, birds, and bugs -- all want that moisture and who can blame them.  

When it finally rains it pours -- it floods.  Worse for the garden is when it hails, which seems to be happening more and more often these days.  Leafy greens get shredded.

Last frost is in May or June (7000' altitude) first killing frost anytime in September or October.  Even in the summer there can be a temperature difference of 50° within 24 hours, and 30-40° difference between in the sun and in shade.  

It's a tough place to grow anything.  I've been wanting a sun room (not a greenhouse) but until that happens I'm thinking of gardening in the kitchen.  There must be some way to keep food plants happy indoors!

In the movies, there are always plants sitting in the kitchen. They look so pretty! Like these:





And I love the wall idea, like this:




I know parsley and lemon balm would work since I over winter them in the house.

My daughter gave me a mint that loved my dark bedroom for a week until I put it out in the garden  When I brought it in and put in in a south window, it slowly died.

Basil works great for a kitchen garden herb. it can get pretty big in a very small pot that can fit on the window seal. When you need some just pinch a few leaves. And it makes your kitchen smell fresh 👍 This could work with pretty much any herb im sure.