Creating An Indoor Garden
Gardening is not only for outside spaces anymore. Consider choosing an indoor garden that will help to boost the inside of your home with fresh fragrance and added beauty. Indoor gardens are a great way to enjoy the benefits of plants without having to worry about weather or adequate outdoor space. Consider these quick tips on how to create an indoor garden in your home:
Choose Your Style
Indoor gardening has two main styles that you can choose from: container or hydroponics. Container gardening is much like outdoor gardening where you would plant seeds within a soil filled container. It is a good choice for someone who may want to transplant their plants outdoors or if you may want to move your plants to different areas of your home. Hydroponics is a style of indoor gardening that grows plants using nutrition infused water instead of soil in a vertical growing atmosphere. Hydroponics is usually used to grow vegetables within the home with limited growing space available. Both are good options depending on your indoor gardening focus.
Choose the Right Spot
We don’t have to tell you that plants won’t grow well in a dark corner or basement of your home. Plants can adequately grow inside the home but they will need natural sunlight in order to do well. Choose an area of your home that is near a lot of east or west facing windows. Placing your indoor garden near windows not only provides sunlight but also provides added heat that many seeds need in order to germinate. Don’t place your indoor garden in a colder room of your home or one that is near an air vent, fan, or breezeway. Colder temperatures mixed with a lot of airflow can slow the growth of indoor plants considerably. You can also purchase a wall rack to hang your garden near the window where it can still receive necessary sunlight and save space for additional plants.
Add In Extras
One of the biggest perks of choosing an indoor garden is the ability to control the environment. There are no bugs or rabbits to eat your seedlings and you will never have to worry about a week of wet weather drowning your plants. Take advantage of this by creating the perfect environment for your plants. Add soil heat mats to boost the soil temperature of your container garden in order to encourage seeds to sprout. Supplement your garden with an artificial lighting system that will help your plants grow well. Consider adding a drip system if you don’t want to be bothered with constant watering or if you will be gone for a long period of time.
Choose Your Plants Wisely
Indoor gardens are great for smaller plants that produce a lot of bang for the buck. You’re not going to grow large watermelons or pumpkins due to the sheer amount of space those plants need to produce. Check the back side of seed packets to understand how big your plant will be getting along with how much space they need to thrive. Each plant is different and may surprise you with how much space is required for optimal growth.
Consider starting with a small herb garden or a few pepper plants if this is your first indoor garden. If you’re growing vegetables, make sure that you know how each plant pollinates their fruit in order to be successful. Pollination will have to be done by hand without access to bees, butterflies, or flies that naturally occur outside.
Growing an indoor garden can be a great way to bring the outdoor areas of your home indoors. You will add beauty and natural benefits to your home by providing space for an indoor garden. Choose your garden style and location wisely along with knowing your plant needs in order to have a successful indoor garden.
About the Author
Emily Higgins is a writer and homeowner inspired by retro pinup–she is constantly working on revamping her fixer-upper to have a more chic vintage style. When she’s not working on remodeling, she can be found tending to her organic garden and cooking for family and friends.