Welcome, today’s guest post by Debra Lewis.
Indoor gardens come with a host of great benefits. House-dwelling plants clean the air, beautify indoor environments, and still thrive when winter arrives, provided you keep their environment carefully controlled. Creating your indoor garden could be as simple or as involved as you like. Here are four basic DIY tips to help you get started growing a garden in your home.
Pick a Spot With Ideal Conditions
Image via Flickr by elias_daniel
Once you’ve decided to create an indoor garden, the next biggest decision to make is choosing the right spot. A lot of that will depend on how large of a garden you’re thinking, from a windowsill herbarium to an air-conditioned sunroom. You can even get creative with hanging or shelved plants.
Make sure the surfaces for your plant pots are water-friendly. If you’re concerned about water damaging your wooden flooring, you might be better off placing your plants in a tiled or laminate area instead.
Choose an area close to a window with ample lighting. Some plants need long hours of direct light while others thrive in shade. Your best insurance is to investigate your plants’ needs so you can create the right conditions.
Choose the Right Plants
Most plants will grow indoors if they don’t need too much space, but you should still give some thought to the type of garden you want to create. Select plant varieties that have the same temperature, lighting, humidity, and watering needs.
If you’re planting a vegetable garden, some great indoor options include tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, beans, and radishes. The usual kitchen herb options include chives, rosemary, basil, parsley, and oregano. Good indoor fruits to plant include strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and small apricots.
Create the Proper Lighting
If you’re growing your garden through the winter or can’t guarantee the right amount or intensity of light on a daily basis, you’ll want to consider getting grow lights. These lights emit wavelengths of light that plant usually absorb from the sun.
High-intensity discharge (HID) grow lights and high-intensity fluorescent grows lights are your main options. One of the main differences between the two is intensity. HIDs have a higher intensity than fluorescent options, so they’re great for indoor gardens where lighting is completely unreliable. HIDs are capable of serving as the only light source, whereas fluorescent grows lights are best for supplementing natural light.
Control Temperature and Humidity
Climate control is another important factor to consider. Temperatures that are too high or low or dangerously low humidity levels can harm the health of a plant. A good temperature range for most plants is 65 to 75 degrees. Schedule regular maintenance for your air conditioner to prevent plants from dying out in the case of a breakdown. If your humidity levels are too low, consider a humidifier or try misting your plants.
Do your plant research and plan wisely. Small environmental changes can affect your plants in big ways, so it saves you time and energy to be informed. Soon you’ll have an indoor garden that gives you and your household great delight and satisfaction.
