Indoor garden
Duplicating Mother Nature indoors for our plant friends is more complicated than most people often realize. If you’re interested in creating a successful indoor garden, whether for the beauty of flowers or to grow produce for you kitchen, try one of the following methods for creating a container garden or a hydroponics garden.
Decide on a style of garden. When gardening indoors, there are two general styles of gardening: container gardening, and hydroponic (also called aquaponic) gardening. Container gardening is just as it sounds – a series of planters/containers that use traditional gardening soil and methods to grow your plants. A hydroponic garden is a special type of indoor garden that uses fertilized water (sometimes with live fish) and a non-soil starter for your plants, arranged vertically.
•Container gardens are a good option for someone who may want to rearrange their plants or eventually move them outdoors.
•Hydroponic gardens are a good option for someone who is looking to produce a lot of plants in a small amount of space.
Choose the right space. Creating a successful indoor garden relies heavily on selecting a space indoors that will help your plants to grow. Choose an area that has lots of windows and sunlight:
•Avoid rooms that have cold temperatures (such as an attic or garage);
•Avoid choosing an area near an air vent or fan, as these can dry out your plants and cause damage to them.
Properly control the environment. The biggest reason for planting an indoor garden is the ability to completely control the environment. While this requires more work, it also greatly increases the success of your plants when done properly.
•Try soil heat mats. In general, most plants thrive in soil temperatures between 75–85 °F (24–29 °C).
•Get a drip system. Watering regularly can be a difficult habit to master; rather than setting reminders for yourself daily, try getting a drip system.
•Choose a lighting system. Although windows let in a little sunlight, you’ll primarily be in charge of giving your plants light through artificial means.
Choose your plants. Just like a garden outside, there is a huge variety of plants you can grow indoors including vegetables, berries, herbs, flowers, and decorative greens.
•Vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, carrots, radishes, beans, peas, and mushrooms.
•Fruits: strawberries, figs, and grapes.
•Herbs: basil, bay, chives, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and thyme.
•Flowers: peace lily, African violet, marigold, begonia, cactus, and succulents.
