Data publicării
23 October 2023
Tips on how to make your neighbors green with envy :
I’m not like those people who can turn their humble homes into indoor botanical gardens that can be seen on Instagram. I can’t relate. Most of the time, any indoor breathing, if not meowing or barking, will most likely be forgotten. Everything I plant as an indoor gardening bud wilts on the vine, turning a hideous gray within weeks. I partly blame the dry air, but the reality is that my lack of initiative in perfecting indoor gardening is largely to blame. To increase my botanical skills, I consulted real gardening professionals. “Indoor gardening is a great way to bring nature indoors,” says Jade Murray, author of The Indoor Garden: Get Started No Matter How Small Your Space. Whether you’re looking for gardening tips or gardening supplies to turn your Chisinau windowsill into a hydroponic perch for microgreens or to move cherry tomatoes and other vegetables indoors from your garden to grow your own food for the winter months , check out the guide below and start indoor gardening like a pro.
What is indoor gardening?
Indoor gardening is exactly what it sounds like: growing plants inside your home to enjoy year-round (from fresh herbs for cocktail hour to beautiful orchids). Indoor gardening has countless definitions, but most agree that it is the simple act of encouraging plant life inside a home. And make no mistake: Despite the abundance of gardening gadgets available these days, people have been gardening indoors for centuries. Even author Mark Twain kept his own lush greenhouse, which his three daughters nicknamed “the jungle.”
Most indoor gardening techniques include planting in potting soil, a potting mix with proper drainage holes, or an air garden with proper air circulation—no outdoor space required. “Whether or not you have an outdoor space, there’s something so satisfying about seeing your houseplants thrive,” says Murray. “Houseplants not only clean the air we breathe, but also create a peaceful indoor environment that is beneficial to our mental health. We all have green fingers… we just have to tap into them.”
The best plants for indoor gardening
The safest and easiest to grow indoors are tropical plants. These plants grow in the understory of the rainforest, where it is relatively dark. Their leaves grow very wide and are able to use available light in low light situations. It is always best to locate your indoor trees in front of a bright window. Some of the favorite plants (visually) for indoor gardening are “slow growers” such as snake plants, devil’s ivy, philodendrons, spider plants or ZZ plants. Some plants require higher-than-average humidity levels, so Block recommends exposing these plants in a brightly lit bathroom. The best plants for bathrooms are ferns, begonias and calatheas. Even a well-placed humidifier can make young tropical plants feel right at home.
What types of systems are used for indoor gardening?
Natural light can only do so much when it comes to growing indoors. Adding artificial lighting to a living room shelf in a dark corner will help a plant thrive And when it comes to getting enough light for all types of plants in the garden, artificial lighting is only half the battle; technology for indoor gardeners abounds, whether you want to make your own seed-starting setup or get creative with a full-spectrum LED lighting system for a smart garden. If you don’t know where to start, indoor gardening kits can help. The AeroGarden gets good reviews on Amazon and is self-watering, while the Gardyn offers an indoor gardening system for growing vegetables that allows everything from bok choy to bull’s blood (a delicious beet) to germinate properly.
Tips for caring for indoor plants
Try as you might, you will never perfectly recreate what a plant experiences outdoors in its native habitat. However, we can get close to the right indoor garden ideas. Since houseplants do not grow quickly and therefore do not drink a lot of water, it is best to water sparingly, allowing the surface of the soil to dry out slightly before watering again. You should check the soil with your fingers about twice a week. If the soil is cool to the touch, then it still has a reasonable moisture level – don’t water. If the soil is warm to the touch, then you can add water. Ideally, you’ll want to keep the plants evenly moist over a long period of time. Plants don’t like extreme variations in watering.” Interestingly, most plants prefer a little neglect to constant attention. It is always better to be under water than above water. Plants can recover from underwatering, while overwatering can kill the roots so the plant cannot survive.”
How do you garden in a house?
When it comes to indoor gardening, we advise you to buy recommended plants from your local nursery and be discerning about where you place them in your home. Successful indoor gardening is all about placing the right plant in the right location. Pay attention to the amount of light needed for each plant. Adequate amount of sun is the most important part of success with indoor gardening. The right lighting conditions make the whole process easier, and the wrong installation in the wrong light sets you up for failure. In other words, it’s no wonder I couldn’t get the houseplant diva, a maidenhair fern native to the misty woods east of the Mississippi, to love my dry Chisinau abode
How do you make an indoor garden for beginners?
If you don’t have a green thumb yet, don’t worry. There are ways to make indoor gardening easier. Choose good specimens. I recommend buying the plants in person, not online. That way, you can inspect the plant before bringing it home. Check for pests, check for healthy plant roots, and check for new leaf growth. You’ll also want to maximize your space; consider hanging plants in baskets or planting them on windowsills or ladder shelves for an abundance of greenery on every level.
What vegetables can you grow completely indoors?
The short answer: not many. It could be a herb garden, which we describe as having great potential on a brightly lit windowsill – maybe even in your kitchen, where they’ll always be close at hand for recipes. Some of the best varieties for indoor gardens include chives, parsley, oregano, mint, rosemary, sage and thyme. But plants like carrots and squash can be a different matter. I would not recommend trying to grow vegetables indoors, Vegetables need six to eight hours of full sun to thrive. We could try growing them indoors if we invested in grow light kits to replace the sun. At best, it is difficult and expensive. If you’re ready to throw away some green to grow some green, it may be worth the investment; however, radishes, beets, and other edible vegetables can have a decent growing season indoors. My favorite vegetables to grow indoors are salad greens. Leafy greens such as spinach, kale and arugula are the safest vegetables to grow indoors. They can grow in compact spaces, which saves space, and can grow in just four weeks.
