Indoor Gardening

Indoor Gardening? There are many reasons to consider indoor gardening.

I have been an avid outdoor gardener for many years but each year I find myself growing more plants indoors. For me a short growing climate, weather concerns and the fact I like to be surrounded by living plants has lead to this change.

I also find indoor gardening easier in many ways.

For those who in cities and have limited space the indoor garden is a perfect solution gardening. And it’s a proven fact that plants help clean and purifies air adding health and less stress into many peoples lives.

Some plants are low maintenance and require little light, while others will need constant care. So choosing the amount of time you want to spend on plants will be an important consideration. And remember, all plants require watering and fertilizing.

Indoor growing considerations

First, identify the lighting conditions in each of the rooms where you plan to grow plants. Mark each room as either dim, bright direct or bright indirect. Then, for each room, consider only plants that thrive in that lighting condition.

Palm plants will require direct light, herbs and vegetables grow in bright sunlight, and bamboo plants can grow in dark indoor conditions. With the wide variety of plants and lighti9ng that can be added to the home, it is now possible to grow almost any plant.

Temperature and moisture as the next most important factors after lighting. If the temperature of your indoor space ranges from 65 to 80 F, you should only consider plants that thrive within this temperature range. You also need to check for drafts. Many plants will not handle a draft or cold wind.

Look at the space you have available. Some plants vary in height from a few inches to several feet. Fortunately, you can control the height of the plant by the size of the pot. Use small pots to restrict plant growth. And you may want to look into vertical growing or growing walls.

I have seen growing walls that add light, color and even seem to add additional space in a room. Vertical growing makes the most out of available space and has numerous growing advantages.

One overlooked area in plant care is the needs of your favorite plants. Besides watering, most plants need fertilizing, trimming, repotting  and often leaf picking.

I had absolutely no luck growing African Violets until my neighbor told me they need and thrive in northern lighting. I switched my plants location and the plants grew beautifully!

And last but not least, buy plants that are either practical or appealing to you. If a plant isn’t aesthetically pleasing, consider growing a vegetable that you can eat. Many vegetable and herb plants are beautiful.

Indoor gardening is an area that I will being using more, both for flowers and vegetables. I plan to use container gardening, vertical gardening, small space gardening ideas and greenhouse gardening. I also hope to try a little hydroponic gardening methods.