Gardening is an aesthetic, cathartic, and productive hobby that is not just limited to outdoor spaces. As long as you have an area with plenty of sunlight, you can create your little indoor garden. Indoor gardens add beauty and freshness to your living space while also allowing you to connect with nature. It is easy to keep plants around without worrying about having a suitable outdoor space. Whether you have been thinking of renovating that balcony into a vertical garden or wish to add terrariums to your house, you can take help from this article to get started on that idea today.
IN THIS ARTICLE,
💠 What is Indoor Gardening?
💠 Types of Indoor Gardens
💠 Benefits of Having an Indoor Garden
💠 How to Create Your Own Indoor Garden
❇️ WHAT IS INDOOR GARDENING?
Indoor gardening is when you utilize space inside your home to grow certain plants. It can be because you do not have adequate outdoor space in your home, the outdoor temperature is too cold to have a nice garden space, or simply because you wish to pick fresh food from your own-grown plants. You can avoid several supermarkets runs with your indoor garden serving new food items. Since the coronavirus pandemic left the world shaken, many people have taken an interest in indoor gardening to combat unforeseen food shortages. As rewarding as the hobby is, it also gives one a contingency plan in case of unexpected famines or even inflation.
❇️ TYPES OF INDOOR GARDENING
Many types of indoor gardens are commonly built in houses and workplaces. Each class has a different specialty and different conditions in which it thrives. You can learn more about the types of indoor gardens in one of our other blogs.
Here are the top types of indoor gardens:
- Hydroponics Design
- Herb Gardens
- Terrariums
- Vertical Gardens
- Artificial Gardens
❇️ BENEFITS OF HAVING A LITTLE INDOOR GARDEN
You may be wondering why should you go through so much hassle of creating a garden indoors when you can walk to a nearby park to connect with nature. That is why we have compiled the top benefits of having indoor gardens that you cannot resist. Take a look below!
- Reduction in Stress Levels: According to a study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, having indoor plants makes a person feel more comfortable and soothing. It is linked with lower levels of stress and a higher level of productivity. Even surrounding yourself with a shelf of potted plants will allow you to connect with nature. Many people use indoor gardening to add freshness to their houses, and many companies now provide indoor gardens within an office. It enhances productivity and boosts employee morale by adding a touch of nature. The study found that employees engaged in tasks related to indoor gardening were more likely to have lower stress levels than those benched throughout the day. Instead, having higher blood pressure is reasonably common in benched employees who only do computer-related tasks.
- Therapeutic Effects of Plants: Working with plants around has therapeutic effects, says a study[ii] conducted by qualified researchers. Psychiatrists use it during horticultural therapy sessions to help patients enhance feelings of well-being. It is typically used with patients with anxiety, depression, and dementia. The study has been around for over a demi-decade, which has given rise to medical clinics in England to ‘prescribe’ potted plants to help patients. Hence, indoor potted plants are therapeutic to you in more than just aesthetic ways.
- Boosts Productivity: Being around plants makes one feel lighter, happier, and fresher. It works as ‘soul food’ that we, as humans, require in order to live a healthy life. When we feel fresh, our productivity will see a positive rise too. According to a study published in 2007, employees’ productivity levels with potted plants around their workspace were significantly higher than those who did not. Moreover, they took fewer sick leaves and were more likely to be pleasant, enthusiastic, and generally happier at their workplace. Therefore, it is safe to say that if you go indoor gardening, you can observe similar effects on your physical and mental well-being.
- Improves Indoor Air Quality: According to a research study[iv] conducted at NASA, having indoor plants purify the air by removing contaminants. This process of scrubbing pollutants out of the air is known as Phytoremediation. Once the air has been filtered, it makes it better for people with breathing issues and allows the living space to be healthier. Moreover, it provides you with a productive and rewarding hobby every day, which rewards in more than just the enhanced overall aesthetic of your place.
❇️ HOW TO CREATE YOUR LITTLE INDOOR GARDEN
Creating your indoor garden from scratch can be daunting, especially when you have no prior experience. As professionals in the field, we know how to break the seemingly challenging task down into simpler bits to carry out for ourselves. Although we recommend you hire a professional landscaper for your indoor garden’s durability and maintenance, it will still be one of the most fruitful experiences of your leisure time (literally!).
Let us walk you through the steps of creating your indoor garden.
STEP 1 – FIND AN ADEQUATE SPACE
The first step is to figure out where to set up your indoor garden. Ideally, your indoor garden is a space where the plants can receive sufficient sunlight. It is crucial to consider the average temperature of the area as well. If the temperature is too low or too high, your plants may not thrive like you want them to. This ideal space in your house can be a whole extra room with a gigantic window that allows it to be filled with sunlight throughout the day, or it can be a portion by the window in your kitchen. In any case, finding a good spot for your indoor garden is the critical first step you simply cannot skip.
Here are some spaces you can utilize for indoor gardening:
- Kitchen: Find a nice spot near a window in your kitchen and set up potted plants. You can water them casually while doing kitchen chores and add a hint of freshness to the room overall! Alternatively, readily available herbs in your kitchen will simplify your life. You can add plants in a kitchen, including Aloe Vera, English ivy, Snake plant, and Basil. These plants usually thrive in any kitchen atmosphere and enhance the aesthetic appeal of the place too.
- Dining Area: Since they usually have windows, Dining Areas make great spaces for indoor gardens. If you are interested in giving your dining area a forest-y touch and vibe, indoor gardening is your go-to option. Set up wooden shelves in a sunlight-rich corner and add low-maintenance plants. It will require minimal care and provide a maximum forest vibe to your dining area. It will also help purify the air and make the atmosphere healthier.
- Spare Room: If you have an extra room to renovate, you can always go for indoor gardening as long as you are sure the room receives plenty of sunlight. Although you can go for installing LED lights and other devices that help indoor plants, there is nothing cheaper and more effective than free sunlight. The biggest perk of indoor gardening in a spare room is how you can simply cram up the place, and it will still be aesthetic. While you genuinely add plants and flowers everywhere, why not go overboard?! You can set up shelves, hanging planters, or utilize old furniture to give your room a nature-intruded feeling. Set up a few chairs and books around to make it your reading forest.
- Surround your Bathtub: Assuming your bathroom has windows, you can set up big plants near the window. Ideally, you can surround your bathtub with plants to give it a nature-filled and fresh feeling which allows you to relax after a long day.
- Ceiling: The ceiling is one of the most under-realized places for indoor gardening. You can utilize shelters by hanging down multiple trailing plants, making them more excellent on the eyes. Not all plants need to be on eye level. When we mix things up and down in a room, it creatively enhances the aesthetic appeal of the room. You can also use the ceilings to add hanging shelves and ladders to innovate your indoor garden into something entirely new and authentic!
STEP 2 – GO FOR A HYDROPONIC DESIGN
As mentioned earlier in this blog, Hydroponic Designs deliver nutrients to the roots of a plant via water. It allows plants to grow without needing soil. You can utilize small spaces in your house to harvest vegetables or medicinal herbs. The biggest perk of going for hydroponics is that it makes plants grow notably faster than in soil. You can also use hydroponics to grow vegetables and herbs vertically to add to the aesthetic appeal of your indoor garden. Since it is a more effortless and ‘cleaner’ indoor gardening, beginners should consider going for such designs. Once you have experience taking care of plants and investing time in their maintenance, you can move on to relatively more technical types of indoor gardening.
STEP 3 – DO NOT OVERWATER!
Every plant is different and requires an extra level of care. Some may need watering every other day, whereas others may not need to be watered for more than once a month. Hence, it is essential for you to know your plants and know how much water they need. Many people fail to realize that overwatering can cause the roots of your plants to rot. Although done with the nicest intentions, overwatering tends to do more damage than is foreseen. Therefore, we recommend you keep tabs on your watering schedule and ensure that you only water those plants which need it. Overwatering is just as deadly for plants as watering it less is.
STEP 4 – CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLANTS
Now that you have a nice space dedicated to your indoor garden and a hydroponic system, you should work on finding the right plants for your garden. The “right” plants are not those which will do well in any indoor garden. The right plants are those plants that will do well in the space you have for them in your indoor space. Just because a plant did well in a more extensive indoor garden does not mean it will show the same results in your smaller one. Every plant is different, and the environment plays a significant role in its growth. Hence, now is your time to start finding the right plants for your indoor garden.
Here are some of the commonly used plants which can survive and thrive in both small and large spaces if you have an integrated hydroponics system:
- Lettuce: It is the first option for many people just trying out a hydroponics system. With an average growth time of about thirty days, lettuce plants have a shallow root system which allows them to be grown regularly without needing to be tied. It will start looking good and fresh enough to be eaten within a month.
- Spinach: With a growth time of about a month and a week, the spinach plant proliferates if you keep the nutrient solution highly oxygenated. Ideally, you can start a spinach plant from seed and move it to a system after it sprouts.
- Strawberries: It is a surprise to none that strawberries are seasonal in the market, which is why adding strawberries to your indoor gardening list of plants is a great idea. With a growth time of about two months, you can harvest strawberries all year round with the help of a hydroponic system. To get started on your strawberry plants, we recommend you buy cold-stored runners instead of strawberry seeds. Seeds take years to become berry-ready, but cold-stored runners are on the stage already.
STEP 5 – MINIMAL CARE DOES NOT MEAN ZERO CARE
Just because an indoor garden does not require you to maintain it daily does not mean it does not need minimal care. You should provide your garden with the monthly or weekly care necessary to stay healthy and thriving. Whether indoor or outdoor, without proper care, even the prettiest gardens will lose their beauty. Therefore, you should spend extra time ensuring that your garden gets the maintenance it deserves.
❇️ CONCLUSION
Whether indoor or outdoor, garden maintenance requires your time and attention. It may be a daunting task when you first start, but gradually, you will see how rewarding it truly is. Indoor gardening allows you to invest your leisure time in something productive and therapeutic while also enjoying and connecting with nature. It is linked with lower stress levels and productivity in many renowned pieces of research. If you have been considering making your indoor garden dreams a reality, consider this article your green signal to get started on it today!
References:
[i] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4419447/
[ii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5663021/
[iii] https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/42/3/article-p581.xml
[iv] https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930073077
