Introduction
In the aftermath of the Coronavirus outbreak, many of us have had to work from home. We’ve taken the time away from the daily grind and rediscovered long-forgotten hobbies as a result of this work from home routine. There are many different hobbies and interests, but gardening is one that gives a sense of comfort and peace to anyone at home. Nevertheless, not everyone has a spacious backyard to grow a large garden. Even so, you shouldn’t be prevented from growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs at home. Indoor gardening is a great alternative that allows you to combine your gardening hobby with extended office hours. Many compelling reasons exist for getting into indoor gardening, such as growing your own organic, healthful vegetables and herbs or using the natural beauty of your favorite flowers to decorate your home or creating a fresh indoor environment. There are many reasons to start indoor gardening today, but many newbies are intimidated by the amount of planning, information, and purchasing that seems to be involved with the endeavor. This has led to them asking, “How do I start with indoor gardening?”
The good news is that in this blog we have put together a comprehensive indoor gardening guide to help you understand how you can do indoor gardening in different ways while taking adequate measure on how to do it effectively.
What Does Indoor Gardening Mean?
A garden within an enclosed space such as a residential home, an office building, or any other enclosed space is called indoor gardening. It is best described as creating an artificial space to compensate for a lack of natural space in your house.
Key Factors for Indoor Gardening
Identify what you want to grow: Before you start building your indoor garden, you have to determine what veggies, fruits or flowers you want to grow. As you grow indoors, you aren’t bound to the seasons, so you can choose whatever plants you like regardless of the season. To bring in natural beauty, many people choose to grow tomatoes, herbs, and colorful flowers.
Your indoor garden should be in a suitable space: Even indoors, you need to have a good understanding of how much space you will allocate for your indoor garden. In addition, how you decide what you will grow also has an impact on this factor because plants differ in their requirements. A windowsill can be the best place to grow tomatoes, as they need full sun and several hours of sunlight each day. Mint, on the other hand, can be positioned closer to the center of the room and prefers indirect sunlight. Tip: To prevent your plants from drying out, protect them from air vents.
Water and sunlight are readily available: You can achieve this by choosing a location that receives abundant natural sunlight. This will reduce your dependence on artificial light. Ensure you have the facility to water your plants regularly, especially if you are just starting out. To get started with your garden collection, select plants that have similar water demands and then add more as your collection expands.
Choosing the right containers: To recycle, you can choose containers. Be mindful of these points as you do this. Your plants also flourish when the environment is conducive to their growth. If a root does not spread far enough, then it will inhibit growth for that plant. For aesthetic reasons, you can choose clay pots, stone bowls, plastic containers, cups, and ice trays as containers. Containers made of plastic keep the soil moist and regulate temperature.
Tip: You should always drill a small hole in the bottom of your planting container to ensure proper drainage if it does not already have one!
Check your plants regularly and maintain them: Maintaining a regular check on your plants is just as important as all the other factors to consider while setting up an indoor garden. Ensure that your plants are receiving adequate sunlight, water, pest control, and that they need to be plucked.
Gardening indoors can take the following forms:
Container gardening or growing plants in pots: One of the most common types of container gardening is when you pick up a bunch of containers, empty pots, or grow bags and start planting and growing. To get started, you only need a few pots, soil, and fertilizer.
Raised Beds: Small vegetables and herbs grow well in raised beds. Raised beds can be created anywhere in your house with potting soil. To build raised beds, make sure you use a waterproof base that won’t damage the structure.
Growing Plants on Windowsills: The beauty of your home can be enhanced by planting plants that require lots of sunlight on your windowsill. Since windows at your home can provide you with less space, you might want to choose vegetables that support that. Check the stability and strength of the windowsill before planting. Additionally, growers need to ensure that the temperature near the window remains constant.
Hydroponics: Hydroponics refers to a form of soilless agriculture in which roots of plants grow by supplying essential nutrients and growing in water. Because all of the nutrients they need are readily available, the plants develop significantly faster than they would in a traditional manner.
Vertical gardening (Bringing life to your walls): Have you run out of places to plant your indoor garden? An alternative would be to create a vertical garden. People often use their walls to create an indoor garden where they may grow food plants. Use irrigation tanks or drip irrigation to provide a steady flow of water to plants. Growing lettuce, strawberries, peas, or herbs inside can create a beautiful indoor garden. Living walls are undoubtedly a great way to incorporate a touch of nature into your home.
Microgreens at the Corner: A microgreen is a small vegetable green that grows to be anywhere between 1–3 inches tall (2.5–7.5 cm). You can also grow microgreens in your indoor container garden along with your vegetables and herbs. Since microgreens grow quickly and require little effort, they are a great addition to salads, sandwiches, and other foods.
How Do Plants Grow? Several factors, including light, humidity, and temperature, affect plant growth when it comes to indoor gardening. Plants that do not receive enough light may become tall and skinny. You might not have enough direct sunlight indoors for plants to thrive. In such instances, grow lights, such as HID bulbs, fluorescent lights, and so on, can help your plants thrive.
Growing Plants: What Are The Requirements?
The right humidity and temperature, as well as adequate lighting, are essential for plants to flourish. Plants can struggle to thrive indoors if there isn’t enough humidity or the correct temperature. Spray your plants daily or as necessary if your plants are turning yellow or brown. Plants can even be grouped together to create a higher-relative-humidity environment.
Indoor Growing: Benefits and Challenges
Benefits:
Starting with indoor gardening is an easy way to learn and then go big.
It gives children a habit to cultivate rather than using a mobile phone.
The setup of an indoor garden is not difficult.
Any time of the year is good for growing vegetables.
By growing vegetables indoors, not only are you beautifying your home but also can get organic and fresh produce when and how you want.
The availability and preparation of soil, water and other things become easier in the home.
Challenges:
The availability of natural sunlight is one of the most common challenges.
When the plant is overwatered, it can overflow, thus causing your home to be dirty.
You may also have trouble providing fresh air to your plants in an enclosed space.
Plants and leaves can be damaged by rodents and insects present in homes.
It is also possible for smoke to harm plants while cooking.
Conclusion: We know from research that gardening reduces stress, boosts your mood, improves sleep, and reduces your risk of heart disease and diabetes – so why miss out on these benefits just because you don’t have a backyard or live in a short growing season?