Your Guide to Growing and Maintaining an Indoor Garden

Indoor gardening can be a particularly rewarding experience, when done correctly. Growing a garden indoors can bring color and vibrance to your home - and to your life. Many indoor gardeners enjoy better moods throughout the day when they are accompanied in the home by plants that they grew themselves.

Aside from the uplifting effects that indoor gardening can instill, there are also other benefits to this hobby. Plants that could not otherwise grow outdoors in the cold winter weather can sometimes be grown successfully in an indoor garden. In addition, gardening indoors allows for much flexibility. You can grow anything from flowers, to herbs, to vegetables in your indoor garden.

Before beginning to work on your garden, however, there are several things you should consider. Containers, light sources, and food and water are all factors that need to be evaluated before determining what plants you wish to grow in your indoor garden.

Choosing Containers for Your Indoor Garden

Container gardening is a hot topic among gardeners these days. There are tons of ways you can furnish an indoor container garden. You can grow plants in just about any container you can think of. Some fun ideas for containers include coffee mugs (for flowers, or small herbs), canning jars, flower pots, watering cans, baskets etc. Use your imagination. As long as your container of choice can hold soil and drain water, it will most likely do the trick.

Lighting Your Indoor Garden

Natural light is, of course, the best source of light for any garden. Unfortunately, the very nature of indoor gardening sets limits on light, which is usually restricted by the walls of your home.

Some plants do not require large amounts of light and will fare well when placed under fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs. Other plants require a little bit more light and can live well beside a window or a sliding glass door.

Plants that require more intense light should either be excluded from your indoor garden or placed under stronger light sources. Halogen, metal halide or sodium light fixtures are good choices, although they can be expensive and difficult to install in your home.

Watering and Fertilizing Your Indoor Garden

Every plant has different needs when it comes to watering and fertilizing. To determine the water and nutrient requirements of your plants, read the seed packages and/or do some research on the Internet or at your local library.

Generally, however, you should water your indoor garden just as you would an outdoor one. For most plants, the soil should remain slightly moist at all times. Practice care not to overwater, since this can cause your plants to drown.

Fertilizer needs also vary from plant to plant. As a general rule, plants that grow fairly rapidly can be watered once every two to three weeks. Plants with a slower growth rate usually do not require fertilizer. If you see dried or burned leaves, this may be a sign of overfertilization.

Be Patient With Your Indoor Garden

Indoor gardening, like outdoor gardening, is a hobby that requires considerable patience and care. After dedicating some time to your indoor gardening hobby, you may develop an urge to grow - don't mind the pun - your plant collection.

The more time you dedicate to this hobby, the more it will reward you in return. You will soon learn that that the possibilities for indoor gardening are nearly endless. The only limits are those of your own creativity and imagination.