With indoor gardening, you can bring nature inside and grow fresh flowers, herbs, fruits, vegetables, and cannabis. You can accomplish this growing even if you have limited space indoors. For example, you can choose compact varieties of plants and/or employ vertical gardening structures. Read on for some tips to grow allplants when you have only a little room to work with inside.
Use Vertical Gardening Structures
Vertical gardening structures include wall-mounted shelves, hanging planters, and trellises. They can accommodate a variety of plants and let you make the most of your vertical space. You can even take the vertical approach for weed seeds and cannabis cultivation. Employ trellises or netting to train marijuana plants to grow vertically.
Another idea is to grow climbing plants such as pothos, ivy, or philodendron. They can uthrive in limited spaces due to their ability to trail or climb upwards. Another bonus is that your walls should get a touch of greenery.
Assess Your Space and Lighting Conditions Before Choosing Seeds or Plants
Before you decide on the plants to grow, it’s essential to determine the amount of space you have for indoor gardening. Look at options such as windowsills, countertops, shelves, or hanging areas. You may have more space than you think.
- Use hanging planters and hang plants from the ceiling or wall-mounted hooks. This method frees up floor and surface space. You can even use macrame hangers or cascading planters to add stylish touches to your indoor garden.
- Choose modular or pocketed wall planters to get lush green walls. You can customize the planters to match your available space and plant preferences.
- Take advantage of natural light by using window boxes and sill planters. They hold a nice variety of plants, including herbs and flowering species, and help you create a vibrant display.
Lighting conditions are important, too. Pinpoint the natural light sources in your space and assess their intensity and duration. Different plants have varying needs for light intensity or sunlight.
Understanding your lighting conditions helps you choose suitable plant varieties or the proper equipment for growing indoors. For example, cannabis plants can do wonderfully indoors under full-spectrum LED grow lights or high-intensity discharge (HID) lights. Do ensure even light distribution across the canopy.
Don’t worry if you do not have a lot of light. You could choose plants such as the snake plant, philodendron vine, pothos vine, or dracaena (the latter gets large, though). The less light a plant needs, the less it typically needs watering, too. Rotate plants regularly to give the entire plant a little more natural light.
Select Compact and Dwarf Varieties
Many plant varieties naturally stay small or have compact growth habits. For instance, basil, mint, parsley, lettuce, and spinach are examples of herbs and greens that are on the small side and grow well inside. You can grow them in containers and harvest them every once in a while to add to meals.
Ensure Proper Drainage
Your containers should have adequate drainage holes to prevent waterlogged soil. Place saucers or trays beneath play spots to catch excess water and avoid damaging your windowsills, tables, desks, floors, and other indoor surfaces.
Prune Regularly
Regular pruning and deadheading keep your plants tidy and promote healthy growth. They also help maintain the size and shape of your plants.
Start with Just a Few Plants
If you are new to gardening or plant care, or are unsure about how your indoor space will work out, start with just one plant or a few. Don’t go overboard quite yet. There will be plenty of time later for more plants if the space works out or as you gain more of a green thumb.
Your early experiences with these first few plants will come in handy later because you learn more about how to use the space in your home, how the light from your windows and other sources varies, how your indoor temperature controls vary, and much more.
Keep an Eye on Pest Control
While pests are associated with outdoor gardens, they can be an issue indoors, too. Be cautious about taking plants back inside and outside a lot, and try these other strategies.
- Choose healthy seeds or plants from trusted sources. Inspect them for signs of pests or disease before bringing them indoors.
- Inspect your plants regularly, including the leaf, stem, and soil undersides.
- Keep floors, surfaces, and containers clean. Tidy up leaves and other debris that attract pests.
- Water plants at the proper levels since excessive watering can result in fungus gnats and other pests.
- Keep humidity levels at 40% to 60%, and use fans or ventilators for good air circulation.
By following a few tips and techniques, you can create a flourishing indoor garden even when your space is limited. It’s important to assess the available space and lighting conditions first, choose the right plants, and maximize vertical space.
