1. Plan Your Indoor Garden
Planning your indoor garden is a crucial step to ensuring its overall success, feasibility and sustainability. From your available space to the type of garden to build, there are several key considerations you need to evaluate.
Select the space
First, assess the space in your home where you intend to create your DIY indoor garden. Consider factors such as lighting conditions, water access, temperature and available floor or wall space for your plants.
Decide which type of garden you want to build
Define the purpose of your garden. Do you want to build a decorative garden featuring plants with visual appeal or a therapeutic space filled with lush greenery? You should also take into account the amount of space and growing conditions of your garden. Here are some different types of indoor gardens you may consider building.
- Container gardens
Container gardens offer flexibility as these plants are individually potted and can be placed throughout the house. You may choose to place different pots of plants together to create pockets of green space around the house.
- Vertical gardens
For small spaces, you may wish to consider vertical gardens to maximise your wall space. These gardens feature plants growing on trellis or vertical garden systems, making an attractive green backdrop.
- Hydroponic gardens
Hydroponics gardens are systems of cultivating plants without soil. Instead of relying on traditional soil-based methods, it utilises a nutrient-rich water solution to provide essential minerals directly to the plant roots.
2. Choose the Right Type of Plants
Once you know the type of garden you want, you can begin selecting specific plants for it. Your selection has to take into account several factors, especially the existing conditions in the allocated space. Choose plants that can thrive in these conditions as it will determine their survivability.
For example, if your space lacks natural light, you may consider plants like pothos, peace lily or snake plant. If your garden receives plenty of direct sunlight, Cacti, succulents, croton and monstera are some plants that will thrive well.
3. Gather the Necessary Supplies
Pots and containers
There are many different types of pots and containers suitable for indoor gardening, whether in plastic, ceramic or terracotta. The key is choosing one that suits your aesthetic preferences, while also offering adequate space and sufficient drainage for optimal plant growth.
For seeds or seedlings, you won’t need too much space, so a 3-4″ pot size should be sufficient. But for plants with root balls, you should use a container that’s double the size of the root ball.
The right soil type
Choosing the right soil or medium is vital in ensuring proper drainage and healthy plant growth. Some plants thrive in sandy soil, while others prefer loamy or clayey soils. Hence, you should always research the soil preferences of the plants you intend to grow.
For example, cacti and succulents require sandy soil for good drainage to prevent waterlogging. Edible herbs like basil, lettuce and parsley prefer loamy soils that can retain adequate amounts of water and nutrients. By understanding the preferences of your plants, you can choose the right soil type that provides an optimal growing environment.
Seeds or seedlings
Selecting healthy specimens from reputable sources such as your local nurseries and garden centres increases your chances of building a flourishing indoor garden.
For seeds, you can check the information on the seed packets they come in. Review the seed’s origin, germination rate and growing requirements to see if you have the right conditions to grow it. If you’re starting with seedlings, choose healthy, robust ones with sturdy stems and vibrant green leaves to ensure a successful transplantation.
Watering tools
Watering tools are essential in maintaining proper hydration for your indoor garden. Depending on your plant’s needs, you may consider using different watering tools.
For example, you may use watering cans for plants requiring consistent moisture and spray bottles for those preferring drier conditions. For hanging plants that are hard to reach, you can use a watering wand.
Other supplies
Other gardening supplies such as fertilisers, pruning shears and humidity monitors can also help to maintain your indoor garden. Fertilisers provide useful nutrients to support plant growth and development. A good pair of pruning shears can help to shape the plant and encourage healthier growth.
Should your plants require specific humidity levels, use a humidity monitor to track the moisture levels in your garden. This will alert you to adjust the placement of your plants accordingly.
4. Control the Environment
Light control
Light influences plant growth and development. It’s also essential for photosynthesis and plants can only produce the energy they need to grow healthily with adequate lighting.
Insufficient lighting often results in straggly plants with pale leaves and reduced flowering. Therefore, if your garden doesn’t receive enough natural light, try introducing LED grow lights into the space. They mimic sunlight and emit a light spectrum in the range of 400 to 700 nanometres which help plants to photosynthesise.
Temperature control
Different plant species require different temperature conditions to achieve optimal growth.
Common indoor plants typically thrive within a temperature range of 24°C and 29°C. To control the temperature of the environment, you may consider using electric heat mats to regulate soil temperature. Alternatively, you can relocate your plants to areas that offer the right conditions.
Water management
Maintaining proper soil moisture is important for plant health, which can be affected by factors, such as humidity and pot drainage. Overwatering can lead to root rot and oxygen deprivation, while underwatering causes the plants to dry up. Therefore, it’s critical to regularly monitor soil moisture levels and provide water whenever the top layer is dry.
You can also insert moisture indicators into the soil for a more accurate reading of the moisture level. Additionally, installing an automatic drip system to supply water to your plants at designated intervals ensures they receive timely hydration. With proper water management, your plants will receive enough water and nutrients for healthy growth.
5. Care and Maintenance
After your garden is successfully set up, you have to maintain it regularly to ensure the plants grow healthily. This involves a range of tasks, from monitoring plant growth to checking soil conditions.
Regular observations allow you to catch any signs of trouble early on and take appropriate action. For example, chewed leaves, discolouration or wilting can be signs of pest infestation or diseases. You should promptly remove infected plants exhibiting these symptoms and administer proper treatment.
Checking the soil regularly to determine its moisture level is also important. As moisture affects plant health directly, regular monitoring allows you to adjust your watering schedule accordingly to prevent under or overwatering.
Other than moisture, periodic fertilisation of your plants is key to maintaining a healthy soil balance. Over time, plants extract nutrients from the soil to grow, hence the nutrient levels in the soil can become depleted. Fertilisers help to replenish these nutrients to ensure your plants continue to grow healthily.
6. Harvest and Prune
Harvesting and pruning are important practices to ensure the health and productivity of your plants.
Harvesting your herbs and vegetables regularly can help to encourage continuous production. It can also prevent fruits from over-ripening, affecting their taste and quality. Should they grow to full maturity without being harvested, the plant may stop producing altogether.
Regular pruning can maintain the health and appearance of your plants. The ideal timing for pruning is at the start of a growing season or after a flowering cycle. Removing the dead or damaged parts not only prevents the spread of diseases but also stimulates new growth.
