Learn How to Start an Indoor Garden at Home

There are many ways to fill a home, but an indoor garden is a great décor option with plenty of benefits—no matter the size of your home.

Growing a garden indoors has many advantages. Not only is it aesthetically appealing and doable without outdoor space, but it also has several significant health benefits. It turns out our green, leafy friends are good for us in more ways than one. 

These indoor garden ideas will help you build the indoor garden of your dreams. 

1. Decide what kind of plants you want in your garden.

If you love to craft the perfect dish, you may want to start an indoor vegetable garden with low-maintenance vegetables or an indoor herb garden with rosemary, mint, and oregano to bring your cooking to the next level with just-off-the-vine additions. Easy vegetables to grow indoors are green onions, carrots, and peppers. 

If you’re simply looking to brighten up your space, you may be more interested in cultivating an indoor garden of flowering plants. On the other end, those who want a peaceful ambiance ofa home filled with greenery may want dark, leafy plants.

An indoor succulent garden might be the best bet for those who want the benefits of growing an indoor garden without the hassle of constant maintenance. A succulent plants garden could be planted in the form of a succulent pot garden or a succulent container garden. This type of garden will be easy to keep up, as succulents are drought-tolerant plants.

2. Find a place to put your indoor garden.

Where you place your indoor house garden depends on what kinds of plants you choose to grow. Nearly all plants require a little sun, but some thrive by basking all day near a window or on a windowsill, while others prefer a mix of sun and shade and need to be settled a bit farther from direct sunlight. 

Depending on the size and layout of your home, you may need to rearrange a few things to create space for your indoor garden. Here are some ideas for placement:

• Indoor vegetable or herb garden. Place planters or pots on a counter or windowsill in your kitchen for easy access while you’re cooking.

• Succulent garden. Find an area of your home that gets a lot of natural light, perhaps near corner windows, on windowsills, or in the bathroom. Consider using a tiered ladder or shelving unit to place succulent pots so they all receive ample sunlight.

• Leafy plants or small, indoor trees. Consider placing these throughout your house or grouping them together in one area, like a corner of your living room or bathroom. You might even try hanging leafy plants in your shower or from the ceiling to provide depth to a room.

3. Learn about your plants.

Starting an indoor garden is kind of like inviting a new roommate to move in. You know what they look like and where they like to spend their time, but to create an ideal living situation, you need to learn more about them. 

For plants, this mostly breaks down into temperature, humidity and ventilation, water, light, soil, fertilizer, and pot size. Here are some tips about indoor gardening for beginners and avid plant people alike:

Temperature. Most houseplants do well in temperate indoor climates between 65 degrees and 75 degrees. While you want to keep your thermostat set at a temperature that keeps you comfortable and protects your wallet, you should also try to keep your plants’ comfort in mind, too. To ensure your home stays cool and comfortable, you may want to consider an American Home Shield® home warranty plan. We off a variety of plans and pricing to help keep your appliances and systems, like your hardworking A/C, running while protecting your budget.

Humidity/ventilation. Some plants require circulating airflow to prevent condensation build-up, while others do best when they are misted several times a day with a spray bottle. If your plant’s leaves are brown on the tips, it may be a sign that it is suffering from low humidity. 

Light. If your plants require a certain amount of light, you may want to set them up seasonally. They will do best near an eastern or northern window during the summer months and near a southern or western window during the winter months. Depending on your plant’s specific needs and the amount of natural light in your home, you may want to add artificial light sources.

Soil. To help your indoor home garden thrive, make sure that you provide it with the right potting soil for its specific needs. Indoor plants require different soil than outdoor plants. Potting soil for indoor plants is usually peat-based and has other materials mixed in that help retain air and water. 

Fertilizer. Just like us, plants need to consume nutritious food to survive. You’ll generally want to give your plants fertilizer once a month during the summer months when they’re blooming and growing. You can usually pause or slow down the frequency of fertilizing your plants in the winter months. 

Pot size. The pot should approximately match up with each plant’s size. When your plant ultimately outgrows its pot, you can move it to a pot matching its new size. 

4. Start planting.

Once you’ve learned about your plants and have chosen appropriate placement and potting, you’re ready to get your hands dirty. Depending on what you’re planting, you should put soil at the bottom of a pot, scatter seeds in, add another layer of soil on top, and then water as needed. 

5. Maintain your indoor garden.

Pests can ruin your houseplants; any pest-infected plant needs to be isolated from the rest of the plants. While chemical insecticides work well to treat pests, many people prefer to take a greener approach by making their own treatment.  

You should also groom and prune your plants as needed to keep them healthy and attractive. Clear off any dead foliage using houseplant shears and clean dirty leaves with a wet cloth to ensure your plants are receiving proper air circulation.

If you planted an herb garden indoors, clip off the flowering parts of the herbs as needed. When they flower, they start producing seeds instead of leaves.

Once you master indoor gardening, try moving outside to build a rain garden or start a spring garden. No matter what type of garden you create, these indoor garden ideas can help you become a gardening machine.