As the winter months deepen, people yearn for the fresh, verdant scenery of spring and summer. Being cooped up inside where the biting winds can’t reach you is understandable. It’s even been proven that certain weather conditions, like vast amounts of snow and cold, can affect an individual’s mood and cause it to go sour. What better way to brighten up these dark, cold months than to do indoor gardening.
Indoor gardening can be a fun and productive way to spruce up your dorm or home, and often gives a little pep back into the gardener’s life. While gardening can be hard work and a deep investment, growing your own flowers and herbs brings a sense of accomplishment. Plus, growing something edible or beautiful is always a bonus!
When first starting, one should consider the location of their plants. Will you place them in a sunny window or will they be on a shady desk? How much space does the plant have? How much space do you have? If you have limited room, hanging planters can be an interesting and easy solution to your plant needs. There are even tutorials on how to make your own hanging planters to fit your style.
Once you have chosen your location, it is important to choose a plant that corresponds to the amount of light and heat that area receives. Azaleas tend to do well in cooler climates, so it wouldn’t make sense to put them next to a heater. Likewise, mint needs plenty of sunlight so a shady desk wouldn’t do well. Location is always key to a healthy plant and the wrong environment can cause problems with germination.
After selecting your location and plant, it is just a matter of following directions. Plants and their seeds almost always come with instructions on how much water is needed and what type of soil the seeds or plant should be placed in. They also come with suggestions for harvesting herbs and details on plant growth and flower blooming. Be sure to watch out for salinization, or the build-up of salt in soil from over watering. This problem can easily be amended by mixing the topsoil of your plant or by replacing some of the soil with fresh soil.
Cultivating plants indoors can be difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, it easily becomes a fun and exciting hobby that can last throughout the whole year with no warm weather required. So strike up your green thumb and give it a go!