The endless health benefits, visual aesthetic, and colorful vibe of houseplants have made homeowners obsessed with these natural home decor accessories and people just can't get enough of this trend. So, if you too want to hop on this current zeitgeist, but lack access to enough outdoor area, you can still cultivate a wide variety of herbs, plants, and vegetables indoors, and create a garden in your home.

During the lockdown, a lot of people started growing small vegetables in their homes, have continued this practice since then. From edible herbs to decorative greens – what you include in this garden will depend on the available conditions, your experience and what look you want to achieve, or what purpose you want to fulfill.

What is Indoor Gardening?

Unlike the decorative one or two pots in your living room or corners, indoor gardening includes many more plants. Although, it's still not overly complicated or elaborate! It includes growing a plant selection inside the home that would typically be grown outside—whether it's vegetables, succulents, herbs, or flowers. If you place the pots correctly and have the right space, setting up an indoor garden can be more efficient and successful for you then you might this.

This is because it's easier to regulate humidity, temperature and manage other conditions manually using tools, to ensure that the plants can thrive indoors, which is impossible outside. All you need to do is select plants that are suited to grow in your place. If you set the conditions right, you can have access to common herbs all year round, unlike in outdoor gardens where the growth is determined by the changing season and temperature.

Types of Indoor Gardening

Several plant enthusiasts tend to get creative with indoor gardening and nurture a different variety of plant collections— from an edible garden to a tropical indoor jungle. However, some common indoor gardens may include:

Hydroponic Designs:  Perfect if you don’t want to go through the trouble of managing pests and weeds or want to conserve water. Hydroponic setups allow the production of high-quality veggies and herbs all year-round.

Herb Gardens: If the area where you want to set up your indoor garden has some sunny spots, you can consider growing a bunch of fresh herbs, and making delicious dishes and sides with their leaves throughout the year.

Air Plant Collections: Decorative plants like tillandsia are epiphytic species that don't need soil to grow; they instead get their nutrients from moisture and air in their surroundings. They come in 500 plus species and are well-suited for indoor garden cultivation. 

Terrariums: You must have seen people growing plants in small aquarium-like glass containers on the internet. These containers are called Terrariums and are perfect for growing humidity-loving plants. The best part about this garden setting is that they don’t take too much space as everything is limited and placed in the terrariums, plus they make the most visually appealing setup.

Living Wall Garden: If you have limited shelf or floor space or you want to liven the bare walls, creating a vertical plant wall is a great way of decorating your space with color and greenery. Most plants can be grown on walls - all you need is a few wall planters.

Casa Decor Style Tip: Use plant stands, and wall planters to elevate the look of these small gardens and offer some height to your pots.

Plant Care Tips for Indoor Garden

Depending on the species and type, every plant and garden requires different weather conditions, and levels of humidity, watering, and light to thrive. Here are some general plant care tips that you should keep in mind while growing an indoor garden.

Let there be Light – Only when it’s required

The placement of your indoor garden should depend on the sunlight requirement of the plants you want to display. You can either research the plant on the internet or discuss it with the nursery caretaker. Obviously, the indoor plants won’t have the same access to bright sunlight as they would outdoors. So, you might need to invest in some grow lights for creating the right conditions for your sun-loving plants to grow gorgeously indoors. Conversely, you have to ensure to keep your shade-loving plants, are hidden away from the windows. You can use plants stands and tall metal planters online to elevate the height of plants that need extra light near the windows.

Research about the Soil

Apart from air plants and hydroponic setup, an indoor garden generally grows best in a fertilized loose, well-drained potting mix. You should tailor this mix depending on the type of plant you want to grow; however, it usually is composed of vermiculite, peat moss, and perlite. This combination absorbs moisture quickly and also prevents the mix from becoming too compacted. But it also tends to dry quickly so avoid using it for moisture-loving plants.

Avoid Over Watering the Plants

Every plant has differing watering requirements, and overwatering is often the common cause of why indoor plants die because of root rot. So, always research the plant species before you fill it with water.

Temperature and Humidity

Our home decor, appliances, and other accessories tend to affect the temperature and humidity in our space, which have a direct impact on our plants. During summers it's AC and in winters when heaters are on, the plants can get affected by the varying temperatures. So make sure to keep them away from these appliances. If you have a habit of burning incense or scented candles keep them away from your pots. And for humidity-loving plants, consider buying a humidifier.

Repotting

Repotting your indoor garden plants regularly is vital for their long-term health and growth. Always make sure that the pot is big enough and allows its roots to expand for future growth.

Plants to consider for Indoor Gardening:

Because of their low-maintenance nature, some plants grow better indoors. These include:

Veggies: Some veggies like hot peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce grow brilliantly indoors.

Herbs: Basil, mint, chives, parsley, and thyme are a few common herbs that do amazingly well if placed in a sunny position in your home.

Low-Light Plants: Spider plants, Snake plants, Cactus, etc., are some low-light species that will help you create a low-maintenance tropical jungle in the shady corners of your home. Accentuate these herbs with our plant stands online, or display them in our metal planters.  

Humidity-Loving Plants: Planning on growing plants in your bathroom? Consider begonias, peace lilies, and ferns.

These evergreen natural home decor accessories are never going out of style, so we recommend you to explore this trend and our garden accessories online to grow beautiful gardens indoors as well as outdoors. 

Visit www.casadecor.co.in to buy planters, water cans, plant stands and other home decor items online in India!