The décor aspect of inside greenery is a given, plants add to and beautify space – indoors and outdoors.  The different plants choices available include various colors, sizes, shapes, flowering vs. non-flowering and this is just the tip of the plant life ice berg. 

Just as trees and plants are crucial to our air quality outside, plants can provide the same service for you inside your home.  By taking in carbon dioxide from our breathing, plants flourish.  If you smoke inside your home, plants can help clean the air of the excess carbon dioxide.  Besides the exchange of oxygen for carbon dioxide, plants will purify the air from other unhealthy elements such as air-bound mold particles.  This makes them a natural air filter for your home.

It is well known that gardening is a relaxing past-time.  Having an indoor garden will give you the benefit of this relaxation year round when it is too cold outside to garden.  If you live in an apartment, an outdoor garden may not be possible.  Gardening inside is only limited by the amount of space you want to dedicate to it in your home.  Beautifying your living space and caring for living plants makes owning an indoor garden a peaceful endeavor.

Another benefit of indoor gardening is you can decide how much time you have or want to dedicate to caring for the plants.  If you want a plant that has to be watered less go for a cactus or if you want the challenge of coaxing a flowering tree to blossom buy a camellia.

As mentioned, individual plants will require different amounts of water to keep them growing optimally.  But what all plants do like is moist soil.  If you are worried about over-watering your plant, make sure that the pot you choose has a good drainage system.  With holes in the bottom of the pot or gravel inside the pot the soil and plant will soak up the necessary water and the excess will run out through the bottom.

If your houseplants are not thriving no matter what you do, there are two things to look into.  If you are using tap water to water your plants there may be too much chlorine or salt present.  A solution to this is to use distilled or filtered water or you can leave a container outside to collect rainwater.  Either option is acceptable and may be the change you need to make to grow healthier plants.

Choosing to fertilize your plants is another way to give them a boost.  Fertilizer contains nutrients and elements that plants need to grow.  Indoors plants do not need as much fertilizer as their outdoor counterparts do.  Because of a slower rate of growth, feed your plants minimal fertilizer.  In the winter time you can probably skip this step altogether.  The spring or summer time is the best time to fertilize indoor plants.  This is during their growing phase when they need the extra nutrients the most.

Carrots, tomatoes, and radishes are three of the easiest vegetable to grow indoors.  Each grows differently and will need separate containers but with some research this is not a problem.  A south-facing window is the best source of natural sunlight for your vegetables to grow in.  If you do not have the right exposure, you can invest in an artificial bulb to provide supplemental light.

As with any container you choose to grow plants in, making sure there is enough drainage is key.  If your plants sit in too much water they are not going to survive.  If the pots you choose do not have holes in the bottom be sure to put a layer of gravel or wood chips to allow the water to run out of the soil.  The flip side of this is not to ensure the water does not run out too quickly either.

When choosing the types of vegetables to plant, follow the same guidelines as you would for outdoors.  On the seed packets it will give recommendations on when to plant, the amount of light and water that is needed and the spacing requirements.  Tailor your water schedule according to the condition of the soil, make sure it doesn’t get too dry or stay too wet either.

By the end of the summer or early fall you should be able to harvest the vegetables grown inside your own home.