Indoor gardening for beginners can be difficult. Many beginners typically ask the same questions when they start:
Is my apartment too cold or hot?
How often do I water my plants?
No worries! We are here to help. This series is specifically for beginners who want to start or grow their plant collection. We are going to focus on plants that are easy to grow and maintain. Plants that don’t require a lot of care are more forgiving and won’t just die on you out of nowhere.
What do you need to start your indoor garden?
To get started you need to know a few things about your growing area and schedule.
Sunlight
The first thing to figure out is how much sunlight your growing area gets. This is important as plants use sunlight to create food using photosynthesis. You should note which direction your windows face in order to gauge how much sunlight your garden plants will get.
In order of most sunlight to least sunlight:
- South facing windows get sunlight all day.
- West facing windows get a sustained amount of sunlight but will miss out on the hottest part of the day.
- East facing windows are great for morning sun but then low light for the rest of the day.
- North facing windows get the least amount of sun and are good for plants requiring indirect sunlight.
Fertilizer
Now that you know the level of sunlight saturation for your indoor garden, it is time to think about plant food. The three main things to focus on for your soil are the levels of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium.
Plants use Nitrogen to grow. Simple and to the point, without Nitrogen your garden will be stunted.
Phosphorous is used to strengthen the root system. With a solid base in place, you will be setting up your plants for success.
Potassium is used to help plants flower and resist diseases. A healthy plant is a happy plant.
Nitrogen: Leaves and expansion
Phosphorous: Roots and absorption
Potassium: Flowering and disease resistance
Now that you know what to look for in fertilizer, which ones are best? Easy question, more difficult answer for indoor gardening for beginners. That all depends on the nutrient needs of your plants. You will want to follow the growth habit and environmental needs of your plants so doing more research will be required once you get to this step. We recommend staying away from lawn fertilizers as the nutrient composition is harmful to house plants.
Temperature
You will most likely want to keep your apartment above 45 degrees Fahrenheit in order to prevent your plants from wilting. Plants thrive with sunlight, but will also need a consistent temperature range. You will want to look at keeping your garden about 70 degrees to 80 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. If it falls below, that is fine, but be careful to not let it go under 45 degrees F!
Water
As with most things, water is the building block of life and plants make no exception. You will want to figure out your garden’s water requirements then track them. Plants aren’t on a fixed schedule so watering them at exactly the same time is actually detrimental. Instead, you should learn what to look for and adjust the watering to reflect the plant’s needs.
You can gauge the watering needs based on the instructions for a specific plant (usually based on environmental origin). With the watering needs in mind, you can track water penetration by touch or weight. You can either touch the soil or use a stick to test the depth of the penetration, or you can get accustomed to the weight of the plant.
The more water you add to the pot, the heavier it gets. Eventually you will now the ideal ‘weight’ of the potted plant and water until it hits that point. You can use regular tap water from the sink to start out. As you get more specialized plants, you may need to think about filtration and other advanced techniques.
Planning out your indoor garden
By this point you should have some data points regarding your future garden space:
- Sunlight levels
- Size available
- Time available to care for the plants
Using these three data points you can begin your selection process for plants. For beginners, we recommend the following:
- Spider Plant (Chlorophytum)
- Snake Plant or Mother-in-law’s Tongue (S. trifasciata or S. trifasciata laurentii)
- Dragon Tree (D. draco)
- ZZ Plant (Zamioculcas Zamiifolia)
- Aloe Vera
These three plants are hearty and durable. If you get too busy for a little and forget to water them, they will survive. The great things about the above plants are that they look great and are forgiving. Unlike orchids or other flowering plants, the learning curve is low on them.
Plant Expectations
Once you set up your garden it will take some time to get accustomed to the needs of the plants. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have the perfect soil composition or watering schedule when indoor gardening for beginners.
Also, don’t expect great results over night. If you have a flower garden, it will take time for the plant to get to that stage. Also, the longer lived the plant, the slower it tends to grow. With consistent care you will start to see results, but the time frame might be longer.
If you notice any dead leaves on your plants, you will want to do some light removal. By removing the dead matter, you will allow the plant to concentrate efforts on the growing and thriving parts. Remember, don’t get too excited and start chopping off all of the leaves!
Getting Started
Once you have everything planned out you can get started 2 ways:
Going to your local gardening supply store or ordering online.
We recommend going to your local store as they will be able to give you some helpful tips on the specific plants and answer any outstanding questions you may have. At minimum you should have:
The potted plant and that is about it. You can add on the soil, fertilizer, watering gear later. Start simple and then slowly expand your gear. You don’t want to overspend early and be in a proverbial financial hole for your new hobby. Enjoy your indoor gardening for beginners!