This Article is written by Jennifer Frawley as a guest writer:

Jennifer Frawley is a former professional landscaper and avid home gardener. She left her job to pursue freelance writing and now offers her advice to readers. When not at the desk, Jennifer can be found wandering the countryside with her family.

Big thanks from the Ecolodge Team !

The thoughts expressed in this article are not necessarily shared by us but reflect an open platform of exchanging views.

Bringing The Outside In: Tips for First Time Indoor Gardeners

When you spend time relaxing in eco-friendly environments, you’re more likely to want to bring that mindset back to your own home. Living in an apartment, though, can make that introduction a challenge. Luckily, it’s easier than you think to bring a garden indoors – so much so that 37% of today’s young people are able to have fresh produce daily while living in an apartment. So, if your time at an eco-lodge has inspired you to strengthen your relationship with the environment, you can bring the outside indoors with ease.

Setting Up Your Space

First thing’s first: you’ll need to set aside space for your garden to thrive in. While you can build your own greenhouse, there are more compact alternatives available to you. Window boxes are excellent for starting your garden, but you can even use plastic bottles, window hangings, or more traditional seed pallets. Place your base in a spot that gets the right amount of sunlight for the type of plant you want to grow or choose the grow light that’s best for you, and you’ll be on your way.

Light isn’t the only thing you want to consider, though. The needs of your garden will differ depending on what you want to grow. As such, keep in mind that you’ll need to address the following while setting up your indoor garden:

• Environmental temperature

• Humidity

• Transplant potential

• Garden accessibility

Alternatives to Dirt

You’d also be amiss to create your indoor garden without considering a hydroponic approach. Growing a hydroponic garden will leave you growing your produce not in dirt but in water. With the need to monitor your soil removed, not only is growing plants hydroponically easier, but your plants will grow up to 25% faster. While it’s not a traditional method of growing produce, these hydroponic gardens are ideal for people living in smaller spaces and look to individualize their indoor gardens.

Recovering from Mistakes

Of course, as a first time indoor gardener, you’re bound to make mistakes. Don’t let these mistakes discourage you from growing your produce, though. You can always rework your garden in order to make up for underwatering, overplanting, or miscalculating need for light. Making these mistakes allows you the opportunity to improve your garden during its next growing phase, and before long, you’ll be able to spot-check your garden’s arrangement at a glance.

Green up your apartment, then, with an indoor garden. Having produce right at your fingertips can be refreshing and rewarding. You’ll only know if this hobby is right for you, though, once you try it for yourself.

Credits:

Text : Jennifer Frawley

photo : m-louis .®

If you have any suggestions, questions or improvements just post a comment below