You may think that because you live in the small, confined space of an apartment, the possibility of having a garden is slim to none. However, there are many ways to indeed, have a little bit of the natural outdoors come inside. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing, and your green space growing…
Mason Jar Herb Garden
Purchase pint size mason jars and fill them halfway with a quality potting soil. Place your herb plant in the middle and fill the sides of the jar around the plant with more soil, compressing the soil just a bit with your fingers to mash out any excess air. Check your herb garden daily, and water them when the top of the soil feels dry to the touch. You can purchase a mason jar holder to place your jars in if you want to display them in such a way. Or carefully arrange them on a windowsill so that they can benefit from natural sunlight.
Succulent Terrariums
Glass terrariums are available at any craft store, such as Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, or even on Amazon, for very cheap. Purchase small succulent plants from the garden department at a home improvement store such as Lowe’s, or even Wal-Mart. You will also need potting soil and small pebbles, and maybe even some sphagnum moss to adorn your terrarium. Cover the bottom of the terrarium with a thin layer of pebbles, then cover the pebbles with the potting soil. Place your plants inside the terrarium and into the soil, and add another small layer of the soil, to keep the plants in place. Then adorn the top of the soil with the moss, tucking it in around each plant. For help, you can Google or Pinterest many succulent planting tutorials.
Houseplants That Clean Indoor Air
Certain houseplants can help to naturally filter stagnant indoor air, especially that in an apartment building. Place a ficus tree or areca palm into a corner, or adorn a small space with an aloe vera plant or Chinese evergreen. Gerbera daisies also help filter the air and create gorgeous blooms in the summer.
Blanket Ladder Hanging Plants
Going vertical with your garden is an idea many people don’t think of when they are planning on planting. But in the limited space of an apartment, going vertical may be just the thing to do. A wooden blanket ladder is very easy and inexpensive to make. They are also becoming increasingly popular as homemade items available for purchase at craft shows and on Facebook Marketplace. Plant your plants in pots that either come with a side hook already attached (to hang them on the ladder steps) or purchase hooks online that will aid in hanging the pots from the ladder. Look on Pinterest for a short tutorial on creating a blanket ladder, and to also learn how to hang plants from it to create a vertical garden suitable for any apartment.
What to do if your apartment is dark and lacks sunlight:
Purchasing an incandescent bulb for your light fixture will aid in providing the necessary light for growing your indoor garden. However, be careful to keep at least two feet between your light and your plants, as this kind of bulbs can heat up fast. You can also use fluorescent light bulbs, but know that this kind of artificial light is not adequate for a flowering plant to grow blooms. And of course, there are LED lights available for purchase that are made specifically as “grow lights” for those indoor gardens. Just ensure that you are not placing the light fixtures too close to your garden (in case they produce a lot of heat) and leave the lights on no longer than 16 hours since that is the length of an average summer day.
And there you have it. Hopefully, this helped inspire you and give you some simple ideas for that garden you may have thought was impossible to achieve while living the apartment life.