Indoor Organic Gardens – Know These Tips Or Fail
For those of us that live in the country that have land to actually grow an organic garden on, there is no problem when it comes to having enough light, achieving the necessary temperature, and the proper amount of humidity. If you do live in an urban area there are many alternatives which will allow you to grow organically indoors. There are also options to finding good soil and artificial light. There is even the potential to grow hydroponically, which is the growth of plants without soil. Here are a few tips on how to achieve an indoor organic garden.
One of the first things you should consider is if you have enough light in order to grow your organic garden. If you are in an enclosed area with limited space, it will be easier for you to find a light source to grow small amounts of crops. Plants need light in order to create food through the process of photosynthesis. Without enough light, the crops will not grow well. The leaves may not even completely expand under low-level light. Having plants by a window may not even be enough which may lead you to choose to buy a grow light such as an incandescent lamp or a florescent light that will allow you to break away from the necessity of growing everything near your largest window. It will also provide consistency for your small indoor crop. A simple 400 W bulb on a light mover without any natural sunlight can light a 5′ x 5′ area and can actually be enough to grow healthy organic food.
Next you should consider the amount of space that you have in your apartment or your home that you can reserve to begin growing your plants. Many people do this with herb gardens and even put them on a table. If you decide to grow in a larger area, two tables or even a tile floor could be useful as long as this area has very little traffic and can be accessible on all sides. As mentioned above, a 5′ x 5′ area would be adequate for a small garden for a small family as long as there is light and a few other things that are necessary for plant growth.
If you do live in an arid climate, and your house is well insulated, or has some form of temperature control that is at your fingertips, maintaining a temperature range around 70 degrees is best for most plants with a 10 degree variation either way. Like people, when the temperatures are too hot or cold, it can lead to damage to organic crops which can result in smaller yields. Another thing to consider is the humidity for your indoor garden and making sure that if low humidity is a problem that you have a way of misting your plants either through a hand pump or a humidifier which has an automated control.
This leads to the next part of a healthy organic garden which is having adequate soil that is properly mixed with this natural matter that will hold nutrients and moisture which will lead to a healthy indoor system. If you are familiar with organic compost, some of the best is created using composting worms which will create compost for you on a regular basis. A composter can be a very small container such as a bucket which is recycled on a regular basis. As long as you add enough material to decompose, this decomposing food will turn into free fertilizer which will be available on a regular basis. If you have room in your home, it would be a good idea to start some kind of a worm farm or at the very least find an inexpensive source of high-grade composting material to ensure a healthy soil base.
One other possibility with an indoor system is creating a hydroponics system, which basically means that you will grow your plants without soil. With a reported 50% increase in plant growth, and less of a need for space, plants grown in this modality often have less disease problems and can be easier to take care of in a smaller area especially with an indoor organic system. Many suppliers of these nutrients do both types of gardening indoors.
Some of the best plants to grow indoors whether you are growing a regular natural garden or using a hydroponics system are vegetables like kale, carrots, and beans. Herbs that grow very well are basil, lavender, and even cilantro. For a healthy appearance, you might want to even include some flowers such as roses, begonias, and even a pansy or two.
Before making this leap into the realm of indoor organic gardening, make sure you have done your homework and use the tips provided above to ensure that you have everything you need before you begin. Make sure you have enough space, proper amounts of soil and composting material, and of course the right temperature and lighting to ensure that your indoor organic system will create garden that is right for you.