DIY Indoor Garden Room Full Of Plants
indoor garden 1
(Image credit: imnoom)

For some gardeners, the growing season can be frustratingly short. Without an indoor garden of some kind, they are stuck in a dark home with only a few houseplants to please them. It doesn't need to be this way. With a little knowledge on how to start an indoor garden, you can make your own diy indoor garden room that can wipe away cold season blues.

An Indoor Garden How To

Use the following tips to help get you started with how to start an indoor garden room: Plan how to start an indoor garden - Garden room ideas are varied, so it's best to sit down and think about what you want from your garden room. Do you want a tropical paradise where you can escape the winter outside? Are you looking for an English-style garden to take tea? Imagine what you ideally want from your garden room with your garden room ideas. Choose a location - Dedicating an entire area to a diy indoor garden room is no easy task. Consider the room's natural temperature, available light and availability. Remember, you can add light and you can add heat. If you have a room that is normally on the cool side in the winter but gets good southern exposure light, you can fix this. If you have a toasty room with no sun, you can fix this too. Outfit the room - A basic indoor garden how to says that there are four things you need to cover when preparing your diy indoor garden room. These are:

  • Flooring - Avoid wood or carpet, as these will be damaged by watering the plants. Better garden room ideas for flooring would be ceramic, slate or linoleum.
  • Light - Even if your room gets lots of light, chances are it will be too weak during the winter to sustain the plants. Add lots of either fluorescent or broad spectrum lights at varying heights.
  • Air flow - Plants need good ventilation and air flow to be happy. If the room you have chosen has poor air flow, add a ceiling or floor fan to help keep the air moving.
  • Humidity - For most plants, you will want to add humidity. A humidifier on a timer can add some additional humidity to the room.

Choose the plants - Garden room ideas for plants will need to take into consideration the look you are going for as well as conditions in your diy indoor garden room. Low light plants such as philodendron and some palms can still add a tropical feel to your room. Even higher light-need plants such as citrus trees and gardenias can be used as long as you take care to provide them with sufficient light through individual and close fluorescent or broad spectrum lights. You may also need to add a small heater to the room to accommodate your chosen plants' temperature needs. Just remember, this room will have water in it. Keep safety in mind when setting up lights, humidity and heat sources. Water as needed - Indoor plants will not go through water as rapidly as an outdoor plant. It is still a good idea to check the plants once a week and water only those that need to be watered at that time. Once you get your diy indoor garden room set up, the question will no longer be, "How to start an indoor garden?" but "Why didn't I come up with garden room ideas sooner?" This easy DIY gift idea is one of many projects featured in our latest eBook, Bring Your Garden Indoors: 13 DIY Projects for the Fall and Winter. Learn how downloading our latest eBook can help your neighbors in need by clicking here.

Heather Rhoades
Founder of Gardening Know How

Heather Rhoades founded Gardening Know How in 2007. She holds degrees from Cleveland State University and Northern Kentucky University. She is an avid gardener with a passion for community, and is a recipient of the Master Gardeners of Ohio Lifetime Achievement Award.