Winter is a dreary time of year for everyone, but for gardeners and plant lovers, it can be flat-out depressing. Most of your outdoor greenery loses its colour and goes into dormancy, leaving you with a bland backyard. Thankfully, you can beat the winter blues and continue your favourite hobby year-round with these seven indoor garden ideas.
1. Purify the Air
Air-purifying houseplants are the perfect additions to your home any time of year, but they’re especially beneficial during the winter months. Indoor air pollution gets worse in the winter because we spend more time inside and the house doesn’t get proper ventilation. You can solve this problem by bringing in these popular indoor plant species:
- English ivy
- Chinese evergreen
- Bamboo palm
- Dragon tree
- Peace lily
These plants can stand alone or come together, so they’re compatible with all kinds of indoor garden ideas. Put them in your home’s main hangout areas to add some colour and introduce a breath of fresh air!
2. Grow Vitamin C-Rich Plants
Vitamin C is an amazing nutrient to help you withstand the winter cold. It helps you fight colds and flus during the pesky flu season, nourishes your skin and promotes good bone health. However, many people develop a deficiency since they don’t get as much sunlight in the winter. These Vitamin C-rich plants should be integral parts of your indoor garden:
- Green chard
- Green sorrel
- Cilantro
- Parsley
- Shungiku
All of these plants are 100% safe to eat. We recommend growing them in small pots on your kitchen table or windowsill for easy access. You can include them in your favourite recipes to stay healthy and happy throughout the winter.
3. Start a Full Garage Garden
The garage is arguably the best place in a house to start an indoor garden. It has much better airflow than the other rooms and keeps your plants out of sight from children and pets.
The only downside is that the temperatures can get rather chilly, so you should consider getting a garage door upgrade. A multi-layer insulated door maintains moderate temperatures and will help your plants stay comfortable.
4. Bring Your Walls to Life
Need something to fill up the blank space on your walls? Start a vertical garden to bring them to life! Living walls, also known as propagation walls, are popular indoor garden ideas for hanging plants and even some vegetables. There’s just one requirement — you have to choose a wall that gets at least four hours of sunlight every day.
5. Build a Low-Maintenance Terrarium
A terrarium is a safe and fun indoor garden idea regardless of your gardening skills. Creativity is the more important factor. Get yourself some low-maintenance succulents, cacti and ferns for a solid base. Then decorate around them with rocks, shells, sand and other small items. The final product will be a perfect centrepiece for your living room coffee table.
6. Dot Your House With Microgreens
Microgreens are also great low-maintenance indoor garden ideas. While they don’t take up much space, they pack a punch when it comes to colour and nutrition. All you need to do is harvest some seeds from your favourite edible plants, get a handful of small containers and you’ll be on your way to creating your own small harvests around the house!
7. Grow a Mushroom Kit
If you really want to broaden your horizons this winter, try growing your own mushroom kit. Mushrooms are easier to grow than most plants and will be happy in an indoor environment. You have many options to choose from, including gourmet portabella mushrooms, pink oysters, lion’s manes, and shitake.
Spruce Up Your Gardening Routine This Winter
Don’t let the bleak winter weather stop your gardening routine. There are so many indoor garden possibilities, these seven ideas just scratch the surface. They’ll help you keep up your plant care habits, maintain a healthy diet and defeat the freezing temperatures until spring arrives!
Rose Morrison is a home living writer with over five years experience writing in the industry. She is the managing editor of Renovated.com and loves to cover home renovations and decor to inspire everyone to live their best DIY life. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find her baking something to satisfy her never-ending sweet tooth.