Small Space Gardening

As a grad student, living in confined areas such as dorms or studio apartments is something I’ve grown very familiar to. Yes, there are its downsides, but there are certain things I have found extremely helpful in making them feel more like a home. That is, bring more life to your room!

Not only can having plants transform the look of your living area, but it can actually be beneficial to your health because plants can help diversify harmful bacteria in our bodies, improve air quality by removing carbon dioxide, and can bring an overall sense of wellbeing to one’s mind.

If you are someone who is interested in having a indoor garden for whatever your interest may be, here are 4 of some of the most important considerations you should make before starting a project.

Choose plants that work with your lifestyle

No matter what species you decide to grow in your apartment, they are all great choices. However, some will require constant nurturing like a puppy or a baby, while others prefer to be left alone like a busy college student. 

1. Tropical plants serve a more aesthetic appeal as there are a more diverse range of colors and characteristics to choose from. However, because these plants are not in their natural environment, they will require constant supervision in order to blossom.
2. Succulents, Cactuses, Peace Lilies, and other low maintenance flowers are more conventional indoor plants that aren’t as eye-catching but can still serve your garden a great aesthetic while at the same time give the gardener more wiggle room to work with any lifestyle.

Sunlight exposure

• Before choosing a plant that you want, look around your living area and ask yourself how much light a plant would get in here compared to the amount it would get outside.
• Tropic plants will consume approximately 10% more light compared to traditional succulents or cactus’s so if you do not have large windows to allow proper sunlight consumption the chances of plant survival are slim.
• To compensate for a lack of natural light, artificial lights are available for sale and can be one of the most valuable tools in your home garden, just be sure to adjust the brightness accordingly.

Air Ventilation

• Even though plants can serve the purpose of helping improve air quality in your living area, they still need ventilated and fresh air to grow.
• Avoid placing plants in congested rooms with no circulation of air, close to air conditioning vents, or in kitchens where smoke from cooking can come in contact with the flowers. By growing your plants close to a window that can slightly open is all you need to ensure clean air!

• Boost growth with supplements

• Just like us, plants did not evolve to live indoors. No matter how well you take care of your indoor plants, they will always lack certain vitamins and minerals which is why supplements such as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Magnesium can ensure strong growth.
• Don’t forget Soil! In the outdoors, bugs worms and all the creepy things that we don’t see actually serve a great purpose of transforming waste into soil nutrients for flowers. Products like Holganix Bio 800 can strengthen soil microbes and help build soil and root health for indoor plants.

If you have pictures of your garden that you would like to post, please send an email to Earth@ku.edu . With that I would like to say thank you for taking the time to read my post, and best of luck to your gardening adventures!

Written by,

Cole Fife

Sources and further reading:

https://homesteadbrooklyn.com/all/2017/1/21/growing-plants-indoors-a-beginners-guide

https://tobebright.com/the-importance-of-indoor-plants-in-an-apartment

https://www.holganix.com/blog/the-6-essential-nutrients-for-healthy-plants