Indoor Gardening
Authors: Will Cook
I
NDOOR
G
ARDENING
H
OW
T
O
G
ROW
G
ORGEOUS
G
ARDENS
I
NDOORS
W
ITH
E
ASE
W
ILL
C
OOK
All Rights Reserved © Authentic Health Coaching, 2012
Want to connect with like-minded indoor gardeners from all over the world? Come join us on Facebook to share your indoor gardening questions, ideas, pictures and be a part of the global gardening community!
Join us at
http://on.fb.me/HmllNU
W
HY
I
W
ROTE
T
HIS
B
OOK
I love gardening! Nothing brings more joy to my heart than to see my new seedlings growing up or harvesting fresh strawberries from my patio garden. I love gorgeous, colorful flowers, growing my own fresh, delicious food, greens, fruits and herbs and growing fun and quirky plants like aloe and other cactuses.
I grow outdoors, indoors, on my patio and balconies and even on rooftops! But I know some people, for whatever reason, can’t grow a full garden outside. Maybe you don’t have the space, maybe you live in a city apartment or maybe you just don’t like weeding and working on your knees all day in the garden. That’s okay! You can start a gorgeous garden indoors without all the fuss or hassle. That’s why I wrote this book – so that anyone, anywhere in the world can enjoy a wonderful garden in your very own home.
I hope your indoor garden brings you as much joy, happiness and love as writing this book has for me. Happy planting!
Look at those beautiful potted plants! Don’t they just make you want to smile?
T
ABLE OF
C
ONTENTS
Chapter 1. What You Need To Start Your Indoor Garden
Chapter 2. The Best Types of Plants For Indoor Gardening
Chapter 3. Overcoming The 5 Most Common Indoor Gardening Problems
Chapter 4. Figuring Out What Your Plants Need
Chapter 5. Starting Seeds Indoors
Chapter 6. Playing God – How To Control The Climate For Your Indoor Garden
Chapter 7. Protecting Your Garden From Pests and Disease
Chapter 8. Indoor Garden Design Ideas
W
HY
S
TART AN
I
NDOOR
G
ARDEN?
Gardening has always been a popular pastime. It provides great satisfaction, helps relieve stress, and offers an excellent opportunity to exercise daily. Whether you grow flowers, herbs, fruits, or vegetables, your joy will know no bounds when you see your beautiful plants growing before your very eyes. Besides beautifying your home, you will enjoy many benefits from growing an indoor garden.
There are 5 major benefits to starting an indoor garden. They are...
1.
C
LEAN
Y
OUR
E
NVIRONMENT
This is an especially important aspect for those who live in large cities with high levels of pollution. Your houseplants have the ability to absorb up to 87% of toxins from the air within 24 hours according to NASA! As a result, the air may smell fresher in your home, but even more importantly it will be a lot healthier!
Modern home are filled with toxins including Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (used in construction adhesives), benzene, vinyl chloride and dozens of others. In fact, the EPA lists 33 “
Urban Air Toxics
” on their website (and those are just the ones that have been PROVEN to be toxic by studies).
The point is – your indoor garden will help purify the air you and your family breathes every day and will protect you from many of these household toxins. This is especially important if you live in a city or an area that has a lot of car traffic and exhaust pollution.
2.
I
NCREASE
H
UMIDITY
I
NDOORS
Growing plants indoors will actually increase humidity and clean oxygen levels indoors considerably. This is an excellent benefit if you live in dry climates. It’s also very helpful for people who suffer from air-related allergies or if you are asthmatic. If you live in a very humid climate anyways and find the air is too moist, you can simply use a dehumidifier to control the levels of humidity in your home.
3.
B
EAUTIFIES
Y
OUR
I
NTERIORS
It goes without saying that any time you see a happy plant you smile inwards. Green plants, lovely flowers, and fruiting plants have that power; they can improve your mood instantly. No matter what plants you choose to grow within your house, they will enhance the beauty and elegance of your home. Your home will smell better, look better, and feel better too!
If you live somewhere where winters are harsh, you can even get a plant that flowers in the winter-time so you can have beautiful flowers all year round. Christmas cactus is a great plant for gorgeous pink winter and white flowers. It’s very easy to grow and makes a wonderful dash of color in the winter.
Christmas Cactus blooms all winter long so it will brighten up your home on a dreary winter day.
4.
P
ROVIDE
M
ANY
H
EALTH
B
ENEFITS
Gardening – both indoors and outdoors – can be extremely therapeutic. Just watching your plants grow can reduce your stress levels, blood pressure and even fight depression. Research studies have shown that people who grow plants enjoy a better disposition, heal better and faster, and have the ability to cope with stress much better.
Studies have also found that children who grow gardens eat more fruits and vegetables, have better social and interpersonal skills, have better attitudes toward education, improved self-efficacy (they’re better at setting and achieving goals in life) and more! You can read more about the benefits of gardening for children in the
Childrenandnature.org Fact Sheet
.
5.
P
ROVIDE
F
RESH AND
O
RGANIC
V
EGETABLES,
H
ERBS AND
F
RUITS
One great advantage you will enjoy from your indoor garden is that you can have fresh vegetables, herbs, and even fruits. There are many vegetables and herbs that can be grown in containers and every time you pluck a veggie from your plants, or use a fresh herb while cooking your heart will sing with joy. You can grow fresh, organic veggies, fruits and herbs all year round!
You can enjoy all these benefits from your indoor garden? Excited? Let’s get started!
C
HAPTER 1.
W
HAT
Y
OU
N
EED
T
O
S
TART
Y
OUR
I
NDOOR
G
ARDEN
Starting an indoor garden can be a lot easier than you think. You can start anytime with a minimal budget. It doesn’t matter how busy you are. Once you start it, you will enjoy the few minutes of work it takes to care for your plants. In fact, most people find this is the best way to relax and get rid of stress and that the routine of watering and tending to your garden becomes a huge source of pleasure.
Here are some helpful tips to help you start your indoor garden in the easiest and most fun way possible:
S
TART
S
MALL
Do not go overboard buying too many potted plants or seedlings. If you’re totally new to indoor gardening or gardening in general, having to manage 30 different kinds of plants might be a bit overwhelming. To avoid the stress and work of having to learn about so many different types of plants all at once, just start small. If you’re brand new, I recommend starting with 3-5 plants first. It’s a good enough number that if you mess up and something dies because you forgot to water it, you’ll still have a few plants left. But it’s not too many that you get overwhelmed.
You might need to find space for your plants too. That’s another great reason why starting small will be a whole lot easier. You can just put the pots near a window or on the window sill and establish a relationship with your plant. You could choose a flower, herb, vegetable or fruit – and see it grow, learn to understand what it requires, how to fight the diseases or parasites that may attack it, what it needs to grow, flower, and/or give fruit. As you gain experience and get used to caring for your plants, you can start to expand your garden gradually until you have all that you can handle and your home can hold.
F
OCUS ON
W
HAT
Y
OU
W
ANT FROM
Y
OUR
I
NDOOR
G
ARDEN
For any lifestyle change (like starting an indoor garden) to be successful you need to have motivation. The stronger the motivation, the faster you will find the road to success and the easier it will be to deal with any changes or challenges that come up in life. When you decide what type of plants you want to grow in your home, think carefully what will give you the most pleasure; what do you want from your indoor garden?
Do you want gorgeous, colorful flowers that bring a smile to your face all year round?
Do you want fresh herbs to help you prepare gourmet, healthy meals for your family?
Do you want cleaner, fresher air?
Do you want more greenery in your house?
Do you want to decorate a certain room or spot?
Do you want something to care for and nurture?
Do you want to grow fresh vegetables and fruits?
Take out a notebook and write down what you want from your indoor garden. This will help keep you focused and excited about your new project.
Below are some of the most common reasons why people start indoor gardens and how to go about it:
1.
A
B
EAUTIFUL
H
OME
In this case choose plants that flower, grow colorful foliage, evergreens or even bonsai plants. These types of plants would add color as well as fragrance to your home. They will also enhance the beauty and elegance of your interior décor.
2.
A
M
INI
K
ITCHEN
G
ARDEN