Indoor Gardening Kits – Grow your own herbs and veggies whatever the weather
If you live north of the 49th parallel, you are well aware of the short growing season in your garden. You love your fresh herbs and veggies in the summer and fall and adore spending time in your beautiful garden. Now, you can do all that even in the winter months with indoor gardening kits.
Don’t let the winter stop you from growing your herbs and vegetables. These indoor gardening kit is suitable all year round whatever the weather. Even in warmer climates, dry seasons can affect your precious plants and have you struggling to keep them healthy and thriving. But in a controlled indoor climate your plants will continue to thrive.
You might think that you can always have your plants potted and bring them indoor from the colder weather, but the thought of multiple plants pots all over your window sills in multiple rooms might make you cringe. Also, bringing plants indoors increases the risk of also bringing in bugs or larvae into your home, possibly affecting your other house plants.
You prefer a more orderly set up for your plants.
Remember, you can always use the header links to access your chosen indoor gardening options online below be it from the manufacturer or online retailer.
Your Options for Indoor Gardening
There are many kits available for you to set up an indoor garden, allowing you to start your plants from seedlings or starter plants. Many allow for necessary growth and to even add heat lamps for tropical plants. They take up little space, are easy to setup and maintain and do not cost a lot to start.
Maybe you prefer to build your own kit, that blends in with your home décor. If you are handy and creative you could create something amazing that will not only meet the needs of your indoor garden but will add a fresh, dimension to your home.
The most common herbs grown indoors are; parsley, rosemary, chives, sage, cilantro, thyme, oregano, basil, lemon balm, stevia and mint. These thrive indoors when tended to carefully. Vegetables that can be planted indoor include lettuce, chilli pepper, red basil, tomato, chives. For bigger setups you can also plant flowers such as busy lizzie, petunia, cornflower and lavender.
Veggies that do well indoors are; avocados, tomatoes, peppers and lettuce. You can start these from seed in a grower starter kits where you can grow your plants from seeds in a nutrient-rich setting. These can then be transferred to your growing centre once they mature and are strong enough.
Some things to consider when planning your indoor garden:
- Do you have space for it?
- Is the room well ventilated and warm enough (no cold draughts)?
- What do you want to grow?
We take a look at commercial kits for a purpose designed and ready to go option as well as build your own options.
Commercial Kits
There are many commercial kits available for purchase to start your home garden. They range from countertop models to more elaborate floor standing models where you can grow a wider variety of plants. It depends on your budget and available space in your home as to what will work best. Do use the heading links to access the different units on Amazon or manufacturers’ website.
1. AeroGarden Ultra (LED) with Gourmet Herb Seed Pod Kit
A higher end countertop unit that has many features and functions to ensure the success of your growing projects. Grow fresh herbs, vegetables, salad greens, flowers and more.
Features:
- Year-round countertop garden
- 7 plants can be grown at a time
- No soil needed – they grow in water with advanced hydroponics system
- Full spectrum 30-watt LED lighting system tuned for rapid growth
- LCD screen control panel tells you when to water, add nutrients and automatically turns the lights on and off
- Comes with 7-Pod Gourmet Herb Seed Kit containing: Genovese Basil , Thai Basil, Thyme, Mint, Curley Parsley, Chives and Dill and nutrients
ALSO: AeroGrow offers a wide range of countertop indoor garden unit from Classic, Sprout, Bounty, Bounty Elite and accessories.
2. LED Indoor Herb Garden – a mini window planter kit for herbs, succulents and vegetables
A less expensive option is the window-based unit that offers inset lighting and a small physical footprint. This is a great starter kit for the budding gardener.
Features:
- Bright, 850 lumen, 4000k LED simulates natural sunlight, encouraging healthy plant growth.
- Automatic Timer: 16hr on, 8hr off mode on a timer.
- Measures 16.5″ L x 4.8″ W x 11.4″ H
- Seeds/plants and pots are not included
ALSO: Plant Grow LED Light Kit with Timer and LED Indoor Herb Garden Planter
3. IKEA
IKEA offers a variety of indoor garden kits as well as seeds, lights, sprout boxes and fertilizers.
The Krydda/Vaxer is a two tier counter top kit (16 pods) that comes with a stand, seeding pods, fertilizer and cultivating media. Also available is a less expensive single tier unit (8 pods) should you want to start out small.
4. Click and Grow
Click and Grow has a wide variety of commercial kits from counter top units to large and small wall farms. The most popular of their offer is the Click and Grow Smart Herb Garden Kit. Bigger counter top models include the Click and Grow Smart Garden 3 and the new Smart Garden 9.
5. Gardman R687 4-Tier Mini Greenhouse
Not quite for indoor gardening but offers a great way to maximise the space for your plant, the 4-tier mini greenhouse can be brought indoor from the cold. This is a floor standing mini-green house which will allow you to grow more plants in one space. As it is a self-contained unit, you can move it inside and outside as you see fit.
Features:
- Perfect for homes where space is an issue
- Clear polyethene cover and roll-up zippered door for quick access
- Sturdy tubular steel frame assembles in minutes without any tools
- 27″ Long x 18″ Wide x 63″ High
Home Made Designs:
You may not want a commercial kit in your home and prefer to make your own. There are many design ideas which will ultimately depend on the space you have available in your home and the materials you want to use. This may be an opportunity to add a fresh and innovative design idea to a room in your home while growing delicious herbs and veggies. Check out the three home made indoor gardening options we list below.
Have a watering schedule in place – your plants need your love!
1. Mason Jar and Bottle Planters
Using a plywood panel, mason jars and pipe clamps, you can build a growing wall. This is both a space efficient and decorative option.
You can simply varnish the plywood, leaving it natural or wallpaper it or paint it to match the design of your room.
Once you know how many jars you want to install, you can map them out and install the clamps. Then the soil and seedlings can be inserted into the jars.
2. Repurposed Furniture and Mini Containers
Do you have an old shelf unit that needs some love? Why not strip it, or paint it and use it as a planting stations? For pots, old square (tea) or round tin cans (food), plastic lined baskets or funky, ceramic plant pots can repurpose as pots. With some creative thinking, many items you already have sitting around your house can be up-cycled and repurposed too.
3. Ladder/Palette Planter
Another space spacing design which can fit into most rooms without taking up too much valuable space. Take an existing ladder, or palette and cut off on the bottoms of the legs to the angle you desire. Then you can either buy or build the horizontal boxes that will fit on each step. Screw them into place, add a plastic liner to each box. Add your soil and seedlings and you are ready to go.
Your indoor garden will flourish and thrive with the care and love you give it. Your family will enjoy the fresh herbs and veggies you provide for them from your wonderful indoor garden. Imagine how amazing your meals will taste with fresh herbs to enhance an already delicious dish.
Make a winter project of creating your indoor garden – involve the family and get them to help with the construction and more importantly, maintenance of the indoor garden
Edited by Samuel Tan
Why Green Therapy is Essential for Modern Everyday Living | Colour My Living
January 25, 2019 @ 7:18 pm
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