For all you budding gardeners looking to get started before the spring season comes back around, here is our guide on having your own indoor garden! We’ve detailed where to begin, how you can use recycled glass jars and mugs as planters, and reasons why you should start an indoor garden.
Creating your indoor garden
Starting your own indoor garden is fairly easy to do and most gardeners use it as their introduction to growing plants. There are many types of plants out there that can thrive on your windowsill, including most herbs, tomatoes, avocados, lemons, mandarin oranges, and even coffee plants!
Close by to Campus East is a huge B&Q store, which is where you can get all your seeds, plant pots, specialised soil and watering equipment at a student budget-friendly price. You can even buy growing lights from B&Q if you’re looking to raise higher maintenance plants. For those of you who don’t have the time to go on a shopping trip or don’t want to face having to carry everything back, there is a great selection of starting kits on Amazon that you can order to the Amazon lockers at Nisa! You can also order small watering sprays, seeds, and plant trays from Amazon as well.
If you’re looking for something a bit cheaper, and a lot more sustainable, start keeping your used glass jars to recycle them as planters! This way you don’t have to spend extra money on plant pots and it’ll make the glass bin that bit lighter. We also have plenty of soil and pebbles stored in College, so give us an email at connecting-east@york.ac.uk if you would like to use some instead of buying your own!
Planting in recycled glass jars and mugs: a step-by-step guide
Please note: this is only suitable for plants that don’t have deep growing roots, so we recommend using glass jars and mugs to grow herbs.
1. Make sure to wash your jars/mugs out so they are completely clean (you don’t want any extra surprises growing in there!)
2. Fill the bottom of the container with at least an inch of pebbles, this is so they can catch any excess moisture as there are no draining holes at the bottom.
3. Then fill the jar up with compost about ¾ of the way full, leave at least an inch between the top of the soil and the top of the container.
4. Plant the seeds of your choice by sprinkling a small amount of seeds on top of the soil and water lightly (this gives you an optimum chance for them to start growing).
5. Once planted, make sure that the seeds are sufficiently watered and are given plenty of sunlight (your bedroom and kitchen windowsills are an ideal place!)
Why should you have an indoor garden?
Apart from having fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables to eat, there are some extra bonuses that come from having an indoor garden, such as:
● Some plants are natural air purifiers and can protect you from having respiratory problems, dry coughs and sore throats. Given the current climate, this is a good way to look after your health with minimal effort.
● Certain plans can also help you sleep better by their soothing fragrances, including jasmine, lavender, and aloe vera.
● If you regularly use herbs in your cooking, then growing your own can save you some money and bring you that extra satisfaction from providing fresh ingredients.
● Plants are a known stress reliever, which is why it’s a good idea for you to surround yourself with plants that you’ve been working hard to raise!
● It goes without saying that plants add some extra ambience to your room, and you can have some fun by painting your plant pots to match your room interior.
● By growing plants indoors, you don’t have to go outside and brave the cold weather, which makes them fairly easy to maintain.
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