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Christian Science Monitor Indoor gardening with hyacinths: Color, fragrance, fun Christian Science Monitor Fragrant hyacinths are one of the joys of the indoor winter garden. Plant multiple pots of hyacinths from By Sally Ferguson Netherlands Flower Bulb …

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Indoor gardening with hyacinths: Color, fragrance, fun – Christian Science Monitor

Garden Girl TV: indoor gardening , part four Grist Magazine by Garden Girl In this episode, I show you how to make the most of old stuff around the house for planting your indoor garden: packaging from the grocery …

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Garden Girl TV: indoor gardening, part four – Grist Magazine

Garden Girl TV: indoor gardening , part three Grist Magazine by Garden Girl In this episode, I show you how to build the shelves for your indoor garden. Mine are up off the floor about 14 inches, which ensure my …

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Garden Girl TV: indoor gardening, part three – Grist Magazine

Garden Girl TV: Indoor gardening , part one Grist Magazine by Garden Girl I’ve taken over a small section of my house, the sun porch, and dedicated it to my indoor garden project for apartment dwellers as well as …

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Garden Girl TV: Indoor gardening, part one – Grist Magazine

For thousands and thousands of years we have turned to plants we call herbs for flavor, dye, perfume and cosmetics. We have believed that individual herbs held the power to repel insects, evil and vampires, while others attracted the perfect lover, good luck or bees to pollinate our crops. For some, the use of herbs can cure headaches and burns. And, of course, what would fine dining be without the culinary herbs?

Here are some tips for herb gardening indoors that will simulate the conditions in an outside garden. For Herb gardening indoors the growing climates need to be pretty much the same as the conditions outside.

Make sure you have a sunny windowsill that your herbs will love. Use a container that is at least 6-12 inches deep.

Get your herb plants from a good garden center nursery who will have plenty of garden advice to help you with your inside garden. You will need some garden equipment like a small digging garden tool, garden gloves, organic fertilizer and some small gardening containers. You probably already have most of these garden supplies in your garden shed.

Soil is the most important aspect of growing herbs indoors. Use only top grade potting soil with an organic fertilizer mixed in. If you think it is too fine a soil, use a little perlite. Fertilize while potting the herbs and they should be happy until spring. If you have an herb that is not growing vigorously add a little organic liquid fertilizer to the water.

When you go to transplant the herb, go one inch up in the size of the gardening container. If the plant is in a two inch pot, go to a three inch gardening container. Leave the roots alone and be careful not to bruise the stem.

Don’t plant oreganos, mints, lemon balm or bee balm with other plants because they will overgrow everything. Pot these herbs in a garden container all their own. You may want to always plant those herbs in containers since they tend to “take over” the garden.

Some people swear that you must put garden stones in the bottom of the gardening container, but I dispute that opinion. I feel that the garden stones take valuable space away from the herb roots. You might want to place a small piece of wire screening over the hole to keep it from getting clogged.

Here are some examples of which herbs to plant together:

For an Italian selection try Sweet basil, Italian parsley, Oregano, Marjoram and Thyme.

For a lovely scented container use Lavender, Rose scented geranium, Lemon balm, Lemon thyme, and Pineapple sage.

For really great salads try Garlic chives, Rocket, Salad burnet, Parsley, Celery.

And to say “We love French Cooking!” use Tarragon, Chervil, Parsley, Chives and Sage

Allow time for your herbs to grow used to their new conditions. Once you see growth you can start using you herbs. Snip and use your herbs often to encourage them to grow full and bushy.

When it comes to light, all herbs must get 4 to 6 hours of sunlight a day on your window sill. If your window doesn’t supply that much light then purchase garden grow lights and hang them three inches above the plants. If you live in a very hot climate shade the herbs during the hottest periods. If you live in a very cold climate keep the herbs away from the cold glass panes.

When it comes to watering, don’t let the herbs dry out but don’t drown them either. Herbs do not like to sit in wet soil. An inexpensive water meter from your garden center nursery will help with this important step in growing your herbs. Always use room temperature water so as not to shock the herb’s roots.

If you follow all of these steps you will have a healthy herb garden all winter on your sunny windowsill.

Copyright © 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Those of us in the gardening business are all too aware of just how sensitive many plant species can be. In the pickier varieties, soil conditions such as moisture levels and pH have to be perfect, or the temperature and light exposure may have to be controlled with precision. In order to get the most beautiful, vibrant specimens in species like this, these environmental factors cannot be left to Mother Nature. This is where indoor gardening and artificial lighting systems can become invaluable in your efforts.

Many people believe that indoor gardening must involve complicated systems of expensive light systems on pulleys, hydroponic watering set-ups, and other high-tech equipment to get the best results. While these things can certainly get you the results you want, they are not necessarily the best tools for the work at hand, and most definitely are not required. If you are working with minimal space and are concerned about your electric bill, they may not suit your needs at all.

Enter the new generation of indoor grow lights. Compact and affordable, these lights are designed with plant growth in mind and should ideally mimic the spectrum of sunlight as closely as possible. However, there are things that a prospective consumer should be looking for in any lighting system intended for indoor gardening. In species where precise temperature control is a must, the heat generated by bulbs can often turn a promising seedling into a brown, wilted stalk overnight. High-heat lamps and bulbs can also dry the soil, leading to potential deadly problems in species with delicate root systems or precise moisture requirements.

Some of these lamps also use a great deal of energy, which is a serious problem when light requirements dictate that your plants receive a specific amount of “sunlight” each day. Beyond the satisfaction of producing your own food, there is little economic advantage to home food production if the spike in your monthly electric bills eats up your savings on the grocery budget.

Unfortunately, many of the indoor grow lights available in department stores simply do not fit the bill in many of these regards. They may be inexpensive, but they seem to be “grow” lights in name only. Their high heat kills plants, and their energy sapping drains your electric bill and reduces the life of the bulb, causing it to burn out faster and warrant frequent replacements. It’s important to do your research before choosing a lighting system for your plants.

Look for endorsements from local and national garden clubs, which will give you a more honest appraisal than the advertising blurb on the side of the product’s packaging. For instance, one light that has received high marks from the Garden Club of America is the OttLite Orchid Growth Lamp. The lamp has earned high praise for its energy efficiency–using only 13 watts, it is rated to last at least 10,000 hours–and low heat output. It also produces a very natural light, which allows plants to thrive indoors. And using a clip-on, stand-alone, or mountable design makes it extremely versatile in the home garden. Such lights will help you make the most of your garden regardless of the outdoor conditions Mother Nature has given you.

These days, growing potted plants in the comfort of your living room has become quite popular. Aside from the beauty plants provide your home with; there are also health benefits – plants purify the air through using the carbon dioxide we breathe out and providing oxygen for us to breathe in. This article contains some information for helping you to get the maximum benefits indoor houseplants will give you.

Lighting

Most indoor plants need good lighting. You can provide this through natural lighting in the room of your choice. However, there are special “grow lights” which you can use, lights which are specifically manufactured for growing pot plants. They imitate the natural sunlight, and do it rather well. Dark leaved plants usually don’t need as much light as others.

Here are some examples of houseplants you can grow that only require meduim to low levels of light:

a. Philodendrons

b. Devil’s Ivy

c. Creeping Fig

d. African Violets

e. Cyclamens

These should be available at most flower stores or nurseries. Don’t limit your choices to only these, though; feel free to choose whatever plant you think will look nice in your home. However, look for all the information possible on the plant you pick, so you can care for it properly.

Watering

A common mistake most people make in growing pot plants is that they tend to over-water the plants, which may lead to rotting roots.  But take care not to under-water, or the leaves will get brown and dry, and start to suffer from withering.  Be sure to research the kind of plant you have, since each kind of plant varies.

Potting

Choose good quality and nice-looking containers for your pot plants. Make sure that the pot is clean before placing your new plant into it to prevent infection and to encourage healthy growth.

Humidity

In houseplant gardening, humidity is a big issue.  The amount of moisture in the air has a huge effect on the growth of the plants. In the mornings, you can spray the plants with a spray bottle for their much-needed moisture. Be sure to avoid having the leaves covered with dust.

Fertilizing

Like watering, fertilizing depends on the type of plant.  If you have can grow your potted plant with the correct amount of water, light and humidity, fertilization may not need as much attention. A good indoor plant fertilizer can be bought from most hardware stores or gardening centers.  Pick a fertilizer that drains well, and is nutrient rich. This is quite helpful when growing your potted plant.

Light is an integral part of our daily life but the significance of light is not restricted to the human beings only. However it is the most important factor for a plant to grow and survive. The plant uses light to photosynthesize or produce food for it’s survival. We should always keep in mind the light intensity and duration of sustaining light when it is a time to implant something. At the time of placement of a new plant first go through the details pertaining to it’s requirement for light.

The different variety of plants may require a varied level of lighting comprising of high, medium or low light. If the plant is not able to fetch sufficient light for it then it may become weaker and will result in producing the leaves very small in size. So it is very necessary to be aware of the requisite level of light for the plant. We can say as a layman that paler green leaves require more light as compared to the plants having dark green leaves.

There is also a fact that the plants are very adaptable in nature as they can adjust themselves with the fluctuating lighting conditions happening all around. This extraordinary feature helps the people to enjoy the indoor gardening excitement. As the plant will adapt themselves with the changing conditions of lighting otherwise we can fulfill their needs by replacing the sunlight with the artificial lighting. This type of lighting is really essential for the indoor gardening process and greenhouse applications.

The indoor gardening process offers a gamut of lighting variables such as

* Spot Grow Bulbs
* Compact Fluorescent Bulbs
* High Output (HO) T5 Fluorescent Tubes
* Standard Horticultural, Fluorescent Tubes
* Fluorescent Fixtures
* HID/HO Fluorescent Hybrid Fixtures
* Compact HID Metal Halide
* HP Sodium Grow Light Systems
* Full Size Remote Ballast HID Metal Halide
* HP Sodium Grow Light Systems
* Replacement Bulbs
* Reflective Mylar
* Replacement Parts
* System Components
* Fluorescent Plant Grow Lights
* Standard Fluorescent Fixtures & Fixture Kits
* Fluorescent Plant Stands
* Lighted Garden Carts
* Compact Fluorescent
* Plant Grow Light Systems
* Fluorescent Plant Grow Light Fixtures
* T5 Fluorescent Tubes
* Compact High Intensity
* Plant Grow Light Systems
* Premium Remote Ballast, etc.

The amount of light affects the coloring of the plant, it’s ability to produce food, the length of the stem and the flowers coming out of the plants. We can not store sunlight or can not control it but we can substitute it with special horticultural type fluorescent lights. So wishing you greenery in scarcity of sunlight!

Growing lemon trees inside is really easy and can be a delight in both warm and cool climates. Discover the best way to grow lemon trees inside with help from a third-generation flower grower in this free video on growing houseplants. Expert: Yolanda Vanveen Contact: www.vanveenbulbs.com Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is a third-generation flower grower and sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Washington. Filmmaker: Daron Stetner … plants “house plants” “garden seeds” “peach trees” “lemon trees …

When growing a spice garden indoors, make sure you find a sunny window to start from. Create a beautiful spice garden indoors with help from a third-generation flower grower in this free video on growing houseplants. Expert: Yolanda Vanveen Contact: www.vanveenbulbs.com Bio: Yolanda Vanveen is a third-generation flower grower and sustainable gardener who lives in Kalama, Washington. Filmmaker: Daron Stetner … plants “house plants” “garden seeds” “peach trees” “lemon trees” “indoor plants …