10 Things You Need in Your Indoor Garden | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

10 Things You Need in Your Indoor Garden

45
10 Things You Need in Your Indoor Garden
pexels

Because I live in an apartment, there's not much room for an outdoor garden. I have no yard, no flower bed, and my balcony/patio is not the best option when it comes to sunlight. So, I grow indoors.

Here's what I've learned you really need to be happy with your garden:

1. Mint

I drink a lot of tea. When I want to spice it up, I prefer lemon juice, honey, and mint. Usually, you can buy lemon juice and honey at the store, but unless mint comes in your tea already, it's hard to buy alone. So grow it instead. You can take the leaves whole right off the plant, pinch them a little to bring out the flavor and drop it right in your cup. You can also dry them out and wrap them in cheesecloth to soak the traditional tea way.

2. Good soil

Come wintertime, my plants were suffering a little. Even though they're indoors, the lack of sunlight from my skylight was not doing them well. My boyfriend bought us some quality soil and added it to our pots. Suddenly, my plants each grew at least an inch and looked more vibrant than ever. Your plants eat nutrients in the soil and when they are all used up, you need to change the dirt or add fertilizer. This helps especially when the sun is hiding away and your plants need more help.

3. Cute pots

Because why not? You're going to spend a lot of time looking at them, so they should look nice.

4. Cacti

Sometimes you're going to mess it all up -- especially if you're a new gardener and you have nothing close to a green thumb -- and when you do, your cacti plants will live through it. They stick around to cheer you up when all your other flowers and herbs have died. They're super hardy and if you manage to kill them, you've REALLY been neglectful.

5. Chives

These are super easy to grow, super easy to harvest and taste great in really anything you cook. You need to make sure to harvest them correctly (dry them out and hang them, etc.). The first time I tried this I didn't bother looking it up, and I spoiled the whole batch. Also, if you have a cat, be extra watchful of your chive plant. My cat always chewed on mine and the plant would die. Whoops!

6. Air plants

My boyfriend's family got me an air plant for Christmas last year. It's seriously the best. They hang in circular, airy glass "pots" and don't need a lot of love (although I give mine a lot). You only have to mist them once a week and keep them in mild sunlight for them to thrive.

7. Somewhere to put them

This might be a little obvious, but before I knew it I had a million plants stuck in all the little corners of our apartment. Watering them would have me running around the house, possibly forgetting the one that was kept out of sight, and it was a hot mess. Now we keep them all in one place -- our kitchen table. We never really eat at it anyway. So now, the table houses our garden (except for the air plant, which hangs by the window). This just makes life easier.

8. Plant saucers

These are those little circular trays that go under your pots. Outside potted plants can go without, but when you water a wee too much and mud pours out all over your table or wherever else you keep your plants, it becomes a problem. Warped tables are not cool.

9. A spray bottle

Not like the one that shoots across the room at your cat when it jumps up on the kitchen counters. Get a spray bottle that mists gently so that you don't hurt your plants. I used a spray bottle for my air plant, but also for the other ones when they get too hot and need to cool off.

10. Patience

It takes time for plants to grow! Don't expect giant, leafy things like you see online immediately. It takes patience and a little research for each different plant. Look up what the best conditions are: soil depth, sunlight, watering, special needs, etc. And talk to your plants! I promise it works. They need affection just like everything else.


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

2212
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

448781
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

21229
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Moana's Top 10 Life Tips

"Moana" is filled with life lessons that involve far more than finding true love as many other Disney movies do.

44301
Animated image of a woman with long dark hair and tattoos
StableDiffusion

1. It's easy to be fooled by shiny things.

Digital image of shiny gemstones in cased in gold. shiny things StableDiffusion

Tamatoa created a liar filled with shiny things simply for the purpose of tricking fish to enter and become his food. He too experiences a lesson in how easy it is to be tricked by shiny things when Moana distracts him by covering herself in glowing algae so Maui can grab his hook.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments