This time of year, everyone is talking about planning their spring garden and starting seeds indoors. Gardens are wonderful givers of life and a tremendous way to give back to your family and to the Earth. Not only do the fruits and vegetables grown in your garden nourish your body, but they nourish your soul as well. While outdoor gardens are truly wonderful on so many levels, plants can have amazing benefits when you grow them indoors too. Indoor gardening is one of many ways known to improve indoor air quality, an important step in achieving optimal health in most homes.
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Did you know that, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor levels of many air pollutants may be 2-5 times higher than outdoor levels? In some instances, the indoor levels of these air pollutants can be more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels. Time to open up some windows!
The reason indoor air pollutants are such a huge concern is because most people spend up to 90% of their time indoors. Some sources of indoor air pollutants may include burning kerosene, wood or oil, smoking tobacco products, releases from household cleaners, pesticides, building materials, radon and more. If you don’t take actions to remove these pollutants from your indoor air, your health may suffer. So, if your home is like most homes with poor air quality, adding houseplants to your home is one great way to start addressing the issue.
Starting an indoor garden can benefit your home in many ways. The plants can
- Help to improve indoor air quality
- Add a unique touch to your home décor
- Reduce your grocery bill — if you grow some edible plants!
There are so many beautiful and unique ways to keep plants in your house – you aren’t relegated to simple pots and planters anymore. From vertical gardens, to hanging planters to upcycled containers, there is sure to be an indoor gardening planter that catches your eye and sense of style.
Check out these 15 unique ways to start indoor gardening and take the first step to improving indoor air quality in your home – and add a touch of beauty while you’re at it!
Build it and the plants will come
If you’re designing a new home, consider bringing the greenhouse into your home. There’s no need to build a greenhouse outside when it can be part of the house itself. An indoor greenhouse is a great way to bring a ton of air cleansing plants into your home. You can even incorporate edible plants into the indoor greenhouse design so you can just walk over to your window and pick the ingredients for a delicious salad! It’s the ideal design for indoor gardening.
Pipes aren’t just for plumbing
There are many ways that common PVC pipes can be turned into unique indoor gardening planters.
- This DIY Copper PVC Pipe Planter is ideal for smaller houseplants and makes a unique wall hanging.
- Cute little plants like succulents can be planted in PVC pipe components just like with any other pot.
- Larger indoor planters can also be made with large PVC pipes.
- You can even take it a step further and use the pipes for pluming and gardening at the same time with this DIY aquaponics garden.
Climb the walls
There are so many unique ways to create planters that will don your walls.
- This leather and wood trellis allows you to cover an entire wall with the plants of your choice.
- Upcycle old soda bottles to make a unique vertical garden that is an inexpensive conversation starter.
Of course, no list of indoor gardening ideas would be complete without mentioning mason jars! There are so many ways to create indoor gardens for herbs and other plants using mason jars.
- Here’s a simple idea to create a mason jar wall hanging herb garden that would be great in any kitchen.
- Want something a bit less messy? How about these elegant vertical planters that use moss and rock rather than dirt? They would bring a beautiful elegance into any home.
Drink up
There are so many fun ways to upcycle wine corks and wine bottles. One of the cutest ways I’ve seen to upcycle wine corks is to turn them into tiny little planters. With just a few simple supplies and some adorable succulents, you can create Wine Cork Planters that can be used as magnets for your refrigerator. You can also simply set the wine cork planters along your window sill for an added touch to your decor. Want something unusual to do with leftover wine bottles (besides recycling them)? Make your own self watering planters with the upper portions of the bottles. This idea is great for people who are known to forget to water their plants for long periods of time.
Transform an old tree stump
If you like the rustic look, then why not bring more of the outdoors into the indoors? We live in a national forest and there is wood everywhere, including tree stumps. I see so many amazing designs that people make from fallen trees. This Modern Tree Stump Planter is a beautiful and unique way to display your favorite plants in your home. All you have to do is hollow out and seal an old tree stump and you have a beautiful addition to your indoor garden.
Hanging around
Apartment life doesn’t mean you can’t bring any plants indoors. For example:
- If you have some old coffee tins lying around, you can transform them into a hanging herb garden.
- If you’re not the DIY type, there are plenty of gorgeous hanging planters you can purchase.
- This glass hanging planter is beautiful and will allow you to see your hanging plant from every angle.
- This Glasshouse doubles as a light fixture and herb garden, so you can use the heat from the bulb to grow your herbs. Here’s to dual use!
These are just a few ways you can bring more plants into your home to clean the air and add beauty through indoor gardening.
Feature image courtesy of Yulia Grigoryeva/Shutterstock