Planter Ideas for Indoor Gardening
There’s a hint of cool in the air, it is officially after Labor day, the kids are back at school, and pumpkin flavored everything is making an appearance. Sounds enough like fall to be thinking about bringing the outside herbs in!
I began looking on Pinterest to get some ideas for my indoor herb garden and was quickly overwhelmed by just how many different posts there are, and just how many of them are SUPER similar to each other.
So, wanting to streamline things, I decided to narrow them down into categories, post a picture of each category, and share some thoughts on each one to help you decide how you want your garden to grow.
First I want to talk about some of the issues you’ll have to contend with: The two biggies are light and watering. Obviously, it is super important that your herbs get enough light. .Window sills, the sides of cabinets next to windows, stand alone shelves in front of windows or the unused side of sliding glass doors, sunny table tops or desks, etc. They don’t all have to be in the kitchen either. I have plants tucked in my laundry room, bathroom, the window sills behind my couch, and on the dining table. The only thing to consider is that they need to be accessible or you will forget to use them and forget to water them.
Which leads me to my second point; indoor plants are completely dependent on you for water. You can’t forget about them and hope it rains enough to keep them happy like in an outdoor garden. I am absolutely terrible at remembering to water my houseplants and am working on developing some ideas for remembering. That will be a post in itself once I prove to myself I can actually keep them alive. Like I said already, make sure that your plants are accessible; a plant on top of your kitchen cabinet is likely NOT going to get watered as much as a plant sitting on your sink windowsill.
On the flip side of NOT watering your plants is OVERWATERING your plants. With a toddler who really likes to “help mama” I can see this becoming more of an issue. A damp plant will become moldy or get root rot, so let your pots dry out between watering.
Consider drainage too. Some planters like mason jars or tea cups won’t have drainage holes and will need to be watered less. Keep trays under your plants with drainage holes so you don’t damage your window sills or set them in the sink to water them and let them drain for a bit before putting them back.
With these general guidelines in mind, here are a few broad ideas for growing an indoor herb garden.
Shoe Holder Gardens:
I don’t know how I never thought of this before, but it is brilliant! You could stash it behind a door that gets a good bit of light, or mount it directly on the wall. You would just have to be sure to mount it securely because that much dirt could get very heavy when wet. Which leads me to my next concern. Some shoe hangers are made from breathable fabric, and that could very likely start dripping on the floor when wet, stay damp and damage the door/drywall, or cause mold to grow. If I did this, I would definitely stick with vinyl and potentially cycle my watering schedule to only water 1 or 2 rows at a time. Just a thought.
Cup Gardens
How cute are these! I don’t drink coffee, but I have some super cute giant sunflower coffee cups that I would love to display in my kitchen and I think this would be the perfect reason to do so. Only downside is that my husband DOES drink coffee and might not appreciate me filling all the good-sized cups with dirt & plants. This would also be a good use for cups that you love but have a crack in them.
Upcycled Cans as Planters
Any sort of cans headed to the recycling bin can be washed out and used as is or spray painted your favorite color. I especially love the idea of copper spray paint to make plain silver cans look a bit more expensive. Adding labels to them is a great touch too because I tend to forget what I have planted in each pot. Another benefit is that unlike other planters such as tea cups or mason jars you could easily drill a few holes in your recycled cans for drainage. I love the look of matching tin cans lined up along a window sill, but if you are limited on window space, you could also mount them on a board by screwing them on from the backside of the board then mount the board on the wall.
Hanging Bucket Garden:
This looks a good bit more time intensive than simply washing out a can or filling a cup with dirt, but I love the effect! This would be great to add to a window that didn’t have the best view (as long as you don’t open the window very often) It would be fun to put hanging plants in a high row and let them cascade down the window. Another benefit for home herbalists with kids is that could mount them out of reach of tiny fingers and there is no way they would get knocked over during any rough housing. I’m actually talking myself into this as I type!
Tiered Organizers:
There are so many beautiful tiered organizers available that could be used to display your herbs. It would save space on your counter, catch water that drips out when you water your plants, and be moveable. It could also double as a centerpiece on an island or table, yet be easy to move out of the way when you need the additional space.
Mason Jar Planters:
We can’t forget the quintessential mason jar! Whether you want to mount them on a cabinet like this photo suggests or spray paint the inside and line them up on your window sill, I love the country touch a mason jar adds (even if it is a bit stereotypical).
So there you have it . . . six broad categories of indoor planters to spark your imagination and help you get your creative juices flowing as you bring your herbs inside. Have another idea that I didn’t cover? I would love to see your ideas & photos of your indoor gardens in the comments!