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A Children's Indoor Garden

If you have young children around an indoor garden is the perfect project to teach them about nature. It is also an avenue to teach children about the responsibility needed to care for something on an ongoing basis. Simple is best, even for older children – as they prove themselves and their garden thrives they can expand the plants that they grow.

To enhance the learning process purchase clear containers to grow the plants in. Make sure that the containers have ample room for the roots so that the plants don't become "pot bound". If you can not find a traditional pot that is clear make sure the container you use either has a drainage hole in the bottom or a deep layer of gravel on the bottom before adding the soil. Place two or three inches of gravel in the bottom of the container before you put in the soil. Once the plant starts to grow more the roots will become visible in the clear pot.

Consistency in temperature is important to plants. Once you find the ideal temperature, try and maintain it daily. It is okay for the plants to be colder at night time; this is natural as the same happens outside in nature when the sun goes down. An average temperature range is 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit (18-23 degrees Celsius) during the day and a drop in temperature to 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit (15-18 degrees Celsius) is acceptable. As this is within the temperature range most houses are kept at this should not be hard to maintain.

Many plants like at least some moisture in the air. Controlling the humidity in the house will help the plants and you if it tends to get dry inside. You can purchase a mister or humidifier for your house or another option is to get the plant’s leaves wet. By taking a spray bottle, you can lightly spray the leaves or you can use a cloth or sponge.

Before deciding on what type of plants you will have in your house, look into the light requirements. Usually, the light that comes in from a regular window should suffice You can purchase specially designed grow bulbs to supplement the amount of light the plant is getting if you're not getting enough light. Be aware of the light requirements for your plants when choosing this lighting method. Although plants require a lot of light to grow there is such a thing as too much light too. The exact ratio for your plant may differ but a good guideline to follow is 14 hours of sunlight to 10 hours of darkness.

Children love to grow their own favorite vegetables and eat them once they are ready. Buy each child a large container that is theirs to take care of and let them pick the type of vegetable they want to grow. The easiest vegetables to grow indoors are carrots, tomatoes, and radishes. There are a wide variety of tomatoes that you can grow from beefsteak to cherry tomato.

Indoor gardening for your children is a "green" activity that can reward them into adulthood and teach them about how plants grow. Since the time requirement for this is minimal once everything is set up, even children with short attention spans can learn and benefit from this activity. And who knows? Your children might take up gardening as a life long hobby--and gardening is one of the safer hobbies that your children can choose.