Indoor Greenhouse Space Requirements, Needs and Benefits

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An indoor greenhouse is an awesome idea for growing plants and your own food year round. It can be a relaxing hobby and a great way to provide nutrition for your family.

When you have your own indoor greenhouse garden, you know exactly how the food was grown, and whether it is free of insecticides and chemical fertilizers. You know it is natural and healthy.

In addition, indoor greenhouses give you the open to grow non-native plants. They are portable and usually small, making them fit in smaller spaces.

Indoor greenhouse

If you’re more of a flower person, indoor gardening can also add beautiful touches to your decor with growing pretty blooms like petunias and orchids.

Some people might assume that gardening is not an option for them because of the restrictions of their property.

Maybe you have animals invading your area or have poor soil. Or maybe you live in a climate where it is difficult to grow plants outside.

Luckily, there are options for gardening for people living in any situation.

Indoor greenhouses are a solution.

Benefits of indoor greenhouses

An indoor greenhouse can provide the optimal environment for growing plants of your choice within the confines of your home.

Are you interested in the idea of owning a mini indoor greenhouse, but think you might not have the space for one?

Let’s take a closer look and answer some FAQs about indoor greenhouses.

indoor greenhouse
Growing plants in an indoor greenhouse

Why an indoor greenhouse?

Before we get into the details of setting up a mini indoor greenhouse, let’s consider the benefits of installing one.

An indoor greenhouse is a great option for folks who have limited options for growing crops outside.

For instance, you might have a short growing season or might not get good light in your yard.

Then, an indoor greenhouse can come into play.

You can grow your own food without worrying about temperatures, humidity, and natural sunlight.

Indoor plants give out fresh oxygen, purifying the air within your space.

An indoor greenhouse is also ideal for folks who live in a small apartment or condo and don’t have space for a yard.

They make life more sustainable by reducing costs of frequent grocery trips for produce and fuel consumption.

Growing sensitive plants like orchids becomes easier in controlled environments indoors.

What can you grow inside an indoor greenhouse?

The size of your greenhouse will depend on what kind of plants you plan to grow.

For this reason, you should spend some time considering what you want to grow before you install the greenhouse.

There are some plants that grow better indoors than others.

In general, micro greens and herbs tend to be the most successful at growing indoors. However, because they are easy to grow, you may want to do those on your kitchen counter, and save other plants for the greenhouse.

Fruit-bearing plants do not grow very well indoors because they need exposure to wind and bees to get pollinated.

Indoor plants you can grow indoor greenhouses

  1. Cucumbers
  2. Tomatoes
  3. Spinach
  4. Swiss chard
  5. Lemons
  6. Oranges
  7. French beans
  8. Okra
  9. Onions
  10. Broccoli

Flowers that grow well in indoor greenhouses are gazanias, chrysanthemums, pansies, poinsettias, petunias, caladiums, salvia and geraniums.

Also, we recommend growing indoor plants from seeds, rather than transplanting plants you started outside.

This way, you won’t unintentionally bring in pests or vermin from outdoors.

Another way to prevent pests from coming into your home is to plant pest repelling plants, like marigolds.

How big should your indoor greenhouse be?

Really, there is no set size for your greenhouse.

The size of the greenhouse you choose depends on certain decisions you make about gardening.

When deciding how big your greenhouse should be, ask yourself these questions:

What are you planning to grow?

For instance, if you are growing a green like spinach or collard, you will need more room than for herbs like basil or parsley.

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This is because their leaves will spread out more and demand space. This is also true of growing tomatoes in pots. They will grow large.

How much are you planning to grow?

If you plan to grow a just couple of plants, you won’t need much space.

Even a window sill might work. You may not need an indoor greenhouse.

How many different types of plants do you want to grow?

If you have more than one kind of plant, you may need to plan for soil rotation and their compatibility.

Also, keep in mind that plants need more space between them so that they get sufficient light.

If the plants you are growing do not need much space, you can choose a miniature greenhouse.

These can fit on a windowsill, or in a corner of your home.

If you are new to gardening, we recommend starting off smaller.

A smaller greenhouse won’t need as much care as a larger one and will be easier to maintain.

If you find that you enjoy the hobby, you can always purchase a larger one.

Good indoor greenhouse

To grow healthy plants indoors, take care of the following elements and you can grow miracles:

Greenhouse temperature

Ideal temperature helps a lot in growing healthy crops.

If the environment is too warm or too cold, crops could grow abnormally.

Wherever you place your greenhouse inside your home or not, make sure the temperature is regulated to be between 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some plants, however, grow in colder temperatures and will need an environment between 50 and 70 degrees.

Keep in mind that the glass of the greenhouse will make it warmer than it is within your home.

Make sure to place a thermometer inside the greenhouse so that you can accurately monitor the temperature.

Read more on maintaining temperature inside greenhouses in our article here.

Lighting for an indoor greenhouse

For the best results, you should place your greenhouse where it will get sufficient sunlight.

While artificial lights are available, they are not a complete substitute for natural sunlight.

That said, lamps can be used effectively to supplement sunlight in the winter months.

When you use a lamp, consider how the color of the light will affect heat.

For instance, white light will create more warmth than cool light.

If getting proper lighting is an issue, you can always choose plants that prefer low light such as a snake plant and other houseplants.

Greenhouse water

Another necessity for plants is water.

Without proper watering, your plants can easily become dehydrated, dry out and die.

For indoor plants, room temperature tap water will work just fine.

You could also consider collecting rain water or melted snow to save water.

With that being said, make sure not to over water your plants.

Signs that you might be over watering your plants include the growth of fungus or mold on the soil, standing water or leaves with brown rotting patches.

You can also choose systems which water plants automatically and in correct amounts to save time and labor.

Greenhouse nutrients

When you grow your plants indoors, it is particularly important to make sure they have the nutrients and minerals they need to shoot up in height.

This is because your plants have limited soil, they will quickly draw out the nutrients from it.

We recommend fertilizing your plants monthly while they are in their early stages of growth.

In the winter months, they will not need as many nutrients.

Hydroponics is another great way to grow plants indoors with proper nutrients.

Installing the right indoor greenhouse for your needs

With these tips in mind, you can easily install your very own greenhouse, no matter what your space requirements are.

How big is your indoor greenhouse?

What size do you recommend?

Let us know in the comments!

Nowadays, greenhouses have become very popular in homes, plant nurseries and zoos due to their ease of set up and maintenance.

There are many different types of greenhouses available these days.

And an indoor greenhouse is just one of them.

Indoor greenhouses offer an excellent opportunity to do some gardening within the walls of your home.

They can easily capture indoor light and help plants grow faster in a controlled environment full of humidity and warmth.

Because of such features, you can grow plants throughout the year.

Another type of greenhouse is a mini greenhouse.

These are small greenhouses set up either indoor or outside in balconies, patios and yards.

They house plants in an orderly fashion in limited space.

Check out some our recommendations on the best mini greenhouses here — Best Sellers Greenhouses – Three Reliable Small Greenhouses

You can also grow greenhouses of many sizes from greenhouse kits.

These are do-it-yourself packages which you can buy from stores or the online marketplace which have all the items needed to set up your greenhouse from scratch.

This includes the frame, covering and hardware needed during installation.

What are the ideal space requirements for an indoor greenhouse?

Before you decide on the spacing requirements for your greenhouse, you’ll have to choose a right location for your indoor garden.

The perfect location would be one which gets plenty of sunlight, like a south-facing patio door or window.

You’ll also need a spot with high natural humidity and temperature.

Once you have these factors accounted for, go ahead and think about the space requirements you’ll need.

Indoor Greenhouse Space Requirements

A good ratio to build your greenhouse is 3:1.

You can experiment with these figures to assemble an apt greenhouse.

You can grow plants indoors with something as small as a 20 x 20 inch mirror box on your coffee table!

This will be cozy enough for small apartments.

You can also recycle old windows into greenhouse boxes.

Flats are a great way to grow herbs and small plants.

With dimensions of 10 x 20 inches, you can place them on the ground or on an elevated desk.

Additional shelving above this desk can help you add plants on the wall above at no extra space.

For a beginner indoor grower, you’ll need at least 6×8 feet worth of space with an ideal dimension of 10×10 feet.

Another point to note is that the width of the greenhouse will determine how you place the benches and aisles.

For hobby growers, you’ll need widths of around 8 to 10 feet, scaling up to 12 to 20 feet.

Widths for commercial growers will range from 20 feet on wards.

In some greenhouse kits, the dimensions mentioned would be including the thickness of the walls.

So the inner width and height available for plants would be lesser than the size mentioned on the kit.

You will have to clarify this with the manufacturer.

The bigger the greenhouse, the greater will be the cost associated with it.

You’ll have to account for this as well.

Also, as the plants grow bigger, you will need larger pots and shelving areas to hold them.

Consider this too when planning for your greenhouse.

Greenhouse equipment must be stored nearby.

You’ll have to think of places to store gloves and tools as well when establishing your greenhouse.

Indoor culinary herb garden kit

For hobby gardeners and indoor growers who want to grow herbs and food for their families in small amounts, culinary herb garden kits are available in many stores.

An indoor culinary herb garden kit is designed to help you start culinary and medicinal herbs in your own kitchen with a neat little 12 x 12 x 5 inch greenhouse.

This greenhouse provides the perfect climate for quick healing herb growth.

The kit also comes with an innovative stacking or hanging, indoor/outdoor garden planter.

We have included 12 different types of culinary herbs for you to try in your kit — parsley, thyme, cilantro or coriander, lemon basil, dill, oregano, sweet marjoram, chives, savory, garlic chives, mustard, sage along with a package of 50 Jiffy® peat pellets.

It’s a convenient, no-mess way to start seeds.

Just add water and the pellets expand to form the pot and soil in one single entity.

Once you get your herbs started, you can transfer them to the included stackable planter for indoor or outdoor growing.

Experiment inside as well as outside.

You will be growing your own cooking herbs in just a few days.

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Indoor greenhouse supplies you will need

If you want to be ready to grow your favorite plants year round and are hoping to start a greenhouse this year, now is the time to buy indoor greenhouse supplies.

Indoor greenhouse supplies, construction kits and plans can be easily found at home improvement shops.

Garden centers are also good places for accessory products such as fertilizers and pots.

Contacting suppliers directly can give you better discounts and offers on greenhouse supplies.

Indoor Miniature Greenhouses

An indoor greenhouse is a miniature greenhouse apt for small homes and apartments.

They provide the grower a chance to cultivate their own home-grown food under their watchful eyes.

The fruits of their labor are also rewarded in reduced costs of travel and increased purified air within homes.

A number of factors are to be considered when setting up indoor greenhouses like the positioning, lighting and climate control.

An indoor greenhouse is a good idea for certain types of plants and vegetables that do not spread around a lot.

Herb gardens are also common forms of indoor greenhouses which you can grow on the windowsill of your kitchen.

Indoor culinary herb garden kits are available online in small packets for easy growing and installation of mini greenhouses for culinary and medicinal herbs.

Choosing the right size for your greenhouse is important as it affects the cost and expansion plans of your crops.

The greenhouse should be able to comfortably host benches and store equipment and tools.

For small homes, you can even use old windows and glass boxes to grow plants.

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