Gardening indoors vs outdoor

Outdoor Gardening Territory Johnathan Kemper/Unsplash

Our garden is our safe haven. A place where we can relax with an ice-cold beverage in one hand, a good book in the other, as nature’s energy surrounds us. Whether inside taking up the windowsills in our living room, or outside amongst a landscape of greenery, both the physical and psychological rewards of a garden are one in the same.

But it can be difficult when it comes to the upkeep of the growing environment. How we choose to create our garden determines the requirements for its nurturing. Inside or out, the differences say a lot about what’s best to have a flourishing garden this summer.

Indoor Gardening

Indoor gardening is beginning to trend among urban families. Specifically as it relates to growing their own foods. For obvious reasons, the convenience of having fresh tomatoes, herbs, peppers, greens, etc. just feet away and ready to chop, cook, and enjoy is a perk for any health conscious person or family.

As for plants and flowers, growing indoors has been studied to contribute to the overall appeal and ambience of an indoor space, but has also been proven to improve mood, decrease stress, and enhance creativity.

Sprouting Summer Blossoms Annie Spratt/Unsplash

And, during the winter weather months, tending to the needs of the plants and flowers during their budding process is safer indoors vs out ,where the growing season seems to be over before it’s started.

But, there are things to take into consideration when planting indoors vs outdoors

Space Requirements

For starters, containers, pots, and an aerated planting mixture, are must have’s when getting. started on your indoor garden projects. Living in an urban neighborhood would be quite the challenge when it comes to creating space for a gardening landscape, which makes growing indoors the better option.

Inside, the home can accommodate a various plants, flowers, and produce, but you have to be mindful of your space and what can grow in that available area.  For plants and flowers, depending on the species, certain considerations will have to be taken into account, to ensure the right space and light for growing. For example, purple hearts or geraniums would excel in a windowsill where the sun is in direct contact for several hours. But plants like African violets or oxalis would thrive best in a more permeated light setting.

Indoor Garden Sanctuary Huy Phan/Unsplash

Pest Control

Keeping pest away indoors is a lot more low-maintenance as well. Why? In an outside garden, gardeners are prone to spray chemicals that will keep insects, and small animals like rabbits and the like away.

But for an inside garden, maintaining good air circulation, lighting, and water for your plants is paramount, and indoors you can also simply pick the pests out of your blossoms, or spray your plants with a non-toxic natural treatment such as liquid soap and distilled water, will allow your garden to prosper without being eaten away.

Climate Control

Although it’s true that nature does know best, sometimes nature can be out of our control. Outside plants need a balanced amount of water and sunlight to soar. But what happens on cloudy and rainy days?

When growing inside, we have the ability to control the volume of light, nutrients, and water that our vegetation receives daily.

Outdoor Gardening

Outdoor gardening is a completely different experience, gardening indoors allows for the control of many factors, light, water, nutrient composition, soil quality, and many others. Outdoor gardening is more like a dance between you, the gardener and nature, where nature takes the lead in the dance. You can control what you grow, and to some small degree you can make adjustments to things like soil quality, location, conditions, and space of your garden.

Outdoor Gardening Territory Johnathan Kemper/Unsplash

But you do not have control over climate, pests, and watering your garden when it is outdoors. There are other considerations, but these are the basics. It requires much more time, energy and attention to grow outdoors.

Space Requirements

Deciding where to plant and what to plant will be critical when beginning your outdoor garden adventure. Making sure you test your soil and make the necessary adjustments to improve soil quality before you even plant your seeds or seedlings is vital. Ensuring your space has adequate lighting, depth (think carrots or potatoes) and spacing will also make all the difference in getting the best results for your garden needs.

Pest Control

These might be the most bizarre remedies yet! For shrubs and florals you can create sprays like garlic spray, made with garlic oils, or garlic extracts; tobacco spray made from boiling organic tobacco leaves (which can be purchased at many grocery stores or tobacco shops) adding a few drops of dish soap and finally any alcohol based mouthwash.

There are also Epsom salt, hot pepper repellant, and citrus sprays you can also use to keep unwanted guest from eating your hard work. For veggies, keeping them at a distance from other plants, pretty flowers, and most importantly weeds, will decrease the likelihood of a pest control spread. These natural pesticides will do wonders for keeping bugs away, but not add any harmful chemicals to your garden flowers and veggies!

Climate Control

Weather plays a significant role in your backyard habitat. In fact, adding compost to improve the soil quality, regularly watering your plants, and taking the time to spray them against pests, is a healthier and more natural way to reduce any potential contamination, which results in safer produce to eat and a vibrant space that’ll make even butterflies stop by for a visit.

So, with all that being said, we’re left with one question for ourselves – Are we In or Out?

I’m [Kiera Baity] a 26-year-old graduate student pursuing my Masters in Professional Writing with a focus in Creative Writing. I write fiction, non-fiction, songs, poetry, news, blogs, social media content, and articles (just to name a few). I also hike, roller skate, and paint on the side for inspiration. What makes my writing unique is the way I mx my prose language with the facts. Ultimately producing content that both informs and intrigues.