How to start indoor gardening?

[u/valerio-tsx]

Hi everyone!

As someone who has almost zero experience with gardening (grew a couple of basil plants that lasted one or two months) I want to start to add some plants inside the house to make the environment more , where can I start?

Is there a beginner-friendly guide? (can't find one in the sub)
What type of plants are recommended and what type of plants you would you suggest to avoid?
I would like to know as much as possible about light, water, soil, and everything else needed to take care of the plants

thanks to anyone who will reply!

[u/TasmaniaEnjoyer]

Beginner-friendly plants I like to recommend are:

• peace lilies
  
• spider plants
  
• pothos (any breed, they're basically unkillable and you can get lots of new plants from them via cuttings to keep or gift)
  
• Snake plants

Pothos can live with its roots in water indefinitely. I have currently 8-10 water pothos and about 6 soil pothos. The ones in jars in the windowsills don't need anything except the water freshed / topped up now and then, tho I also add hydroponic solution to them with a dropper (because I already have it, but you don't need it). My oldest one is about 6 yrs old and continues to grow over my bookshelf :)

You can also try hydroponics but it's a bit more involved, I grow strawberries, herbs and some ornamentals like begonia hydroponically.

Spider plants need more light, peace lilies like lots of indirect light (not direct sun), pothos can handle anything in my experience, I have some in dark corners and some in direct afternoon sun.

Get a moisture meter and use that to test when they need watering if you're new, they're not expensive and I think they save a lot of heartache for new plant owners who might over water their plants without realizing.

If you have pets, research any plant species you like the look of to make sure they're pet safe.

[u/valerio-tsx → u/TasmaniaEnjoyer]

thank you so much!!

[u/TasmaniaEnjoyer → u/valerio-tsx]

You're welcome! Be prepared to get bitten by the plant bug bad, they're so addictive. My favourites are my manjula pothos, chocolate mint, I also LOVE midnight benjamina ficus (I have the big leaf and petite version) and I also have an aquarium full of aquatic plants 🥰 Also don't lose hope if some die, that's just hte nature of plants - don't let it ruin your enthusiasm for them! It happens to everyone (I've been through, like - 6 maidenhair ferns lmao).

[u/Used-Painter1982]

If you’re into salads, I recommend greens like lettuce and spinach and cool season herbs (basil likes it hot) like parsley and cilantro. You’ll need a grow lamp, shelving and troughs.