A sunroom is so versatile, it can be utilised as a living room or a dining area. With glass roof or walls, a sunroom is also an ideal spot for growing herbs, flowers, and even vegetables. Due to its controlled environment, it can serve as the best place to germinate your seeds before planting them outdoors.

Turning your sunroom into an indoor garden is much like planning your outdoor garden. There are some steps that you need to follow. Read on to learn more.

Here comes the sun

Sunrooms or conservatories facing west or south get more sunlight than the rest of the area. Knowing where the sunlight is intense and where it is not can help you determine which plants should be situated in a particular spot. To ensure that you get the best of your indoor plants, do your research first.

Contain them

Growing vegetables, herbs, and decorative plants require different containers. Some vegetables thrive when planted in containers with holes at the bottom similar to herb containers. Then there are some vegetables that require large pots to give room for their roots. Herbs that love moisture, for example, thrive in plastic containers as opposed to pots made of terracotta. Find out about the growing requirements of plants before deciding to put them in your sunroom.

Let there be water

Some plants wither with the dry air in sunrooms. Increase the humidity by grouping plants without crowding them too much. For example, you can place your herbs in trays with water together with other herbs. Place pebbles between your pots and water to avoid overwatering them. When misting plants, make sure that you don’t overdo the ones with hairy leaves as water tend to stay longer and may have a negative impact on them. Installing a humidifier will also be great for your indoor plants.

Your plants will also need fertilizers to keep them vigorous and healthy. Go for liquid fertilizers that you can easily spray on your vegetables or herbs.

Growing Herbs

Choose the herbs that you need. Herbs such as parsley, oregano, cilantro, and thyme can be cultivated in containers. Similar to your outdoor garden, there is a microclimate in your sunroom too. While most herbs can handle direct sunlight, some may die as the heat intensifies. The perfect place for herbs is the spot in your sunroom that receives five to six hours of sunlight and that has access to good air circulation with 45 to 70 degrees temperature.

Some herbs can be planted together. If you are doing this to maximize space, make sure you group together those that require lots of moisture. Do the same for herbs that don’t. Tarragon and basil can go together in one container as they require lots of moisture while rosemary and oregano can be paired because they can thrive with less water. However, there are some herbs that should be planted with their own containers or they die such as mint, cilantro, and sage. You can learn more from Peter Weeks.

Growing vegetables

Cultivating vegetables in sunrooms will give your family year-round access to fresh greens. Unlike herbs, some vegetables may require large containers to grow them. Make sure that they are large and deep enough to handle root growth.

To ensure you don’t bring in pests and insects, it is best that you buy potting soil especially if you’re transplanting your vegetables from your outside garden. Mixing compost with your potting soil makes it healthy for vegetables. Similar to herbs, vegetables have varying growing requirements. Some will need more exposure to the sun, some will need more space to grow while some will require less water. Before planting anything, make sure that you do your research first.

Growing decorative plants

Decorative plants can define any sunrooms and add beauty to them. Much like herbs and vegetables, you want plants that can grow in containers and indoors. Begonias are an annual flowering plant that flourishes in sunrooms. They are low-maintenance so you only need to make sure that they get adequate sun, water, and proper drainage. Abutilon is another plant that can be grown indoors. This plant produces bell-shaped flowers that can brighten up your sunroom. If you want to add fragrance to your sunroom, opt for the angel’s trumpet that produces fragrant orange trumpet-shaped flowers.

Growing an indoor garden filled with herbs, decorative plants or vegetables can seem too overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of everything, you will realize that deciding to plant in sunrooms is one of the best decisions you have ever made in your life.

Need help building your sunroom? Talk to us. Call 02 9872 7716 now!