There are many people out there who want to get started in indoor gardening. Maybe they have had success growing outdoors and want to move a few plants in for the winter. Or perhaps they were like me and just wanted a couple of live plants to spruce up an otherwise drab apartment. Either way, I have compiled a few indoor gardening tips for beginners that will get them started on the road to growing lovely plants right in the comfort of their own home.

Tip #1. I would highly recommend starting with one, non-flowering plant. My first plant was a Bella Palm. This is a very hardy and forgiving plant. It only needs watering once a week, sometimes less. It is a great addition to any room and can grow pretty big under the right conditions. It will thrive in low light and absolutely loves fluorescents, which also makes it a good office plant. This would be a good plant to start with.

Tip #2. For those of you who have outdoor gardening experience, remember that plants grown indoors typically grow at a slower pace. Because of this, you do not want to over water or use too many nutrients. The indoor environment is more stable than outside, so plants do not have to use as much energy. So in most cases, they don’t! Don’t worry about it, you will get used to the slower pace.

Tip #3. Try to stay away from flowering or fruiting plants at the beginning. With a little time, you will be able to grow nice flowering plants, but being indoors may call for a bit of creativity, such as adding lighting and paying attention to ph levels in the soil and other issues. Get into the groove of keeping a plant alive first, and then challenge yourself with those details later!

Tip #4. If you do feel the need to grow a fruiting plant, I would recommend a pepper plant. Peppers are very prolific and for the most part, are forgiving. They also self-pollinate, so that takes away another level of difficulty.

Growing plants indoors is not difficult. Just like anything, there is a learning curve. Make things easy on yourself at first with some decorative greenery, and then move into flowering plants. Make sure to do research into plants that can thrive in low light and self pollinate once you feel ready to grow plants for food. Take it one step at a time and the plants you grow indoors will only be limited by the space you have available!