Now that the clocks have sprung forward making the days longer, it is time to start thinking about gardening. Many people, who are happy that the long winter is over, have the so-called ‘winter blues.’ One way to get over those blues would be to start a garden; not an outdoor garden, but an indoor garden.

Indoor gardening has many benefits, according to gardenguides.com. Philodendrons, ficus, and ferns remove harmful fumes and second-hand smoke from the environment. They can remove allergens that make people sick plus increase the humidity levels. They can even provide a chemical-free fragrance to any room, according to the site.

“Indoor plants can provide psychological benefits such as stress-reduction and increased pain tolerance”according to “The Psychological Benefits of Indoor Plants.”

Grant Line Nursery and Garden Center located on Grant Line Road in New Albany has many things that can help you get started on your indoor gardening, Karen Kirtley, greenhouse manager, said.

“It’s easy to start your garden indoors,” Kirtley said. “We have seed starter trays that are like little green houses inside your house.”

Start with the seed starter potting mix, Kirtley said. Plant the seed and mist with water and put the plastic cover on it. That will keep it moist inside.

“Some people use heat mats to speed up the germination time,” Kirtley said.

Once the seedlings pop out of the soil they will grow about two inches tall, Kirtley said. They would then be ready to be transplanted into bigger pots.

Last year, Kirtley said they planted 9000 tomato plants. They used heat trays to heat up the soil. She also experimented with growing tomatoes over the winter.

“They didn’t really produce tomatoes until we put a light on them; making the days seem longer than they actually were,” Kirtley said.

Karen Schiller, assistant supervisor of Grant Line Nursery said everybody is ready for something green even if it’s just houseplants.

“We’ve been real busy as far as people wanting to start their indoor stuff,” Schiller said. “We’ve had lots of people buying the starter kits, even though they may not be able to put it out just yet.”

Terrariums were hot in the seventies and are making a comeback, Schiller said. Terrariums are transparent enclosures to keep small plants or animals in.

“It’s pretty easy to make a terrarium,” Schiller said. “You can use cookie jars or an old aquarium and then pick any plant that likes humidity, because you are trapping the humidity in the bottle. It’s not self sustaining, so you do have to get water into the container somehow—misting it would be a good way.”

Ferns would be good for terrariums Schiller said.

“We have small ferns in the house plant area that would be perfect to put down into the container,” Schiller said. “You can’t put anything that likes being dry in the terrarium such as a cactus. Those kinds of plants would get root rot or just simply die.”

The plants can outgrow their environment so you usually have to rip them out and start over, Schiller said.

“You can use moss or rocks creating a forest floor scenario,” Schiller said. “It usually doesn’t work if you take the plants out of their natural habitat and stick them into the terrarium. They normally don’t do well.”

The fairy gardens are popular right now, Schiller said. They are cute little miniature things that can be put into the terrarium. There are little chairs, tables and even umbrellas that can be used.

“People are into fairies like hummingbirds and dragonflies,” Schiller said. “I guess they draw fairies or maybe good luck to their gardens. I really don’t really quite understand it, but that is the latest thing in gardening now days.”
Grant Line Nursery and Garden Center’s hours are Monday to Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11a.m. to 5 p.m., Schiller said. The hours will change to Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.