'How Does Your Garden Grow?'

Being green doesn’t have to mean purchasing all new energy efficient appliances or light bulbs - or that the truck parked in the driveway now has to be exchanged for a compact hybrid car.
Nope. It could be as simple as keeping a few potted plants and flowers inside your home.
This Christmas, give the gift of Mother Nature to someone special. From Redbook Magazine, find out how you can grow your own indoor garden with this do-it-yourself recipe:

What you will need
· Glass covering to place over the terrarium (i.e. bell jars, glass cake cover, vase with wide enough rim)
· Pot or some kind of base
· Plants
· Potting mix
· Pebbles, gravel
· Stones or moss
· Pruners or scissors
· Charcoal
· Spray bottle with water
· Either a fork and spoon, or a small rake and scoop

1. The first step is to decide where you will keep your plant (s) and to pick a plant species that will grow best under those conditions. Those suggested are ferns, violets or mosses because of its small size, slow growth, love of shade and tolerance to humidity.
   
2. Spread about one-inch of the pebbles or gravel at the base of the pot with the fork/spoon. Layer it with some charcoal – this will help filter water and prevent the growth of fungi once you’ve closed the terrarium.
   
   

3. Now you can place the soil (potting mix) on top of the charcoal. Create a small mound in the center, where the plant will go.

4. Use the scoop to dig a hole in the mound of soil. Place your largest plant inside and make sure to cover all the roots with the soil. If you plan to have other plants, make sure there is enough space between them to grow.

5. The moss and/or pebbles will serve as a decorative layer to top off the terrarium.

6. Use the pruners to trim the plant leaves if they extend past the edge of the pot. Keep the spray bottle to lightly moisten the soil.

7. ***Before you cover the terrarium, let the plant “air out.” (This is important; otherwise mold can grow when you close it.) Once you place the lid on top, the terrarium will become its own ecosystem and watering will not be necessary. But every weeks, test the soil to see if it’s dry. If it is, lightly mist and repeat airing it out before closing.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to All!

-S. Gonzalez

*Photo courtesy of Redbook Magazine