Indoor gardening has exploded in popularity during the last decade. And fortunately for us gift-givers, there are a ton of gift options for indoor gardeners, even those who seem to have it all.
When buying gifts for apartment gardeners, it’s important to remember that apartment gardening is different from outdoor gardening. You tend to have a lot of space when you have an outdoor garden. When you’re in an apartment, you may have a balcony (some lucky gardeners have huge balconies) or you might just have some shelves in your living room. A fun garden sign makes sense for a garden bed, but where do you put it in your living room?
Keep these things in mind when buying gifts for indoor gardeners:
- Useful. You can find a lot of great gifts that aren’t functional (like tchotchkes). But if an item is supposed to be functional, buy one that actually works well and makes your gardener’s life easier. For example, glass watering globes look pretty and seem functional, but they’re difficult to get the soil out of the stem to reuse.
- Compact and space-saving. When you’re living in an apartment, storage space is at a premium. Many outdoor gardening products are huge, since you’re more likely to have a shed to store everything in.
- Aesthetically-pleasing. When you’re in an apartment, you don’t really have space to shut away ugly looking plastic. Most gardening supplies end up on counters and shelves in full sight. Since nice looking garden products tend to be more expensive, they’re also a great way to treat a gardener on a low budget.
And, of course, you can buy them a plant. But be careful with this one. Plant choice is so personal, and it really depends on the gardeners’ interest and the space they have available. When you’re living in a north-facing apartment, you can’t really put your sun loving plant in a sunny window. If they have pets or children, choose a non-toxic plant. Buying them a gift certificate so they can choose the plant may be the better option.
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Gifts For Apartment Gardeners
#1 Metal Indoor Watering Can
While you can technically use anything that holds water for a watering can, an indoor watering can makes watering a lot easier. Outdoor watering cans are designed with nozzles that water a lot of plants at once, since usually your outdoor garden is big and you don’t want to spend all day watering each plant individually. But if you try to use them indoors, these big cans will spray water everywhere.
Indoor watering cans usually feature a tapered nozzle, making it much easier to get under foliage to water. The stream is slow, steady, and directed, so water ends up in the potting mix and not over the shelf. They’re smaller, since you don’t need as much water, so they save space. And they usually look nicer, becoming a part of decor rather than something to hide in the closet.
The better looking metal indoor watering cans can be more pricey, so they make a great splurge gift.
#2 Countertop Herb Growing Kit
Growing herbs indoors is both easy and tasty, and a great gift for both beginner and experienced apartment growers alike. These kits come with containers, potting medium, seeds, and instructions – pretty much everything a gardener needs.
For a more traditional look, you can pick up a herb pot planter set. You can find planter sets in a variety of different styles and materials (from wood to metal), so you can find one that fits your gardener’s tastes and your gift budget. These sets come at a variety of different price points, with some costing as much as a low-end hydroponics system.
Fleur du Bien offers a wood box planter along with 10 types of herb seeds.
Lace and Twig Inc offers personalized grief care and sympathy packages, with everything a person needs to grow an herb or flower.
On the pricier side, countertop hydroponics systems make growing herbs fast and easy. They have their own grow light, so your gardener can stash them wherever they fit, even in a dark corner. Some even water themselves. A few top-rated systems include the iDOO Indoor Herb Garden Kit, the Click and Grow Smart Garden, and the AeroGarden.
#3 Mushroom Grow Kit
If your favorite gardener loves mushrooms and is looking for their next challenge, get them a mushroom grow kit. Mushroom kits let you grow types of mushrooms you’re not likely to find at your usual grocery store, like oyster, shiitake, and lion’s mane. Grow kits make it easy for beginners to try their hand at growing mushrooms, since the most difficult part of the process is done for them.
#4 How-To Books
Learning to grow vegetables and herbs indoors can be overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to grow enough to make a salad in a small apartment. Give your gardener the gift of knowledge and inspiration. Even experienced gardeners can learn a thing or two, or get inspiration for their next growing project.
A few useful guides include:
Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening by Peter Burke is an indoor vegetable gardening classic. The author teaches his method for growing salad greens with no grow lights or special equipment.
Indoor Kitchen Gardening: Turn Your Home Into A Year-Round Vegetable Garden by Elizabeth Millard teaches how to go beyond simple microgreens. This book encourages gardeners to be more adventurous, including growing peppers, mushrooms, or even fruit trees.
How Not To Kill Your Houseplant: Survival Tips for The Horticulturally Challenged by Veronica Peerless is a fun and thorough guide to giving houseplants what they need.
The Complete Guide To Growing Potatoes
A complete reference and an ultimate guide that teaches you everything you need to know about potato selection, planting, care, harvest, and storage.
#5 Decorative Planters
Decorative planters are expensive. While plastic pots are pretty inexpensive, aesthetically-pleasing ones get pricey. So treat your favorite gardener with a beautiful planter.
If your gardener will be repotting into the new planter, choose one with drainage holes.
#6 Self-Watering Systems
When growing plants indoors, all the watering is up to a gardener. But what happens if you need to go away for a weekend? Or if you tend to forget to water?
A self-watering pot will keep plants watered for you. You just fill the reservoir with water, and the capillary action in the potting mix with draw up water to keep the soil moist.
Blumat Automatic Self-Watering Stakes can be used on any houseplant without repotting. They’re a ceramic stake that pulls water from a water reservoir (like a bowl of water) into the soil. When the soil becomes moist, it stops watering. You can adjust how much it waters by raising or lowering the reservoir in relation to the pot. They’re discreet and effective.
#7 Fiskars Microtip Pruning Snips
Indoor gardeners need shears that can get into compact foliage and small plants without taking up a lot of space. The Fiskars Micro-Tip Pruning Snips make a great stocking stuffer that’s incredibly useful. They won the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease of Use Commendation for being easy to use, whether you have arthritis or limited hand strength.
#8 Mini Trowel
When you’re mainly working with 5 inch houseplant pots, a regular sized trowel is just too big. A mini trowel like the one at Gardener Supply makes it much easier to transplant seedlings and plants in smaller pots. A mini trowel is also much easier to tuck away when it’s not in use.
#9 Indoor Plant Trellis
Some of the most beloved houseplants are climbing plants, and they need something to climb. So get them an indoor plant trellis sized for indoor pots that are also cool to look at. Etsy has a lot of unique designs. You can find more traditional styles with crossed wood, or more modern styles, like hexagons or copper rings. 3D printing makes it easier to make unique and sturdy designs that your gardener will love.
#10 Tabletop Potting Tray/Mat
Repotting houseplants is a messy business. Even if you’re careful, you end up with potting mix all over your table and floor. A table top potting tray keeps the soil in one place. It’s easier to clean, and you can tip the extra potting mix back into the bag. It’s particularly handy for people who have to take a break in between repotting and cleaning up.
This Compact Tidy Tray by Gardener’s Supply has an extra shelf for small supplies like seed packs and mini trowels. The main tray has a tapered front to make it easy to access.
If storage space is a bigger concern, then look for repotting mats. They’re made of waterproof material that’s easy to clean. The corners snap together to create a tray, and once you’re done, you can unsnap the corners to make it easier to clean and roll it away for storage.
#11 Gift A Green Microgreen Greeting Cards
Perfect as a stocking stuffer or a greeting card, Gift A Green is an easy and inexpensive way to try growing some microgreens. The “card” is a pouch with everything that your gardener needs. You can even post them through the mail – just add the address and stamps. Gift a Green has a message for most occasions, so you can find one that matches your needs.
If you’re looking for something bigger, they also offer microgreen grow kits which have a few different microgreen varieties in it with grow cups. Like the Gift A Green cards, these grow kits come with messages for holidays and occasions.
#12 Botanical Coloring Books
Adult coloring books help mental health by promoting mindfulness, calming the mind, and helping people embrace the imperfect. Sounds a lot like gardening. So why not combine the two? Since many adult coloring books are inexpensive, they make a great stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift.
If you’re buying a gift for someone who likes crafting, get them a botanical paint by numbers kit. A canvas kit will have everything they need to paint a lovely artwork for their wall. Paint-By-Number Botanicals by Catherine Guadanolo is a cross between a coloring book and a paint-by-number kit, offering 30 pages of botanicals to paint on high quality paper.
#13 Garden Center or Plant Shop Certificate
Sometimes, it’s just best to let your gardener choose the best gift for themselves, especially if you’re not sure what they’d like. Gift certificates are great. The giftee can choose the right plant for their space or choose the planter that they like best. And they get the fun of going to a greenhouse or plant shop. (And it’s handy if you’re giving a gift long distance! No shipping required.)
Conclusion
With tons of options, you can find a fantastic gift for your favorite indoor gardener. Just remember to choose something nice-looking, compact and easy-to-store, and useful.
To find books, courses, seeds, gardening supplies, and more, check out The Shop at Greenupside!
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~Jonathon