Every garden lover, at one time or another, has had a dream of an indoor garden, a heart-warming vision of plants blossoming throughout the winter.
He yearns for the delight of planting seeds and growing cuttings for decorations or corsages, all within the home’s walls. But, unfortunately, most have abandoned the idea with a sigh — a dream prohibitively expensive.
However, Mr. and Mrs. Harold L. Cassino, of Boxford, Mass., made their indoor garden vision a reality at approximately $100! More than that, the heating expense involved is negligible.
Secrets To Making The Indoor Garden Dream
The first secret is the use of storm windows with double glass lights. The painted window frames without glass were purchased and fitted with twice the usual number of panes.
They were double-glazed, with an air space between lights, “thermo-pane” style, to act as insulators. This, thereby, accounts for the tremendous heat saving.
It was necessary to have a woodworking shop route out the inner molding, but after that, the owners were on their own. They bought their glass by the case and did their glazing and fitting, thus cutting costs to a minimum.
The unfinished window frames cost $3.50 apiece. When carpentry and glazing costs were added, the expense totaled approximately $8.00 per window.
Because the house partially encloses the porch on three sides, only ten large windows were required, including that overhead.
Only a few more would be necessary for homes architecturally less advantageous if the garden room were built along lean-to lines.
All these window frames are readily removed with a few hours’ work in early Summer to be supplanted by a screened terrace with an overhead awning.
Each fall, a single radiator is set up on the porch, which adds little to the heating expense. As a result, a fantastic house is maintained, with an average nightly temperature of 50° degrees Fahrenheit.
The owners found an easy answer to the severe ventilation problem. For $10.00, they acquired a used furnace regulator, which, connected with a thermostat that automatically opens and closes the ventilator, has proved tremendously successful.
The floor of the indoor garden is cement, so it is possible to water the plants with a hose on sunny days. Before nightfall, the sun and fresh air dry up all surplus water from the foliage.
Most Successful Plants
The most successful plants are cyclamen, bought in 3” inch pots, 50 at a time. They are repotted in 5” inch pots and grow all winter luxuriantly, blossoming continuously from October to April.
Carnations and chrysanthemums are bought as cuttings in the summer to be potter! Then in early autumn, begonias are grown at home constantly from cuttings.
Plants of gardenias and camellias are kept in the garden during the summer and are brought indoors for winter bloom.
Scores of bulbs, such as narcissus, tulips, and hyacinths, are grown to blossom indoors continuously from Christmas to spring.
Although the Casinos cannot grow all the plants they would like because of the “cool house” temperature they maintain, they can and do grow orchids of the cymbidium family, violet, Royal robes, gloxinias, and geraniums.
Poinsettias, they have found, require more heat to bring out any depth of color.
However, the plants they do grow enable them to fill their home all winter with the beauty of potted plants and cut flowers or to provide on the spot a gift bouquet or a lovely corsage of orchids, carnations, or cyclamen.
No lover of growing things need be told of the enchantment or the satisfaction of such a garden-in-the-house.
Still, many should be inspired by tile knowledge that such a delight is possible for those of average means, given energy and sufficient enthusiasm.
44659 by John Neary