Layout and Space Optimization Strategies

You may think you don’t have a lot of space for indoor gardening – perhaps just one windowsill or small space in front of a window – but there are things you can do to maximize the use of the spaces you have to get the most from your indoor garden. You may end up having more space than you think!

What You’ll Learn

The first step to indoor gardening is to evaluate your home for available spaces for adding plants. Sometimes it feels like there aren’t many options, but there are lots of ways to make the most of the space you have for as many plants as possible.

Learning Objectives

• Best layout for maximum plant growth
• Creative ways for efficient use of the space you have
• Ideas to integrate your indoor garden into your home decor

How to Position Plants for Maximum Growth

Whether you’re adding plants to a windowsill or grouping them on the floor by a window, you’ll need to position all your plants to make the most of the natural sunlight shining indoors. Keep in mind: where you place individual plants will depend on how much light each one prefers (full sun vs dappled light or shade)

Plants on a windowsill – or on the floor – are most often lined up single file, so they’ll all receive the same amount of sunlight. If the windowsill is wide enough for two or more rows of plants, then you’ll need to think about which ones are placed closest to the window and which ones will stand further away. Those closest to the window will receive the most light. For two rows of plants, consider a staggered or zig-zag lay-out, leaving some space between the plants closest to the window so that the plants in the second row aren’t blocked from direct sun.

Alternatively, you can make two rows of plants with the shorter plants by the window and taller ones behind them. You could also use taller plants in the row closest to the window to create some dappled shade for shorter shade-loving plants behind them.

How to Maximize the Use of Available Spaces

The evaluation of your home for available spaces may not identify much vacant floor space along the walls or space on windowsills to add plants, but don’t despair! There are ways to extend your indoor garden space by going vertical.

Outdoor gardeners learn that a small garden space can be maximized with the use of trellises for climbing plants, rows of window boxes hung on a sunny wall or hanging baskets on a porch. Indoor gardening can use the same sort of strategies.

Here are some ideas:

• Shelving across a window: If your home only has one set of windows that get adequate light for indoor plants, or you want to keep your indoor garden to one room, add a set of open shelves in front of the windows and add layers of plants. The shelving can also be used to install plant lights, if needed. 
• Shelving over the windowsill: If you have one window with a windowsill that gets plenty of natural light,  expand the space by adding shelves over the windowsill. You’ll maximize your indoor garden without taking up any floor space.
• Shelving beside a window: If you want to maximize your indoor garden space without blocking a whole window, use a set of shelves beside the window. These can accommodate plants with varying light requirements; plants that need a lot of light are placed on the upper shelves, while plants that tolerate more shade go on lower shelves below or on top shelves above the window.
• Add shelving instead of a side table: Many people add a plant to the side table beside the couch. If your enthusiasm for indoor gardening needs additional space, add a decorative set of shelving against the wall beside a couch or armchair.
• Shelves as a room divider: Many modern homes are open-concept design, with one large multi-purpose living space. To add  some visual division between areas, consider using a tall set of open shelving filled with plants as a room divider. 
• Plant stands: Plant stands were designed to hold several plants in a small space. Today, they come in all shapes and sizes to suit different interior design styles.
• Use trailing plants: The pot for a trailing plant doesn’t take up a lot of space but as the plant grows it adds plenty of greenery to a room. Add a trailing plant to the top of a shelving unit or cabinet to trail down the side. Add trailing plants to a shelf to add greenery down the wall or use a curtain rod to train trailing plants around the window frame.
• Hanging plants:  Rather than putting plants on a table by the window or on a windowsill, hang a potted plant in a hanger from the ceiling or curtain rod in front of a window. For an added touch of flair, try hanging a traditional Japanese planted moss ball (kokedama). Hanging plants add greenery without taking up any floor space.
• Living art: If you don’t have floor space or windowsills available for an indoor garden, hang plants right on the wall as a piece of living art. Hang a light wire grid and attach a few air plants or a heavy metal frame to hold potted plants. Make a living wreath or framed wall planter with succulents or small tropical plants.

Living Walls

If your floor space is limited, and you’d like more than just one or two plants hanging on your wall, you can go big with a planted wall. These are bigger installations with specially designed hanging planter pockets and usually a built-in watering system. While they can be complicated to install, they look spectacular. They vary in size from an area over the couch to an entire wall.

Vertical Planters

Vertical planters are the solution to keeping indoor gardens clean and tidy, growing multiple plants while taking up minimal floor space. These planters are often hydroponic systems that use a liquid growing medium rather than soil. They are most often used for growing edibles such as lettuce and herbs, but they can also be used for growing decorative tropical plants. They are often tubes or circular towers. They can also be upright rectangles. These systems tend to look a little space-aged and can be expensive, but they may be suitable for certain circumstances and worth the investment.