The Compost Bin

What's a gardener to do in the middle of winter? Well I don't know what you're doing but I'm keeping busy with indoor gardening projects like making a Terrarium. It's pretty easy to make your own Terrarium and I like the way they look. The project will also help take your mind off of the fact that you're stuck in the darkest, coldest days of winter.

First you'll need a glass jar or an old fish tank. I bought this jar a few years back at a kitchen store with hopes of storing flour in it for all the bread I was going to make with my bread machine. Well, the bread machine has been moved to the back of the closet and now I've got a great jar for a terrarium.

The key to terrariums is choosing the right plants. The inside of a glass jar (with a lid) is a pretty humid place. Pick a plant that likes a lot of moisture. If I had somewhere sunny to put this terrarium, I'd grow some Venus Fly Trap. But unfortunately my house has gigantic eaves that block out the sun. There is not one sunny window sill in my house which is great for the air conditioning bill but not too good for plants.

I get a bag of ground charcoal and put a 1/2" layer at the bottom of the jar to keep it from getting stinky. Next up is gravel for drainage. A half inch to a full inch is plenty in a small jar. Here's a tip, you can buy black fish tank gravel that looks like dirt. Top it off with regular potting soil but remember to leave room for the plants.

Now sit back and enjoy your terrarium. That's what I'll be doing until spring arrives.