5 Great Indoor Winter Gardening Activities

1. Seed sorting Folder

Save unnecessary spending in spring, and make life easier for yourself at the same time, by organising your seeds with the help of a 4 pocket clear file folder. Arrange your seed packets in alphabetical order (or any other grouping you prefer), then pop one seed packet into each clear file pocket. You’ll be able to locate your seeds easily, and see at a glance, the use-by date on the packets. When you use up all the seeds in a packet, remove the empty packet and, in its place, pop in a note reminding you which seed you need to purchase.

2. Table top Zen garden

Japanese Zen gardens are made for contemplation. This winter, as a mindful distraction from checking your social media or the news, grab yourself a tray or shallow dish from the op-shop, and get creating. Mini Zen gardens are made from natural materials such as beach sand, succulents, pebbles, twigs and moss. You can even purchase a set of mini garden tools to help you rake your garden sand into soothing patterns. For Zen mini garden ideas, take a look here.

3. My little library

Winter is the time for garden planning, or simply enjoying the gardens of others through the pages of a good old-fashioned book. And the good news is gardening books are among the most common of those for sale on the shelves of charity shops. That means you can enjoy them at your leisure rather than borrowing them from the library and having to return them before you’ve had time to turn a page. Best of all, you can cut out photos that appeal, and pop them in a scrap book or onto a mood board to help you plan your next garden project!

4. Self-sown seed packets

If you’re a seed collector, winter is the time to stitch up a few pretty packets of your own seeds to gift to friends (just pop the packet in an envelope, along with a card, for a home grown gift filled with meaning). To stitch seed packets, choose colourful embroidery cotton (if sewing by hand) or bright or gold thread if using a machine. Cut a double square of strong paper, and stitch around 3 sides of it. Write the name of the seed on one side of your pocket (or draw an illustration of the plant, if you’re artistic), pop a pinch of seed inside, then stitch up the last side of the pocket. All done!

5. Sow a free forest

Next time you’re walking in an area of native forest, take a few spoons of soil from the ground around the trees (always check removing living material is permitted). When you’re back home, mix the soil into good quality potting mix, and use it to fill a shallow container which has drainage holes in its base. Water to keep the soil damp. You’ll be surprised at the sheer number and variety of forest plants that germinate. Once they do, you can pot them into larger containers. If you don’t have space for them in your own garden, gift them to your local branch of Forest & Bird.

Who said gardening had to stop with winter – make this your best indoor gardening year ever!