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I quite like these greenhouses from Ikea - https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/50289490/

My apartment has low light and little direct sun, so only the hardiest plants will grow. Forgive my ignorance, but could these greenhouses potentially counteract the low light conditions?

No, I don't see how it would help. They are very small and it doesn't seem like there is any way to put a lamp inside.


I used a little mini greenhouse, shelf system for indoor seed starting. It is about like this:



But the one I got was wide enough and deep enough that I could hang a four foot long, four tube wide fluorescent light fixture over the shelves.

The greenhouse by itself holds warmth and moisture (if not too well ventilated), but does not increase the light level. The way a greenhouse works is that the light rays coming in are transformed to heat, "greenhouse effect." So there is more heat, but not more light.

There are of course lots of ways to do indoor gardening in your circumstances, if you are willing/able to spend a little money on lighting:



This one is an aerogarden, self-contained hydroponic system, with light, water reservoir, pump, timer, all in one. Very easy






This article shows a selection of plantable light fixtures, very cool!

https://www.urbangardensweb.com/2013/03/ ... -fixtures/



I used to use a multi-head floor lamp like this for my house plants. I had some big trees. For smaller stuff, you need to put it up on a plant stand to get it closer to the light.



Plant stand example (there are many versions):



Notice in all of these examples, the light source has to be very close to the plants to do much good.

Hope this gets you started thinking!

Wow, thanks for the detailed reply! I've gone for a cast iron plant as they seem pretty hardy. I'd love to get an aerogarden one day though! Shame about the price.

wise plant selection

There are some plants that can be indoors with low light conditions but they would be happier with some light. A flourescent light on a shelf would be good as well as letting in as much natural light as you can. Reflective surfaces help too. Cast iron plants, sanseveria, ficus, pothos, zeezee plant, Chinese good fortune plant, philodendrons, diffenbachia, and some ivy. They still prefer and will do better with light but can tolerate low light conditions.

You can get the wheeled storage racks from Costco or the hardware stores and fit them with shop flourescent lites and a surge protector. If you put a reflective surface on the wall like foil or mirrors, it will help reflect the light. I would get trays for the plants to make it easier to water them. Remember plants do not like to sit in water so empty the trays after 10-15 minutes.