If cold weather outdoors has you cooped up inside, you can bring gardening in by creating a terrarium.

To start off, begin by choosing a container. For a large terrarium, an aquarium works quite well. For a little smaller, you might want to choose an open bowl. You can also use an inexpensive plastic container such, or for a real inexpensive project, a two liter bottle with the top cut off makes a great terrarium for kids.

You want to begin by lining the bottom of your container with a course material. The containers we use don't have drainage holes, so it's important to have a course, rocky material an inch or so deep in the bottom. You can use pea gravel or crushed granite.

Then on top of that, place about a half-inch layer of charcoal. Charcoal helps keep the water fresh, preventing it from going sour on you. Then put a few inches of potting soil in and begin planting your plants.

There are a few things to keep in mind. You want to group plants with about the same light level requirements together. Second, if you can choose plants that stay naturally dwarf, those work well. Finally, you want to add some water to your terrarium; just about a quarter-cup should be enough. You want to moisten the soil well and place the lid on top to hold the moisture in. That way, it will last about four months before you have to water again.

Keep an eye on it for the next couple of weeks. If any rots are going to occur, you'll notice them by that time. Clip off the decaying areas and remove them so they don't spread throughout the terrarium.

Then place it in an area that gets bright light but not direct sun.