Sunday Gardener: Building terrariums

Sunday Gardener: Building terrariums with Valley View Farms

THIS IS SO EXCITING. IT IS TIME FOR SUNDAY GARDENER. I AM, LIKE, PROBABLY MORE EXCITED THAN I SHOULD BE ABOUT THIS. CARRIE INGLE, OF COURSE. ALWAYS EXCITED TO SEE HER HERE, BUT WE’RE DOING A TERRARIUM LIKE A BIOACTIVE ENCLOSURE. I LOVE THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW ALL ABOUT THIS. SO THIS IS VERY COOL. REPTILES AT HOME. THAT’S VERY COOL. TARANTULAS. SO YEAH, WE’RE READY TO GO. YOU ARE BRAVE PERSON. I’M NOT SURE ABOUT THE TARANTULAS, OKAY? THEY’RE LIKE POTTED PLANTS. I’M TELLING YOU, THEY JUST SIT THERE. YOU JUST GOT TO FEED THEM THEIR CRICKETS AND THEY’RE GOOD. SO YOU MENTIONED BEFORE WE’RE GOING TO START WITH A DRAINAGE LAYER IF YOU WOULD POUR, I DON’T KNOW, ABOUT THREE INCHES OR SO IN THERE RIGHT NOW. THIS IS EASY. TELL US WHY THE DRAINAGE DRAINAGE LAYER IS IMPORTANT. MOST TIMES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PLANTS, WE TALK ABOUT DRAINAGE AND HOW WE MADE A HOLE IN THE BOTTOM SO THE EXCESS WATER CAN GET OUT OF THERE. WELL, IN THIS CASE, WE DON’T REALLY WANT THAT. WE JUST WANT A NICE LAYER TO TO KEEP THINGS GOING. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT. YOUR NEXT LAYER IS GOING TO BE OKAY. THIS NOW THIS I’D RATHER YOU NOT TOUCH OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU. CHARCOAL OKAY. SWEET. ALL RIGHT. OH. CHARCOAL. THAT’S INTERESTING. CHARCOAL IS WE’VE USED LIKE LAVA ROCKS BEFORE. YEAH. WELL, THIS IS MORE LIKE. THIS IS MORE FOR KEEPING THE WATER PURE, I GUESS, MORE THAN ANYTHING. OKAY. THAT’S GOOD. NOW YOU CAN PUT DOWN A LAYER OF WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS STUFF AGAIN? DID YOU HEAR ME? YES. VERY GOOD. SO I NEED TO KNOW THESE TRICKS, RIGHT. OH. SPHAGNUM MOSS. YEAH. AND THIS IS NICE TOO, BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO STOP THE SOIL FROM GOING DOWN TO THE NEXT LAYER. ALSO CAN PROVIDE SOME NICE HUMIDITY. VERY GOOD. YEAH. YOU’VE GOT THIS DOWN. AND THEN A COUPLE INCHES OR SO OF SOIL. IF YOU JUST CAN JUST POUR THAT IN THERE OKAY. NOT GET TOO MESSED UP WITH IT. ALL RIGHT. THERE WE GO. I’M SORRY. I’LL GO FASTER I’LL GO FASTER. THAT WAY WE CAN GO. OKAY. NOW I GET A LITTLE TALL THERE. SO WE’RE GOING TO STOP. SO YOU COULD TAKE THAT DOWN A LITTLE BIT IF YOU WANTED TO, AND THEN TAKE THIS OUT. YEAH. SORRY. THAT’S OKAY. I DON’T HAVE NAILS. MY NAILS DON’T MATTER. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT. SO THEN WE’RE JUST GOING TO ADD PLANTS. SO JUST LIKE OTHER PLANTS THIS IS A TYPE OF PILEA I’M JUST GOING TO TAKE SOME OF THE BOTTOM OFF OF THAT. IF YOU COULD JUST THROW THAT IN THERE. ALL RIGHT THEN THIS IS STICKER IN THE CORNER THERE. YEAH OKAY THEN THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLANTS. THIS IS A MORE SOIL OUT. THERE WE GO. FERNS. MY NATIVE MY NATIVE NAME. MY MAIDEN NAME. SO WAIT, SAY THAT AGAIN. FERN IS MY MAIDEN NAME. OH IT IS SORRY. YES, CARRIE. FERN NEVER KNEW THAT. MY FIRST ALL THESE YEARS. AND JUST LEARNING THIS NOW, MY FIRST 19 YEARS OF LIFE, I LOVE IT. THAT’S GREAT. OH, YOU’RE MORE THAN JUST A FERN, CARRIE. THERE YOU GO. IT’S JUST WHATEVER. IT’S ALL THESE PLANTS THAT GO AGAIN. AND THEN THIS IS POLKA DOT PLANT OR HYPOESTES. SO WE’RE GOING TO PUT THAT IN THERE TOO. ALL RIGHT. LIKE IT. AND YOU CAN USE ALL SORTS OF OTHER PLANTS. THIS IS A TALLER VARIETY THE ONE WE JUST HAD. AND THEN YOU CAN ADD DIFFERENT THINGS TO IT. SO MAYBE A LITTLE GNOME. OH I LOVE THE GNOME OR SLEEPING FAIRY. AND THIS LITTLE ONE THAT WAS PRE-MADE UP. I’M GOING TO JUST PUT A LITTLE MUSHROOM IN THERE. YEAH. JUST HAVE SOME FUN. FAIRY GARDENS ARE VERY IN RIGHT NOW TOO. THEY ARE. AND THEY’RE JUST FUN. YOU CAN ALWAYS ADD OTHER THINGS TOO, IF YOU WANT TO ADD LITTLE SEAGRASS OR WHATEVER YOU WANT, YOU CAN BUY JUST ALL OF THESE AND SORT OF LIKE WHATEVER YOUR IMAGINATION CAN COME UP WITH IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. YEAH. AND I KNOW I HAVE LIKE FAVORITE SEASHELLS FROM DIFFERENT VACATIONS I’VE BEEN ON OR STONE. AND I’LL PUT THOSE IN SOME OF THESE. BUT YOU CAN’T CREATE TERRARIUMS. THE NICE THING ABOUT MOST OF THEM, YOU CAN’T HAVE A CLOSED GLASS TOP LIKE THE ONE NEXT TO YOU DOES. OH YEAH, AND THAT KEEPS THE HUMIDITY LEVEL WAY UP. AND THEN IF YOU GET TOO MUCH CONDENSATION ON THE OUTSIDE OR ANYTHING, THEN YOU CAN ALWAYS TAKE THAT CAP OFF AND LET IT GO. THESE, THESE I JUST DID IT. WHATEVER I KNOW. HOW MUCH HUMIDITY DO YOU REALLY NEED? YOU KNOW, I MEAN, A LOT. OH YEAH. IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THEM GOING. AND THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE THAT HAVE KEPT PLANTS IN GLASS, ENCLOSED GLASS. THEY’VE LASTED FOR LITERALLY DECADES. THE NICE THING ABOUT THAT IS IT IS KEEPING YOUR MOISTURE IN THERE, BECAUSE ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR, YOUR HEAT IN THE HOUSE IS GOING TO DRY. EVERYTHING IT DOES, IT JUST IT’S INCREDIBLE. SO IT REALLY DOES GO. SO OTHER KINDS OF THINGS YOU CAN DO THIS NEXT WEEK WE’RE DOING A WINTER TERRARIUM. SO I’M LIKE MAKING IT LIKE SNOW. YEAH. SO YOU DIDN’T HAVE ANY SNOW WHEN I CAME IN DOWN HERE. OH NO. I BROUGHT A WHOLE PLAN THOUGH BECAUSE I WANTED IT TO GO ALL THE WAY AROUND. OH, THERE YOU GO. THAT’S VERY COOL. CAN I. CAN I SPRINKLE SNOW? SURE. I DON’T THINK I HAVE THAT OPEN YET, THOUGH, SO IT’S KIND OF STICKING OUT LIKE A LITTLE. OKAY, COOL. THAT WORKS ON THE END. BUT REALLY THIS WILL WORK. WITH WHAT ANY KIND OF PLANTS. YOU HAVE TO BE KIND OF SPECIFIC. YOU JUST KEEP THIS SAME TYPE OF PLANTS TOGETHER. SO YOU CAN DO THIS WITH SUCCULENTS AND YOU WANT TO PLANT THEM HIGH LIKE THIS BECAUSE THEY DON’T NEED AS MUCH HUMIDITY. BUT THEN YOU WANT ALL SUCCULENTS. IN THIS CASE YOU HAVE ALL PLANTS THAT LIKE MOISTURE, A GOOD BIT OF MOISTURE, SO YOU JUST WANT TO THINGS THAT ARE LIKE EACH OTHER AND HOW THE LIGHT AND THE CARE AND EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLY THE WATER. SUPER SPECIFIC. DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE LIKE A HYGROMETER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT THAT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOUR AND YOU STICK IT IN THERE, AND DRY YOUR WATER, YOUR TOOTHPICK. MAYBE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN PUT IT IN THERE JUST WET LIKE OKAY. AS LONG AS LIKE SORT OF HOLDS YOUR SHAPE LIKE SANDCASTLE LIKE CONSISTENCY, THEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU’VE GOT ENOUGH MOISTURE IN THERE. SO SOMETHING LIKE THIS WILL NOT NEED TO BE WATERED VERY OFTEN. NOT VERY OFTEN. I WOULD WATER IT NOW, AND I PROBABLY WOULDN’T LOOK AT IT FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF WEEKS. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, THIS IS SUPER FUN TO DO WITH YOUR KIDS. LIKE YOU NEED A WINTER ACTIVITY TO DO INSIDE. AND LOOK, WE DIDN’T MAKE THAT BIG OF A NOT TOO BAD. SORRY GUYS. WHATEVER. BUT YEAH, SOIL, STONE AND MOSS AND YOU’RE READY TO GO. AND THE CHARCOAL HELPS YOU. YEAH, SURE. I HAVE A LOT OF IT. YOU PROBABLY HAVE IN YOUR HOUSE SOMEWHERE. YEP. OH. HOW MANY ARE WE? THE VASES THAT WE HAVE FROM ALL THE. YEAH, EXACTLY. YOU GOTTA VASE SOMEWHERE. TRUST ME. CARRIE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOUR GARDENING QUESTIONS ANSWERED, YO

Sunday Gardener: Building terrariums with Valley View Farms

Updated: 3:43 PM EST Jan 18, 2026

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Terrariums can be fun to build at home with kids and friends but require certain elements to maintain drainage. Carrie Engel from Valley View Farms explains how each layer in a terrarium keeps plants healthy.