Grandad..Your little garden sounds lovely; I would like to see a picture when you have time to post.

Actually, Ivy's prefer cooler temperatures..If you keep them warm or hot, they'll attract Spider Mites.
Unless the temperature is freezing, there is no need for a heater.

When you say you keep ivy watered, what do you mean?
Soil shouldn't stay constantly wet. It needs to dry between waterings.

Ivy needs bright light, fresh air and some humidity.
You can provide fresh air by 1. cracking open a window, 'depending where you live,' 2. running a ceiling or rotating fan a couple hours per day..

My ivy gets misted/sprayed daily, and taken to the sink 'for a 'leaf' shower' once a week, using warm water..

Fertizer isn't needed in winter unless your ivy is growing. Is it?
The best 'natural' fertilizer is Fish Emulsion. Are you seeking a home-made fertilizing that doesn't contain chemicals? Fish Emulsion is natural, no chemicals..but perhaps you're seeking something that can be made from home-made products???

Aspirin? Does your ivy have a headache? lol..No, Grandad..no aspirin..Ivy aren't like Christmas trees, and I'm not sure if aspirin is recommended for Christmas trees these days. don't add aspirin, Tylenol or any other medications in plant soil.

By chance, are you a tea drinker?
Here's why I ask.

I store water in used, cleaned out, gallon milk containers. I place used teabags in the water. It's a great pick-me-up for plants, a natural booster..but not a replacement for fertilizer. Teabags are tossed after one watering. 2-3 teabags per gallon work fine.
Good luck...if you have any other questions please ask. Do you know the type of ivy? Toni

SOME BOSTON SOME ENGLISH SOME AMERICAN WILD AND i HAVE ANOTHER RUNNING PLANT IN WITH THE IVY IT HAS YELLOW COLORING AROUND THEDGES OF EACH LEAF 'AND ANOTHER WILD GROWING POND RUNNING PLANT ALL SURVIVING
YEP I DRINK TEA THE FAMILY AVERAGES ABOUT 4 GAL A DAY SO BAGS ARE GOOD TO GO

You may wish to reconsider using tea as a "tonic", GD.

From an older post:

Forum discussions frequently center on the question of adding dilute coffee/tea to plants as a 'tonic', but Arabica (coffee) and Camellia (tea) are known for their toxic alkaloid (caffeine) content and their allelopathic affect on plants as well as autotoxic (poisonous to their own seedlings) effects on future generations. Caffeine interferes with root development by impairing protein metabolism. This affects activity of an important bio-compound (PPO) and lignification (the process of becoming woody), crucial steps for root formation.

We also know that the tannins in both coffee and tea are known allelopaths (growth inhibitors). There are ongoing experiments to develop herbicides using extracts from both coffee and tea that cause me to want to say they might serve better as a nonselective herbicide than as a tonic. I would not use either on my plants; nor would I add tea bags/coffee grounds to my container soils.

Al

Grandad..are you yelling at me? lol
All caps means shouting, so before someone admonishes you, when/if you add to a thread/post, use caps appropriately.

Before bed I drink 1-2 cups of herbal tea..I keep old, but cleaned out milk containers filled with water. I then add the bag/s to water. I once bought a box of tea at a dollar store..used the entire box for plants..lol..

Wow, you and your family really down tea..lol..What kind do you drink? Caffeine or herbal?
I sometimes drink tea w/caffeine, but not as often as I used to. But for the record, I used to add 'caffeine' tea to water, too.

I've never, personally added grounds/leaves mixed in soil, but I know people who do, and they swear it perks plants up.
It's possible, grounds added to indoor plants could attract insects/mice, but mixing in outdoor plant soil, 'coffee grounds for acid loving plants,' should be fine.

Good luck..keep us posted..Toni

Used coffee grounds and tea leaves are not acidic and do not acidify soils.

Al

Sorry about the all caps thread but my keyboard is an old one and the keys aometimes stick
I am als an avid model builder
military models - tanks jeeps half tracks howitzers -- and since I am an x racer I build models of dirt race cars and their haulers
once when I was describing how I detailed a car I posted the thread without looking at it and signed off the next moning my e box was full so I looked and what did I see --------wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee duh
grandad

Grandad, don't worry about the caps then..no biggie, some people take it seriously..

I built a few models in my life but not a pro..lol..One plane I especially liked was P61 Widow..It came out really nice-black body, inside, kaleidiscopic green...
Also an old-time car, too, a tire attached to the back..this was long ago, so don't recall its type..

It's very funny about your post...wwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhleeeee..lol.

Oh, perhaps I should have asked if you build miniature models, or Kit-Cars like Auburns? Repliacas, large vehicles on a smaller scale? Toni

PS..How is your indoor garden window doing?

how do i post a picture of my window garden here ??

One more idea for fertilizers from around the home: my mom uses egg shells in some of her plants - I think she says she used egg shells when she waters the plants that like "acidic" soil, like azaleas. Have you heard of this, hopeful?

Eggshells are made of calcium carbonate, which is considered insoluble unless it is ground into very fine dust. They tend to raise soil pH (opposite of acidify), so they wouldn't be something you would want to use on "acid loving" plants. To be honest, the main reason that acid loving plants prefer acidic soils is because they are unable to handle calcium (Ca) well, so adding lots of Ca would be bad for those plants. I should also mention that there needs to be a particular ratio of Ca:Mg (magnesium) in the soil, or one can cause what is called an antagonistic deficiency of the other. Adding Ca in the form of eggshells without also adding Mg, can easily cause a Mg deficiency. I would actually avoid adding eggshells unless you had good reason to suspect a Ca deficiency, and then I would only add them if I started continued supplementation of Mg in the form of Epsom salts at the same time. It just gets too complicated when you start to second guess a good fertilizer program and try adding singular elements in hopes of increasing growth. That's not how plant nutrition works.

Al