4 Window Box Gardening Tips and Techniques

Window box gardening is the one the best ways to grow plants and flowers in your apartment. They’re also attractive, adding to your apartment decorating if you choose the right colors, textures and sizes. Many people give up on growing plants in window boxes, because they don’t know basic tips and techniques. Here are 4 tips for your window box garden:

1. Keep Your Expenses Low

The best gardens are not necessarily the most expensive ones. Keep this in mind as you buy gardening supplies. An apartment situation is often a temporal one, and you don’t want to “go all out” on your window box gardening. Many moving companies won’t move plants, because shipping them will be difficult, and you may not have the room to transport them yourself if you’re relocating long distance. Therefore, use recycled containers when possible, build your own boxes or use cheap plastic window boxes. Likewise, make your own compost and homemade herbicides and pesticides. You’ll reap amazing health benefits and a toxin free garden.

2. Deep Containers

The size and type of container you use for your window box gardening is vital to the growth of your plants. Some plants need to spread out their roots in order to grow. Others grow long roots straight down, and if a window box is too shallow it won’t work. Figure out what your plants require and match them with the right sized boxes. Grow some plants together, mixing plants with shorter roots that harvest earlier with plants with longer roots that harvest later. For example, gardeners like to plant radishes and carrots together.

3. Place Boxes in the Light

Plants and flowers need light to grow. Set boxes in windows that get the most sunlight, such as south facing windows. There is an exception to this rule, and that’s if you’re growing plants that thrive in the shade. You may not have much of an option if you live in an apartment building on the side that gets the least light. Window box gardening is still an option for you, but you’re limited in what you can grow.

4. Schedule Your Watering Chore

Don’t let your plants dry out on you because you didn’t water them enough. This happens more often than you think, and it’s due to negligence more than anything else. Watering your plants is not often at the top of the minds of renters who work or go to school most of the day. The way to deal with this is to think of it as a chore (which it is) and schedule it. Decide on two times each day to check your plants. Mornings and evenings are the most logical choices, but not everyone has a schedule that neatly fits this scheme. You don’t want to over water the plants, either. If your plants have sufficient water when you go to check them, wait until the next scheduled time to water them.

With time, patience and consistency, you can grow plants and flowers that will bring you a lot of satisfaction. Window box gardening is a terrific option for renters without a backyard or patio space.