With window sill gardens, the growing season is never over even with back to school and the end of the outdoor gardening season in the Northern tier of the world. But, it doesn't necessarily mean the end of the gardening season altogether. Did you ever hear of a Window Sill Garden?
What to do with that green thumb and taste for fresh and homegrown? No matter where you live, if you have a sunny window or not you have some gardening choices. As long as you have a tabletop, bookshelf, top of a refrigerator, washer or drier or any unused or under used flat surface where you can put a container, you can garden indoors.
I don't have any pots or planters, you say. It doesn't matter. Let's deal with each issue. A sunny window with a wide sill or ledge is ideal, but a small stand, plant stand, book case, ironing board (you have heard of an ironing board haven't you?) or dresser in front of a sunny window will be a great grow spot. Not only that, growing plants indoors adds much needed humidity and cleans air to your indoor winter living quarters. Any container from a coffee can to soup can, glass pickle jar or soda bottle, an old ash tray, dish pan, or boot will be a fine container to use to plant in.
First you will have to decide what you want to plant so that you know what size container you will need. Any number of herbs, leaf lettuce, a tree tomato, and other possibilities are limited only by your space and your container. Herbs are the most natural or popular choice. Parsley, thyme, basil, and rosemary and sage are all delicious additions to your cooking, teas or garnishes.
Next, choose appropriate containers. They do not need to be flower posts, but they do need good drainage. You may have to poke holes in the bottom of a boot, the base of a can or put drainage material in a glass jar to make sure your plants aren't sitting with wet feet. (that's not good for humans, nor plants.) You will want to be able to put some sort of sauce or catch basin under your container for this reason. You can use those foam packing peanuts to put in the bottom of your container to insure good drainage, or small rocks, pieces of broken clay post or just something to keep your container grown plants from soaking in the water. The foam packing peanuts (some are biodegradable) and they make a lightweight base for your planter, where rocks, twigs, or broken clay pots can become heavy to move.
You will want a good indoor potting mix to use for the soil in your plants. Miracle Grow™ is one I highly recommend because it also has timed release fertilizer included, but there are other good ones. Ace Hardware has a brand of their own that is quite good as well. Your budget and your preference are your only considerations. Never use soil from your garden to pot indoor or container plants even outside. The soil is just too heavy, even when filled with organic mulch, to allow for good drainage and root penetration. It often becomes hard packed and not conducive to good root formation. Potted or container grown plants need indoor formulated soil for nutrients and fertilizer compatible to the growing method.
Your seed packet will tell you how deep your seeds need to be planted. A good rule of thumb is the seed should be covered three times the depth of the seed diameter. Tiny herb seeds need the barest of soil covering them. Dampen the soil thoroughly before you sprinkle the seeds on the surface. Then sprinkle dry soil over the top of them. Pat the surface gently to insure good contact with the soil. Cover with clear plastic wrap to retain moisture and place them near a light source. If you don't have a sunny window spot, a grow light designed especially for plants will do the trick.
Once the seeds are up remove the plastic and mist the plants daily until the growth is steady. Start snipping to use when the plants reach a couple of inches in height to encourage bushy compact growth.
If you have a cat, grow her a container of catnip and she'll leave your plants alone.
Drying, using, freezing herbs for use is another topic we will look into in another article. Once you get started, you will see you can grow more than herbs in small winter spaces all year round.
Sources for more information:
Organic Gardening Magazines
Gurney Seed and Nursery catalogues - reading all about the seeds and their growing needs, the various tips and tricks in gardening catalogs is a valuable and free source of information.
Organic Food Gardening A Beginner's Manual, by Julie Turner
The Edible Balcony by Alex Michell
What to do with that green thumb and taste for fresh and homegrown? No matter where you live, if you have a sunny window or not you have some gardening choices. As long as you have a tabletop, bookshelf, top of a refrigerator, washer or drier or any unused or under used flat surface where you can put a container, you can garden indoors.
I don't have any pots or planters, you say. It doesn't matter. Let's deal with each issue. A sunny window with a wide sill or ledge is ideal, but a small stand, plant stand, book case, ironing board (you have heard of an ironing board haven't you?) or dresser in front of a sunny window will be a great grow spot. Not only that, growing plants indoors adds much needed humidity and cleans air to your indoor winter living quarters. Any container from a coffee can to soup can, glass pickle jar or soda bottle, an old ash tray, dish pan, or boot will be a fine container to use to plant in.
First you will have to decide what you want to plant so that you know what size container you will need. Any number of herbs, leaf lettuce, a tree tomato, and other possibilities are limited only by your space and your container. Herbs are the most natural or popular choice. Parsley, thyme, basil, and rosemary and sage are all delicious additions to your cooking, teas or garnishes.
Next, choose appropriate containers. They do not need to be flower posts, but they do need good drainage. You may have to poke holes in the bottom of a boot, the base of a can or put drainage material in a glass jar to make sure your plants aren't sitting with wet feet. (that's not good for humans, nor plants.) You will want to be able to put some sort of sauce or catch basin under your container for this reason. You can use those foam packing peanuts to put in the bottom of your container to insure good drainage, or small rocks, pieces of broken clay post or just something to keep your container grown plants from soaking in the water. The foam packing peanuts (some are biodegradable) and they make a lightweight base for your planter, where rocks, twigs, or broken clay pots can become heavy to move.
You will want a good indoor potting mix to use for the soil in your plants. Miracle Grow™ is one I highly recommend because it also has timed release fertilizer included, but there are other good ones. Ace Hardware has a brand of their own that is quite good as well. Your budget and your preference are your only considerations. Never use soil from your garden to pot indoor or container plants even outside. The soil is just too heavy, even when filled with organic mulch, to allow for good drainage and root penetration. It often becomes hard packed and not conducive to good root formation. Potted or container grown plants need indoor formulated soil for nutrients and fertilizer compatible to the growing method.
Your seed packet will tell you how deep your seeds need to be planted. A good rule of thumb is the seed should be covered three times the depth of the seed diameter. Tiny herb seeds need the barest of soil covering them. Dampen the soil thoroughly before you sprinkle the seeds on the surface. Then sprinkle dry soil over the top of them. Pat the surface gently to insure good contact with the soil. Cover with clear plastic wrap to retain moisture and place them near a light source. If you don't have a sunny window spot, a grow light designed especially for plants will do the trick.
Once the seeds are up remove the plastic and mist the plants daily until the growth is steady. Start snipping to use when the plants reach a couple of inches in height to encourage bushy compact growth.
If you have a cat, grow her a container of catnip and she'll leave your plants alone.
Drying, using, freezing herbs for use is another topic we will look into in another article. Once you get started, you will see you can grow more than herbs in small winter spaces all year round.
Sources for more information:
Organic Gardening Magazines
Gurney Seed and Nursery catalogues - reading all about the seeds and their growing needs, the various tips and tricks in gardening catalogs is a valuable and free source of information.
Organic Food Gardening A Beginner's Manual, by Julie Turner
The Edible Balcony by Alex Michell
Billie A Williams, http://www.eatingcheapandhealthy.com began gardening as a youngster under the tutelage of her grandfather on his farm where she spent her summers. Visit the website to sign up for her newsletter.
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