If variety is the spice of life, then this do-it-yourself herb garden window box has variety and spice to spare. It’s my goal to get your hands dirty. No, I don’t need help burying bodies (that’s the subject of my next article, stay tuned!), but I do want you to dip your toes into the world of gardening with a short and simple project; planting and tending to an herb garden.
It only takes a few minutes to get everything planted, and requires minimal watering. There’s enough flavor in the following project to add some homegrown love to any meal, and it can grow wherever there is sunlight. This portable garden can be thrown on a patio, a balcony overhang, or even inside a kitchen window, and it works as a thoughtful and eagerly received gift.
With this guide you’ll learn how to construct the miniature garden, and how to maintain and harvest the herbs inside of it.
Keep in mind that this project can be customized; the size of the window box can be increased to fit many herbs and other vegetables, or minimized to hold a single plant of your choice, but the basics are all here.
Let’s get started.
To make for an easy clean-up, place a garbage bag or newspaper underneath the container. Most containers have a lip on the inside that designates where the top of the soil level should be, about an inch below the top of the container. Don’t fill the mix higher than that line!
This is the fun part. Herbs will be available in one of two containers: a plastic cup, or a biodegradable pot.
If you purchased a plant inside of the biodegradable container, simply rip or cut off the bottom of the container and place it into the soil.
If you purchased plants inside of plastic pots, carefully remove them (hold the plant upside down and slide the container off). Plants grown in these containers are likely to be root bound, like the picture to the left.
To ensure the plant grows well, you’ll need to rake apart the roots. Don’t be afraid of hurting the plant! Working your fingers into the soil and between the roots, separate the roots gently as if they were knotted together. It should look like the picture to the right.
Like people, roots can learn bad behavior.If they are left in their tightly coiled state they can effectively choke the plant to death. Break them apart like the image to the right, so the roots are free to grow down.
If the plant is not root bound it is not necessary to loosen it like this!
Align the plants inside your container. The only guidelines here are to give the plants a bit of spacing away from each other (an inch or two should do). For this project I staggered the plants so that three plants were in the “back row” and two were in the “front row”. Press the rooted soil of each plant gently and firmly into place. When they’re all in place, carefully fill in any low spots with potting mix. The soil should not be any higher than it was in the plants original container.
It’s easiest to use a hand for this part, but a trowel works too.
Be mindful of the plants here! Try not to break too many leaves and stems.
If you purchased some mulch, now’s a great time to add it to the container. It doesn’t require much, just a light coating. For this window box I used five or six handfuls of mulch.
Drink up, little plants! This is the first time you’ll be watering these little guys. One day at the end of the growing season you’ll look back and remember this first planting wistfully.
Most growing mediums are bone dry, so when watering they bubble up and actually expel water, so take it easy and add a little bit at a time. Chances are that at this stage, you’ll see some of the plants have their lower leaves buried in water and potting mix. Simply lift the leaves out of the mixture and gently remove the bulk of the soil.
Watering is very important, but also very simple. Follow these simple tips:
As for harvesting the plants, leave some of the leaves and stalks in place for a future harvest. If you notice the plant start to flower, pinch off the flower head right away or it will finish its life cycle and die! Here’s a quick look at what you want to do:
Pretty fun, huh? Now you can spice up your meals with freshly grown herbs when guests arrive, or present a unique and handmade gift. Most importantly, it got you outside again and into the sun. Probably dirtied up your hands a bit, too. Now that’s a good day.
And chances are, you’ve got some extra potting soil lying around now. Better put it to good use, and start some more planting.
Welding is a vital process that has revolutionized the way we create and build. It…
If you’re in the market for a new car, there are lots of ways to…
God, I was dreading having to see Dunkirk. Not that I don’t have all the…
In the serene landscape of Virginia, where history meets modernity, the intricacies of legal matters…
With video quickly taking over still photography, one of the easiest ways to make content…
More and more people are paying attention to their health these days. Staying fit especially…