Many people wish they could garden, but think they can’t because of where they live. Nothing could be further from the truth. Container plants can grow on window sills and in sunny rooms without the addition of artificial light, assuming the area receives 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day. Grow lights can also be used for even better growth. Growing edible plants serves many purposes: cleaner air, tastier food, less fossil fuels being burned, and, hey, container gardening is fun! How to create an indoor garden Start your window sill garden with these questions:
Choosing plants for your window sill gardens The next step is deciding what to plant. Being grown indoors, many of these plants will need to be hand-pollinated, but it's not difficult.
Window sill garden containers When selecting containers for edible plants, it is critical that they be safe for food. Many plastics and ceramic glazes can be toxic. That being said, you can often find food-grade containers for free at local restaurants. They often buy food in bulk in large plastic tubs that are safe for food. Just ask the manager. If you opt for a tub, you will have to create drainage holes. Over-watering and poor drainage kill more container plants than everything else put together. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a good idea to add rocks at the bottom of planting containers. Rocks take up valuable soil space and provide fungal spores with a great place to reproduce. Just be sure there are a couple of holes at the base of plant containers to allow water a way to escape. Place tuna cans, coffee canister lids or plastic packaging under plant containers to catch excess water. In my experience, self-watering containers are the best choice for indoor gardens. They eliminate the possibility of overwatering while providing easy access to water and nutrients for your plants' root system. You simply add water and fertilizer to the base and the plants do the rest. Hydroponic planters are another excellent option. Soil for window sill gardens There are several sources for soil for container plants:
Seeds & plants for window sill gardens
It’s time to plant! Plants are more likely to grow to their full potential if they are planted according to the directions on the seed packet. If that information isn’t available, look around in The Daily Garden. Hand-pollination To get fruit from most plants, the flowers need to be hand-pollinated. This is very easy. Just grab a small paint brush, Q-tip, or something similar, and touch it to each of the flowers every couple of days until the flowers start to turn brown, using the same tool each time. This bee-ly duty will transfer pollen from one flower to another, completing the pollination cycle. You should probably use a different tool for each species, though I’m not sure it actually matters. Self-pollinating varieties don’t need this. That’s all there is to it! Start your window sill garden today for year-round flavor and fun! UPDATE [April 4, 2025]: Check out how quickly my window herb garden is growing! My zucchini plant has some male flowers and the tomato plant has flower cluster, too! I will use a small paintbrush to and the male flowers to hand-pollinate once the female flowers appear. Comments are closed.
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Welcome!You can grow a surprising amount of food in your own yard. Ask me how! To help The Daily Garden grow, you may see affiliate ads sprouting up in various places.
You can also get my books, Stop Wasting Your Yard! and What's Growing Wrong? Index
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