How to Make A Window Box Planter From Ordinary to Extraordinary

Windows are one of the most important architectural features of any house. And for many, windowsills are the only piece of the garden they can cultivate.

If you’re looking for a way to add some extra curb appeal to your home, consider building some windowsill planters. Windowsill planter boxes are a great way to display your favorite flowers or plants, and they can be built to fit any size window. Plus, they’re relatively easy to build and don’t require many tools or materials.

In this post, we look at the art of creating beautiful window box planters.

Windows are the eyes to the soul of your home and window boxes allow you to express your individuality and offer a warm welcome to your visitors. It’s an excellent way for budding gardeners to get started.

What is Window Box Gardening?

A window box gardening is a type of gardening where plants are grown in a box that is placed on or near a windowsill. This type of gardening is often done by people who live in apartments or other small spaces where there is not a lot of room for traditional gardening.

Windowsill planters are specially designed to be placed on a windowsill. These planters are typically shallow and wide, which makes them ideal for growing a variety of small plants. Windowsill planters can be made from a variety of materials, including plastic, ceramic, metal, and wood.

Window box gardening is different from rooftop gardening. If you live in apartments and do not have the access to a rooftop or the backyard, window box planters are a very good option for you.

How to Make Window Box Planters:

Materials:

Window box gardening is an interesting and decorative form of container gardening. The material of the box (the container) can be different. You can choose any material for your window box planters. Some of the most common ones are

• Terra-cotta
• Fiber,
• Wood,
• Plastic, and
• Stone

Plastic planters are lightweight and very inexpensive. They retain moisture and do not rot. But constant exposure to hot sun or freezing weather can morph their shape and can look ugly.

Wooden window box planters are trendy among gardeners because they are practical, durable, and good-looking. But not all wood will sustain the pressure. Choose wooden planters that are only made of elm, oak, ash, or teak. They tend to last longer and won’t require too much preservative paint.

Terracotta or stone planters can look amazing aesthetically, back they are not lightweight. They also lack longevity.

Choose the material that suits your needs and motivates you to get started.

Ideal Planter Size:

While choosing the size of the pot please consider the carrying capacity of your windows. If the carrying capacity is pretty low use smaller pots. You can also reduce the total weight of the container by using lighter material and using a potting mix that is lighter than conventional soil.

Click here to know more about different growing mediums that you can add to your soil to reduce the total weight.

Now, you can also make your own windowsill planters. If you are interested you can check this link here.

How to Place The planters:

The best way is to put the windowsill planter outdoor i.e, outside the window, so they will get more light. You can put them on the windowsills or hang them with the help of chains or straps. Also, add brackets with your window to make space for the window box planters.

If you have problems with the opening of the window you can also place a windowsill planter box indoors near the sunny window.

Be creative. The planters are not only meant for windowsills, you can use them on balconies, fences, railings, etc. Use your imagination to the fullest.

Potting soil:

While preparing the potting soil, you need to mix compost with the soil. You can also add organic fertilizers in the later stages.

Watering:

Windows generally get a lot of sunlight. So you need to water them frequently (almost every day). Make sure your window box has a drainage hole at the bottom. Add some media like coconut coir which can retain some water.

Fertilizing Your Plants:

Your plants in the window box need constant feeding. As the amount of soil is very limited, you have to fertilize the plant outside regularly. For flowering plants fertilize your plants every 2-3 weeks. Use compost, fish emulsion, kelp, or vermicompost to fertilize the plants.

If you are growing herbs or other vegetables fertilize the plants once or twice each season.

Wind Protection:

Window boxes also face problems with high wind. Make sure the plants don’t get too tall in the box. If you live in a high windy area your watering needs will be more. Moisture tends to dry out quickly if the wind is high. Growing drought-tolerant plants in these situations would be a great idea.

What To Grow In A Window Box Planter?

In most cases, the window box is used to grow flowers. But you can grow a few vegetables also. Some of the best options for growing vegetables are Lettuce, peas, beans, parsley, etc.

Edible Window Box:

If you like growing veggies you can use your window box planters to do that.

Vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, radish, peppers, and tomatoes are ideal for window boxes. You can also grow fruits like strawberries in your window boxes.

You can also grow various herbs in the window boxes. Plants like Thyme, Cilantro, Basil, etc do quite well in those boxes.

You can also eat flowers. Here is a list of some edible flowers that you can grow on the window box planters.

Make sure they are easily accessible for daily maintenance like watering, fertilizing, and harvesting. Vegetable gardens need a lot more maintenance than flower gardens. We discussed growing vegetables in small spaces in detail in this post, see this for more information.

Flower pot Window sill planters:

You can also use these window sill boxes as flower pots. And with the right amount of nutrients, light, and water, you can grow nearly any type of flower in window boxes. Some of the popular flowering plants that you can grow in a window sill box are:

• Angelwing Begonia
• Hoya
• Swedish Ivy
• Wandering Jew
• Purple passion Plant
• Coleus
• Gardenia

Vegetables ideal for Window Box planters:

• Lettuce
• Spinach
• Radish
• Carrots
• Chives
• Bush beans

Herbs that grow well in a window box:

• Oregano
• Basil
• Thyme
• Sage
• Parsley
• Dill
• Marjoram
• Lavender

Cacti and Succulents:

Cacti and succulents are great for window sills. There, they will be less disturbed and will receive lots of sunlight. They also need very little care and minimalistic watering.

Can You Reuse An Old Window Box Planter:

First, take down the old window box and empty its contents. If you want to keep any old plants keep them aside and throw away the rest.

Remove all the soil from the box. The soil has already been worn out. Now, wash the old window box properly so that no remnant of the old soil remains in the box. Old soil can cause pest or disease infections.

Put some stone chips or broken shards of terracotta pots to cover the drainage hole. This will stop the soil from blocking the hole.

Now fill up the window box planter with good quality compost. You can also use some plant-specific soil mix. Now, arrange the plants in the box according to your design. Water the plants thoroughly till it comes out from the drainage hole.

Finally, add some mulch on top of the soil, this will work as dressing. You can use something like grit, gravel, pebbles, or glass beads.

The mulch should not overflow the box. Make sure there is at least a 4 cm gap between the top layer of the mulch and the top of the window box.

Decoration Ideas:

You can add much more glamor to your building by choosing the color schemes or combinations of plants that compliment your building.

Remove any parts of the plant which are dead. They can infect the plant with fungal growth so it is always better to get rid of them.

How to Design A Window Box:

Thriller, Filler, and Spiller techniques:

One of the common ways to fill up a window box planter with plants is to use the thriller, filler, and spiller method.

By ‘Thriller’ we mean a tall plant that gives impact through its color and shape. Plants such as Canna lily, large begonias, Cordyline, Cosmos, Salvia, and Dahlia fall under this criteria.

‘Filler’ are plants that grow at the base of the thriller plants, and hides in the soil. You can choose plants like ageratum, bedding Begonia, Coleus, blue Festuca grass, Gerbera, Gazania, etc as filler plants.

Finally, the ‘Spiller’is a type of plant that blurs the edges of the planting and container. Use plants like Alyssum, trailing Begonia, Bacopa, Calibrachoa, Ivy, trailing Lobelia, Nemesia, Nasturtium, Surfinia Petunia, etc to spill your window box planters.

You will need only a few ‘Thrillers’ and more filler and spiller plants for the system to work.

Window Box Garden Tools:

Window box gardening does not need any specialized tools. A basic trowel and a good set of pruners are all that you need.

You can use scissors in place of pruners to do some basic work like cutting flowers or harvesting some crops but if you are cutting anything thicker than 1/4′′ you will want to invest in an anvil or bypass pruner.

Use a pair of protective gloves while working with plants as some have thorns or can cause irritation to the bare skin.

Things to Consider:

If you live in a rental house or in an apartment-type building, first take permission from the owner or society.

Pick the right balance between the weight and durability of the boxes. Plastic or fiberglass planters are lighter than wood or stoneware, but they are also more prone to damage in the hot sun or freezing temperatures.

Choose the correct size planter for your windows. Ideally, they should fit properly to look good aesthetically. A box that is at least as wide as the window or slightly wider.

The depth of the plant is also very important. A 6-inch (15 cm.) deep box is fine for shallow-rooted plants but for root crops, you need at least 12-inch (30 cm.) deep boxes.

Place your planters at least a few inches below the windowsill, or else rainwater can backsplash dirt onto the window.

Conclusion:

Window box planters are great if you live in residential apartments where you don’t have access to backyard land or terrace, and will give you outdoor growing space.

Although they are made to look good from outside the building, window boxes look good from the inside too. for flats without gardens.

Have fun and enjoy the beauty of growing plants.

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