How to Grow a Windowsill Garden?

Are you interested in gardening during the winter months? Are you thinking about enhancing your room’s look by adding some wonderful plants to the windowsill? No matter what you are looking for, windowsill gardens is an amazing way to spruce up the ambiance of your house and feel good. 

In this guide we have discussed what windowsill gardens are, how can a person grow them, and the things they must remember during the process. So, without delaying any further, let’s get started! 

What Is a Windowsill Garden?

As the name suggests, it’s a small garden that’s grown and nurtured on a windowsill. Windowsill gardens can be indoors or hanging outside our house, of course underneath a shade. Windowsill gardens are gaining increasing popularity among homeowners mainly because they are a great way to save space for people who don’t have enough space in their backyard. These types of small gardens are most appropriate for people who live in small apartments. 

What Do You Need for a Windowsill Garden?

Growing a windowsill garden requires certain things. Below mentioned are some of the important ones:

• Sunlight: The windowsill you choose to grow plants must receive continuous sunlight for about 5 hours every day. This is essential to let plants that require more sunlight grow fast. 

• Containers: Needless to say, people need to buy containers to grow plants. You must choose containers that are appropriate for the space you have. You can place any kind of container, be it a wooden box or clay pot. All you have to ensure that is they have drainage holes. 

• Maintenance: Besides watering the plants regularly, from time to time, you also have to maintain them. Maintenance includes regular pruning or harvesting of your plants. This will prevent the plants growing from getting overcrowded. 

Which Plants Work Best for a Windowsill Garden?

People can grow different varieties of plants in containers on their windowsills. Below enlisted are some varieties that you can grow in your house. 

• Herbs: People mostly grow herbs when it comes to windowsill gardening. This is so because herbs require extremely little space. When you cultivate fresh herbs on your windowsill, you can enjoy fresh herbs for cooking. That’s why experts recommend people to grow herbs in the kitchen windowsill only. 

Different herbs have different water requirements. Hence, while planting them, group the herbs as per their water needs, plant parsley, cilantro, and basil together because they require moist soil throughout. On the other hand, thyme, chives, rosemary, sage, and oregano must be planted separately because they prefer to grow in dry soils. Tarragon and mint have wild roots and can intervene with the growth of other herbs. Hence plant them away from the other herbs.   

• Allium-family crops: There are several alliums like garlic and onions that require minimal soil and space for their growth. Hence, they can be counted as great indoor plants. You have to keep on planting new garlic or green onion plants because they will provide you with just one bulb. Green onions can even be grown without soil in a big jar of water. 

• Leafy greens: If you live in an area that receives less sunlight, consider growing leafy vegetables because they can grow fine with just three hours of sunlight in a day. One of the best examples of such leafy vegetables is lettuce. Next comes spinach. These vegetables don’t have any proper root system. So, they can be planted in any shallow container.

• Microgreens: You must be wondering what microgreens are. Well, these are minute seedling herbs and vegetables that several gardeners prefer to grow indoors. As the same suggests, these are microgreen plants, which means they consume extremely little space and can be grown close together to maximise crop growth in a small area. 

• Legumes: You can also grow legumes like peas and beans as they require extremely little maintenance. They also don’t require enough space for their cultivation. However, for growing windowsill crops, choose bush bean varieties than pole beans as the latter grows in compact bush form. You need to tie a wire to grow them. 

• Small root vegetables: You can also consider growing small leafy vegetables like carrots and radishes. Though they require a little bit more space, you would be getting two edible crops: the leafy greens, which can be added to salads and other dishes, and the roots. 

• Succulents: Succulents are becoming a popular choice for houseplants among homeowners. They too demand extremely low maintenance. However, they prefer consistent temperatures throughout, mostly warm. A wide variety of succulents are available in today’s market. You can pick any one of your choices and nurture them in your windowsill garden! Just make sure to not overwater the plants. 

• Flowers: If you want to enhance the aesthetics of your room, you can plant aromatic flowers in your windowsill garden. There are a variety of flowers that can thrive well in a sunny windowsill; some of them are daffodils, hyacinths, African violets, cyclamens, and geraniums. 

• Tomatoes: Tomatoes are extremely fast-growing and require very little care. Most homeowners plant tomatoes, for two reasons. They get an edible vegetable that can be cooked at home. Also, one doesn’t have to spend too much time after them. Tomatoes are one of the most rewarding crops. If you are intending to grow tomatoes in a windowsill garden indoors, choose drawf varieties. Also, ask for a cage or trellis from the seller so that you can grow them on. Remember that tomatoes require enough sunlight, for at least 5 hours a day. So, if your windowsill doesn’t get enough sunlight planting tomatoes wouldn’t be a good idea. 

How to Start a Windowsill Garden? 

Are you eager to invest your time in windowsill gardening? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to begin with indoor gardening. 

• Plan out your space

Windowsills offer limited space to people. So, people must plan how they are going to utilise the space. Deciding on the plants that you are willing to nurture is important. Research what type of plants can be grown together in one container. 

You also have to select the appropriate windowsill that gets about 5 hours of sunlight per day. People often choose a south-facing windowsill as they are likely to receive maximum sunlight in the daytime, allowing your plants to be healthy and happy. 

• Select your containers

You can choose any type of container of any size as per your choice and convenience. There are no hard and fast rules you have to follow. You can choose a long window box or cotta planter pots or wooden boxes, etc. Whatever container you choose, you must ensure that it allows complete drainage of water. Most plants don’t grow well in constantly soaked roots. 

• Choose your soil

Needless to say, the most important factor that affects plant growth is soil quality. Different types of plants require different types of soil. So, make sure you are planting crops in the ideal soil type. Usually, potting soil or garden soil is preferred to grow crops indoors. Whichever soil you choose, make sure it’s fertile and that there’s a lot of organic matter in the soil. 

• Plant your seeds or seedlings

First, you must decide whether you want to grow plants from small seedlings or seeds. Plants like microgreens, leafy greens, cilantro, legumes, etc. Yield the best results when grown from seeds. Other plants like alliums, tomatoes, succulents, etc., will grow best when grown from seedlings or cuttings. While planting the seedlings, make sure to place them at a proper distracted so that plants get enough room to thrive. 

• Water the plants 

After planting the crops properly, make sure you water them as per their water needs. Keep the soil moist accordingly. 

Things to remember while growing indoor windowsill gardens 

Growing windowsill crops is easy. Keeping the following tips in mind would make the process even easier:

• Choose a sunny spot

Experts advise people to choose a spot that receives direct sunlight for a continuous 4 to 5 hours. Now, different plants require different climatic conditions. Make sure they are getting the minimum amount of sunlight for thriving. 

• Plant the herbs you cook with most often

Choose to grow plants that are also useful in your kitchen. Plants like oregano, basil, rosemary, mint, etc., are mostly consumed by ordinary men. Hence you can grow them at your house and cook delicious vegetables with home-grown crops! 

• Give them space

Plants don’t thrive in crowded environments. Give space to its roots to grow. You can even repot the plants in another container after every 6 to 12 months. 

• Put some herbs in solitary confinement

Some herbs like coriander and mint shouldn’t be grown with other plants. These plants tend to grow faster and occupy the rest of the space, overshadowing the other crops. Hence, you must plant them separately so that they cannot intervene with the growth of other crops. 

• Don’t forget to add fertilizers 

To retain the fertility of the soil, add little amount of fertilizers regularly. 

Conclusion

A windowsill garden keeps the room fresh and gives a nice ambiance to it. Not to forget, it fills your room with fragrance and aroma. Growing windowsill crops is an extremely enjoyable process. You don’t have to spend all day, taking care of your crops. So, what are you waiting for! Quickly select the crops you would like to plant and experience engaging gardening sessions!