Little Box Gardens

Box gardens allow anyone with a bit of space and creativity to start a small garden with lots of impact. Taking advantage of the maximum available space is what box gardening is all about. The basic steps include building the box, inserting the soil, picking compatible crops and maintaining the garden as it grows. Ideas to get you started in gardening.

Boxes for box gardens can be purchased at a local landscape supply store if you wish to stick to smallish window boxes. For the more adventurous gardener you can get everything you need from the local home supply store. What size the box will be is your first thing to do. A standard area is 2′ by 2′, this will make reaching areas within the box easy. 3 feet on a side is also doable, but the soil needed goes up exponentially, either way, make sure the box is about a foot deep.

Make the sides from pressure treated lumber or redwood. Redwood is very resistant to rot and doesn’t have chemical, but of course is more expensive. Cut your wood to the right length, use galvanized screws and screw the sides together. Screen that is galvanized will combat rust. Use good soil in your box and make sure the box is nearly level. If you need to do this on a patio, use some heavy plastic on the bottom and staple it into place.

Using a pencil or marker divide your box into 4 or more sections. When you figure out what you want to grow the local landscape supply store can help you pick varieties that grow well together and will do well in your region. Smaller space means less weeding. Tomatoes do particularly well in a box, and if you have room for the vines to spread, so do a number of squashes and pumpkins.

If you are planting multiple boxes consider making one of your little gardens an herb garden. Even in small spaces herbs will thrive and give you flavor all season long. Herbs grown in the summer can be frozen and used all year long. Another good choice is to plant a bunch of complimentary flowers in one box. You can choose colors that coordinate or select flowers that will bloom at different times of the summer providing you with color all season long. If you time things correctly you can put plants very near one another, because they won’t be blooming at the same time. Again, this is a good time to make use of that local landscaping supplier to ensure picking the right combination of plants.

For lots of summer fun, you will find box gardening delievers. Inexpensive and pretty are two greeat words when thinking about box gardens.