A Small Window Garden

Angie and I have a desire to be small-scale farmers. We want to grow most of our own food. Unfortunately, we live in an apartment with limited space, so we had to start small.

About 6 weeks ago, we planted our first herbs in a window box. We bought the entire kit (minus soil) from Marc's for less than $5. We added soil for around $2.

That's right, we got everything we needed for less than $7 and soon we'll not have to buy sage, dill, oregano, parsley, sweet basil or chives.

The sweet basil in our window herb garden

Well, we may have to buy oregano; I can't get it to grow!

With the exception of the oregano, it's been simple. I can't believe I haven't always grown my own herbs. The only requirement is a window and all of my previous apartments have had those!

We were so successful that today I planted more. I planted peppers, cilantro, italian parsley and tomatoes. I planted in cans with a layer of rocks below the soil to assist in draining. We had tons of leftover soil from before, so the only cost to me was the rocks and the seeds - less that $5!

Make your own:

• Select the cans you want to use and clean them thoroughly. I used small tomato sauce cans, but you can use whatever you have.
  
• Use a screwdriver and a hammer to punch 5 or so small holes in the bottom of the can. This will allow water to drain out and reduce your chances for mold to grow in the soil.
  
• Use small rocks to form a layer of about 1/2 inch on the bottom of the can. I used aquarium gravel because it was easy to find and cheap.
  
• Fill the can with soil and water.
  
• Plant the seeds following the package instructions.
  
• Place the cans in a container or on a plate. We made holes for drainage, so water WILL drain out!

Today's new plants