Patio Garden

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. It is as easy as, building the box,adding soil, planting seeds and tending to your crop. Here are a couple of tips to get your garden started.

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. First determine the size you wish your boxes to be. 2 feet by 2 feet is pretty standard and you will be able to reach all areas within the box easily. 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.

Choose either redwood or treated lumber for the sides of your boxes. 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. Galvanized screws will resist 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. Flowers as well as food plants do well in box gardens and the smaller space means less weeding. Tomatoes thrive in boxes and sun.

If you have time for more then one boxes, consider a box just for herbs. Even in small spaces herbs will thrive and give you flavor all season long. Freeze your herbs for a taste of summer 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.

Box gardening is simple, low maintenance and fun. The perfect way to use small spaces or an ideal way to encourage young children to come out into the garden, box gardens are versatile, relatively inexpensive and pretty.