Grow something different: create your own window farm!

Create your own window farm and grow something different! A window farm is a 'vertical garden' which you hang in front of your window. Let us answer the following questions:

• Why should you create a window farm?
• What will you need for your own window farm?
• How to prepare a window farm?
• How to plant seedlings?
• What to grow in front of your window?

Why create a window farm

Create a Window Farm to grow something different. If you want to grow your own vegetables but have little space, or even to try something completely new to usual, a window farm is a great way to maximise space and be creative. They are a way to maximise natural light from your windows and watch your plants grow right before your eyes all year round. Not only that but they can be made mostly from recycled materials.

What you will need

You will need one empty plastic bottle per plant that you want to grow. The bottle size depends on how big you want your window farm to be, but you could use a tonic water bottle or a squash bottle. You will need to cut the bottoms off the bottles before you can use them to create your own window farm and grow something different.

How to prepare

Tip the bottle upside down and fill with pebbles, preferably clay fired pebbles or another growing medium of your choice. Make sure they are big enough not to fall through the open top of the bottom (which will be faced downwards). If they do, use some material in the neck of the bottle which can be removed when you are all set up. These will act as though they are soil, allowing the roots to grow and water to be absorbed. You can also use soil if you would prefer.

How to plant seedlings

Pop your young seedling into the bottle plus some more pebbles or growing medium to hold it in place and repeat as many times as you have bottles. A mist spray is often a great way to water the seedlings and provide the moisture needed for them to grow but most window farms have a system of pumps that reuse water all of the time keeping the roots of the plant in each bottle moist. The water needs to have plant nutrients in to ensure they are receiving everything needed to grow. You can choose your method and experiment to get it right for you to create your own window farm.

What to grow

Easy plants to grow in window farms are herbs, salads and edible flowers. You can have as few or many bottles as you choose but the more you can fit in, the more you can be harvesting fresh from your very own window farm. Try growing chives, basil, coriander and parsley for your cooking along with cut and come again lettuce leaves, rocket, tomatoes and radish for salads. The garnish your meals with Nasturtiums, Marigolds and even Violas. Not only that but your window will look very pretty! Why not come to see what we have to help you grow your own.