Starter Guide for Box Gardens
Box gardens, also known as container gardens, are a fantastic way for us gardeners to grow flowers, herbs, vegetables, and other plants in a small space. By using boxes and containers instead of planting directly in the ground, box gardens give us greater flexibility in garden design while still letting us reap bountiful harvests.
Box gardens are the perfect solution for us beginners with limited yard space or poor soil quality. They allow us to control soil, drainage, and placement more easily compared to traditional in-ground gardening. We can also move our box gardens around as needed to capture the sun or create an eye-catching arrangement.
Choosing a Good Container
The containers we use for our box gardens are an important consideration, as they determine the garden's size and drainage capabilities. While specialized gardening boxes made of wood, plastic, or metal work very well, we can also repurpose materials like barrels, buckets, or even bathtubs for inventive garden planters!
Common Box Garden Materials
- Wood - Attractive, durable, and renewable. Cedar and redwood resist decay.
- Plastic - Affordable, lightweight, and easily available. Can fade over time.
- Metal - Strong, long-lasting, and deer/rodent resistant. Can heat up rapidly.
- Ceramic - Beautiful natural appearance with porosity for air flow. Heavy and prone to cracking.
Size Considerations
We want to select containers suitable for the mature size of our chosen plants. For example, tomatoes need boxes at least 15-24 inches wide and deep to accommodate their spreading roots and vines. Meanwhile, a 12-inch box works well for leafy greens and herbs.
Bigger boxes allow for more plantings but smaller boxes give us flexibility to move plants around. Having a mix of container sizes also lets us get creative with multi-level designs!
Drainage Holes
Proper drainage prevents waterlogging and disease. All of our box gardens need drainage holes at the base, with additional holes partway up the sides for improved drainage. We can drill extra holes in existing containers or use gravel, wood chips, or foam "feet" inside to boost drainage if needed.
Soil Mixes
The right soil mix keeps our plants happy and healthy in their box garden environment. Commercial potting mixes are widely available. Or we can blend our own custom mix matched to our plants' preferences!
Commercial Potting Mixes
We can easily purchase premixed potting soil from garden stores for convenience. These are lightweight, porous blends containing ingredients like peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, coconut coir, compost, and fertilizer.
DIY Soil Mixes
- peat or coconut coir - moisture retention
- compost - nutrients and organic matter
- perlite or vermiculite - aeration and drainage
- sand or gravel - density and weight
When blending our own mix, we want to get the right balance of drainage, water retention, and nutrients tailored to what our vegetable gardeners, flowers, and herbs need.
Plant Selection
With the world of plants at our fingertips, deciding what to grow in our box garden can be fun and overwhelming. Do some research into which edibles, blooms, and botanicals suit container growth in your climate.
Consider Sunlight Needs
Make the most of available sunlight by choosing appropriately: full sun lovers like cucumbers and zinnias, cool weather greens that thrive in partial shade, and shade tolerant picks like begonias and lettuces.
Pay Attention to Mature Size
Consider the fully grown width and height of plants when planning our box gardens. We want sufficient room for root development without overcrowding that invites disease and pests later on.
Companion Plants Help Each Other
Some plants form symbiotic relationships that deter pests, enhance flavor, or aid growth when paired together in garden boxes. For example, pairing aromatic herbs like basil and oregano with tomatoes boosts their growth and flavor!
Care and Maintenance
A healthy box garden starts with soil but relies on regular care and maintenance. Set up good care habits early, like consistent watering, strategically timed fertilizing, watching for pest or disease problems, and seasonal attention.
Water Well and Often
Since container soil dries out faster than ground soil, check box gardens daily for moisture needs. About 1-2 inches of water each week keeps most vegetable gardeners and ornamentals hydrated.
Fertilize Lightly According to Type
Work gentle organic fertilizers like compost, manure tea, or all-purpose mixes into the container soil before planting and every 2-4 weeks thereafter. Follow label instructions carefully.
Practice Preventive Pest Measures
Nip bugs and diseases in the bud! Weed frequently, use row covers to deter pests, introduce beneficial insects, practice crop rotation between boxes, and remove diseased plant matter right away.
Protect Plants in Winter
Insulate box garden roots from hard freezes by moving containers together in a sheltered spot and cover loosely with mulch. Or, bring containers into an unheated garage or greenhouse if possible.
Designing Box Gardens
Beyond productive capacity, box gardens offer endless creativity in design elements like color, textures, themes, shapes, vertical accents, ornamental add-ins, edging, and more to delight our senses.
Plan Out Plant Placement
A good garden composition considers heights, spread, and blooming times of plants as well as complementary colors and groupings. Sketch ideas before purchasing plants as a guide.
Incorporate Theme Gardens
Construct a mosaic fairy garden, sophisticated Zen retreat, or pasta sauce herb garden inside our planter boxes. Thematic gardens are fun excuses to narrow our plant choices!
Include Decor Extras
Personalize box gardens with found objects, stakes, sculptures, wind chimes, border stones or bricks, water features, miniature fences, pathways between containers using pebbles or wood chips, and yard art.
Troubleshooting Box Garden Problems
Even experienced gardeners deal with pesky problems sometimes. Identify the issue early and attempt organic solutions before chemical interventions.
Diagnosing Common Problems
- Drooping plants - Underwatering, overwatering, disease, or nutrient deficiency
- Holes in leaves - Chewing insects such as caterpillars or slugs
- Spotted leaves - Fungal disease or blight
- Stunted plants - Improper sunlight, poor nutrition, or incorrect pH
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overwatering leading to root rot
- Using unsterilized potting mix containing diseases or pests
- Crowding too many plants into a small space
- Not providing adequate drainage and air circulation
Expanding Beyond Starter Box Gardens
Once hooked on the ease and charm of box gardening, many gardeners find creative ways to continue expanding their container gardens over time.
Add More Boxes
Expanding horizontally by introducing additional separate boxes gives us gardening flexibility. We can grow various micro-climates, test new plant varieties, and rotate plant families seasonally to improve harvests.
Build Upwards
Stack smaller boxes or crates atop larger boxes to multiply planting real estate. Or, construct multi-level vertical gardens on structures like walls, balconies, or fences with integrated shelves or cascading flow.
Repurpose Unusual Vessels
Thrift store, garage sale, recycling center...choices are endless for peculiar containers to spawn our creativity. Old dressers, drawers, ladders, colanders, rain gutters, bikes, and more can house happy plants with the right drainage modifications.
We hope these box gardening basics inspire you novice gardeners to confidently dive into container growing. Start small, think creatively, be patient with plants and yourself, and most importantly - have fun!
Additional learning resources abound both online and at the library. Connect locally with other box gardeners to share plant cuttings, troubleshoot issues, or trade garden stories and inspiration.
As your skills progress, don't forget sunflowers, blueberries, eggplants, and roses make excellent additions. Just ensure larger specimens have suitably sized boxes and appreicate acidic soil mixes. Whatever edibles and ornamentals inspire you - go forth and garden happily!