Feb 12in GENERAL
Trendy Planter Boxes are in!
Even though we may be in the heart of winter, keep this article about an awesome spring project in your tool belt of cool ideas for the upcoming seasons!
Growing your own produce has become very popular in recent years due to the charm of the garden and the vegetables/fruits that result. The planter box is perfect for any urban or suburban home! You can have just a few, or a whole yard full to take part in this great trendy garden! Planter boxes would make a great addition to any Sea Pac Homes community for a comforting and natural view for the whole neighborhood. Having a contained plant instead of one rooted in the ground allows you to better tailor the soil needs of the plants. For example, root vegetables like carrots can produce a much healthier crop when planted in a loose, sandy soil. Tomatoes need more organic matter than most, and acidic loamy soil with good drainage to grow healthy, delicious fruits. The amount and type of soil needed for particular plants can be easily tailored when they are in separate planter boxes.
Plants with different watering needs will thrive in separate boxes, especially with the changing seasons. Homes in Snohomish County, WA have an upper hand for planting lush gardens year round. Having separate space for the different species allows you to cover them if needed in the hot sun or when the cold winter snow comes in.
Here is an easy explanation of how to construct a planter:
- Use two 1 x 8-inch cedar boards that won’t rot with age
- They are available in 8-foot lengths, and cut in half it’s the perfect size for a 4 x 4-foot bed (this can be done yourself, or at a home improvement store).
- Using a 3-foot length of a 1 x 1-inch pine stake, cut it into four pieces and nail them into the corners of the cedar boards to brace it.
- You can use concrete construction blocks and soil to plant herbs or strawberries for a cheap method to building raised beds.
- The gathered heat from concrete is ideal for herbs such as rosemary and lavender; strawberries thrive and produce fruit quickly in the holes
- Every block is about 16 in long by 8 in high
- Beds of 13 ft or longer are built much cheaper with blocks than with cedar
And a simple Starter Soil recipe, customizable to fit the area and the type of plant grown:
- For one 4×4 foot raised bed
- 2 bags (2-cubic-feet each) top soil
- 1 pail (3-cubic-feet) of peat moss
- 1 bag (2 to 3-cubic-feet) of compost or composted cow manure
- A 2-inch layer of shredded leaves or grass clippings
If the planter-box gardens are grown well, it could make a decent decrease on your average grocery bill. They could be a lovely edition to the back backyard of your new Sea Pac Home. Some seasonal fruits that aren’t easily found in stores could be grown in small, compact planter boxes indoors for delicious fruit all year round!