In summer your window boxes add an area of vibrant colours to the exterior of your house, however as winter draws closer and those flowers end for another season why not put your window boxes to some good use and grow winter salad to bring your veg patch to your own back door!
Not only does this put your box to some use but it also stops you having to battle the elements when harvesting your vegetable patch at the bottom of the garden. As the days begin to get colder and wetter, the idea of bagged salad from your local supermarket becomes increasingly attractive. Growing your own from a window box enables you to have your cake (or lettuce in this case) as it were and eat it too!
Not only is your own produce cheaper it is also 100% tastier and surprisingly easy to grow.
Because this time of year is wet once you have sown the lettuce seeds, the good old British weather does all of the work for you – watering your crops on a regular basis so all you need to do is harvest.
How to sow
Ensure that your window box has good drainage.
Once every six weeks sow a handful of seeds into your box.
Cover the box with cling film to enclose the moisture and ensure that your box is placed on a sunny window sill.
When to harvest
Allow each plant to reach about 4 inches before you start to cut.
Begin at one end of the box as by the time you have reached the other end new fresh leaves will have grown at your starting point. This should allow you to gain five or six good cuttings from the same stock.
What you can grow
Cress
Mustard leaves – Red frills, Red giant, Golden streaks
Chicory
Zuccherina di Trieste
Mixed salad leaves
Parsley
Bay
Rosemary
Check out our range of garden planters and raised vegetable planters in my store.
Good luck,
Gardener Jack
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