Monday, March 7, 2011

Quick and easy Window Shelves to grow plants.




Sue from http://suesgardenjournal.blogspot.com/ gave me the idea about this post. For sometime I have been trying to utilize every piece of useful space to grow veggies in my sun room. With a little creativity I came up with this workable design that can be added to any window.  .
This is how I did it. I cut two 2x4s approx the length of the window. Most windows are framed and it should be easy to anchor them right next to the windows with screws. When that was done I installed my brackets. The ones that are shown, I bought from Ikea you can pick them up here for $2 a pack. So I bought 3 packs for what I wanted to do.
After installing the brackets to the 2x4s, I added the wooden shelves. The shelves are 1 foot wide and 4 feet long. I purchased each plank for $7 at lowes. They are not anchored in although they could be. Since I use them for plants I sprayed the top portion with a protective base of paint to repel water. These shelves have absolutely been great and I am currently using them to germinate seeds through the window. Each shelf costs approximately $10 to make. Just a simple design for some practical work

5 comments:

Sue said...

Thanks ATW!!
Now hopefully this won't be a summer-long project like picking up a straw bale! LOL!!

:D

This look inexpensive and EASY to make.I appreciate the post!

ATW said...

sue- Your welcome!! I stared at those windows for three years before I did anything. Then one day I had a wire hair up my boat and got to work.LOL!! Goodluck!

The Simple Garden said...

Those shelves look great! What kind of trays are those in the window? When you transplant, or want a change, you can try The Simple Garden to put on those shelves. They would look great!

www.thesimplegarden.com

Hazel said...

My laundry window is in for a facelift in time for next spring here! Wooo Hooo. Thanks for the idea.

ATW said...

Hazel- your welcome.Only one word of caution depending on where you get your sunlight, the window tends to intensify the heat. But if the soil is kept oist the plants will thrive. During warm days the soil will dry quickly, however during winter months any of your plants that you may want to overwinter, like tomatoes, eggplants and peppers will do great. Good Luck!!