Hi, this is Linda. It would not allow me to send you a message without requesting "friend" status, first. Sorry about that, so I am just posting here. I don't spend much time on this website, so I am NOT all that familiar with how some things work...
I have used regular window boxes, and I have used regular black plastic FLATS. The flats are much shallower, but nowhere near as strong either. So, with the flats you need to use a potting soil to keep it light enough in weight for the rather flimsy plastic to support it. I have gotten some "boot draining trays" at Dollar Tree, and put a flat I am going to plant on a boot tray. If you go to Honk's on a Tuesday (88 cent day, instead of a dollar) lately, they have organic potting mix that says tulips (or something like that on it on that bag). Any potting soil mix will work I think. If your plants start to look anemic (pale), you can add a fertilizer, or water with cooled vegetable cooking water or diluted urine (1:10 dilution or thereabouts, no kidding, it will be sterile if there is not a UTI in the "donor"). A window box gives the plants more root-room, and you could add in some real soil to the mix, it will add in earthworms and bacteria and on and on...
The thing is that actual soil adds in the potential for diseases that are soil-born, too. Still, you will get added minerals with REAL soil. It will be much heavier to carry around than potting soil though!
Spinach and lettuces do really well this way. I also grow them outdoors, too!
It is not that big of a deal. Just look at the plants, if they look like they need more nutrients, give them a little feeding. It is not very expensive to grow greens indoors.
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Hi, this is Linda. It would not allow me to send you a message without requesting "friend" status, first. Sorry about that, so I am just posting here. I don't spend much time on this website, so I am NOT all that familiar with how some things work...
I have used regular window boxes, and I have used regular black plastic FLATS. The flats are much shallower, but nowhere near as strong either. So, with the flats you need to use a potting soil to keep it light enough in weight for the rather flimsy plastic to support it. I have gotten some "boot draining trays" at Dollar Tree, and put a flat I am going to plant on a boot tray. If you go to Honk's on a Tuesday (88 cent day, instead of a dollar) lately, they have organic potting mix that says tulips (or something like that on it on that bag). Any potting soil mix will work I think. If your plants start to look anemic (pale), you can add a fertilizer, or water with cooled vegetable cooking water or diluted urine (1:10 dilution or thereabouts, no kidding, it will be sterile if there is not a UTI in the "donor"). A window box gives the plants more root-room, and you could add in some real soil to the mix, it will add in earthworms and bacteria and on and on...
The thing is that actual soil adds in the potential for diseases that are soil-born, too. Still, you will get added minerals with REAL soil. It will be much heavier to carry around than potting soil though!
Spinach and lettuces do really well this way. I also grow them outdoors, too!
It is not that big of a deal. Just look at the plants, if they look like they need more nutrients, give them a little feeding. It is not very expensive to grow greens indoors.