In the last few months, maybe you’ve gotten into gardening in a big way. Perhaps you’ve always enjoyed it. But how are you gardening? Do you have a big backyard you’ve turned into garden space? Have you co-opted your flower beds for tomato plants (if your homeowner’s association even allows it)? Planter boxes are a new gardening trend that can solve your gardening woes!
The Benefits Of Planter Boxes
In the intro, we’ve already discussed a few of the problems you may run into with traditional garden setups, especially depending on where you live. But the great thing is that planter boxes can help you to combat some of these common woes–maybe even in ways you haven’t thought about!
Location, Location, Location
Space is at a premium in many places. You may live in an apartment or townhouse and have little to no access to outdoor space. You may have a pool or patio that eats up your backyard. But a planter box can help with that! A planter box doesn’t need to be somewhere with a soil base. You can put planter boxes on your front stoop, on a deck, on a balcony, or even stacked on top of each other. Sometimes, people choose to wall mount planters. There’s also no reason, providing you have an area with enough sunlight, that you couldn’t bring them indoors! Although, perhaps consider putting a plastic mat down under your planter box, in order to catch loose dirt. (1)
Conditioning
With a planter box, you’re creating the atmosphere for your harvest to grow. With traditional gardening, you’re hostage to the conditions of your region. The soil in your garden, the amount of sun your plot receives at certain times, and other factors will dictate the type of fruits, vegetables, or flowers that can flourish. But with a planter box, the soil is only limited by what you can buy. Similarly, a box is much more portable than a plot of earth. You can move your crops to an area with better sun or shade, depending on what is needed. All this opens up a world of possibilities! (1)
The DIY Door Box
On Etsy right now, you can get a DIY potato planter box plan for about $6.50. The box measures about 28” long, 24” high, and 24” wide. With nine pages of pdf instructions that can be easily printed on any standard printer, this project has a difficulty rating of “beginner”. According to the designer, the materials to make your planter cost only about $35. It’s a great project that you can put together quickly. (2)
What’s The Function Of The Door?
Potatoes are plants where the tuber–the part you eat–is subterranean. There are flowers, stems, and leaves to a potato plant, which do all grow above the surface, but those aren’t the parts of the potato plant you’re after. The door of the planter, then, allows you to get at the tubers a little easier. All you need to do is open up the door and reach inside. (3)
