Growing food on your windowsill
No yard? No problem. Plant your victory garden in pots on a windowsill. Choose pots that drain well, offer enough room to grow, and are pleasing to your eye—since you’re the one living with them. Photo source: Lauren Skillen
When I moved to Chicago and decided to stay for a while, one of the first things I did was plant a windowsill-sized victory garden. Looking back, I’ll admit, I might have been a tad overconfident. I’d worked on farms for a few years and thought I knew what it took to grow food. Besides, we’re talking a few tiny crops. How hard could it be?
I jumped right in, planting parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, and thyme. Spoiler alert: They did not fare well. Within a couple of weeks—two weeks!— half my herbs had died.
“Growing food indoors is much harder than growing it outdoors,” Acadia Tucker, a regenerative farmer and victory gardening expert, told me. Indoor plants rely on you for support, unlike outdoor plants, which can dig deep for moisture and get direct sun. But the biggest reasons so many tiny victory gardens fail is because they get too little light and too much water. Many people are guilty of “loving their plants to death,” says Tucker.
Resolving to establish healthy boundaries for tending to my baby plants, I ordered some new ones. Even the brief—and disappointing—relationship I’d had with the first batch had taught me one reason so many people love to garden: Time spent caring for and worrying about my herbs is time I don’t spend worrying about the bigger things in my life. I want more of this.
The victory garden movement, which started in World War I and resurfaced during World War II, served as a call for Americans to produce their own food to strengthen the national food supply, stretch meager war rations, and free up infrastructure to support the troops overseas.
Fast-forward to a springtime unlike any the world of seed suppliers has seen in decades. During the darkest days of the COVID-19 lockdown, people bought so many vegetable seeds that many suppliers simply ran out of them.
As a farmer, Acadia is also struggling to get her hands on her favorite seeds, but she is excited about the resurgence, and thinks the popularity of victory gardening could last this time. She notes the many food system vulnerabilities highlighted by the virus, from our overreliance on cheap meat, to the many tons of vegetables being left to rot in fields, to rampant food shortages. “Maybe this time people will recognize the value of learning to depend more on ourselves for food,” she says.
How to grow food on your windowsill
If you’re like me and have only a windowsill to work with, no worries. If done right, says Tucker, you can get to a point where you’re growing herbs all year long, even harvesting peppers and tomatoes in February.
Make sure you get enough light. This may sound obvious but it’s the number one reason indoor gardens fail, according to Tucker. “Just because you have a sunny windowsill does not mean the plants will get enough sun,” she says. Windows and window treatments, such as blinds, filter out some of the sun's rays and warmth. A window that gets several hours of direct sunlight is the best spot for your plants and certain plants such as tomatoes require more intense light than herbs and leafy greens. A sign your plant babies aren’t getting enough intense light? They stretch towards the sun. To troubleshoot, Tucker suggests either putting your plants outside for a few hours a day or investing in a LED grow light. “But nothing is better than the sun.”
From left to right: Thyme, a pot with a layer of lava rocks ready for a new plant, and a basil plant that died shortly after this photo was taken, due to overwatering. Photo source: Lauren Skillen
Start small. Tucker recommends starting with easy-to-grow plants, like herbs, especially ones that tolerate hot, dry conditions, such as thyme, oregano, rosemary, and sage, because they are forgiving if you forget to water them for a week, or so. She also suggests “compact varieties,” which are suitable for small containers or indoor conditions. If you’re not big on herbs, go for leafy greens like spinach and lettuce, which grow quickly.
After mastering these easier-to-grow varieties, go ahead and grow something more demanding, like tomatoes or peppers. “If you dream too big right off the bat, you’re setting yourself up to be overwhelmed and discouraged,” says Acadia.
Choose the right container. This is easy. “Anything that holds soil is considered a container,” says Tucker. Just make sure it has drainage holes and isn’t flimsy.
I looked online for second-hand vintage pots I could live with. Indoor plants, after all, are kind of like roommates—you’re going to see them every day so it helps to like how they look. I managed to find two color coordinated herb planter sets with drainage trays.
Before buying a pot, research how big your plants will grow. You can save yourself the hassle of transferring plants that have outgrown their pots into bigger ones, by choosing big-enough containers to begin with.
Get to know your local nursery. People who work at nurseries can be an excellent source of information about plants that will do well in your environment. I discovered the same holds true for farmer’s markets, which is where I picked up my herbs.
Grow what you’ll eat. It sounds like common sense, grow what you will use, eat, and enjoy. But it’s easy to get ambitious and idealistic when starting a garden. If you don’t regularly eat salad, don’t plant a bunch of lettuce!
Gather your planting materials. Acadia recommends lining the bottom of pots, even ones with drainage holes, with a shallow layer of rocks to help prevent root rot. This, I did on round two—because I was not going to drown my parsley, cilantro, and basil a second time!
She suggests using an organic potting soil designed for indoor use, which is usually composed of vermiculite and perlite. (Avoid using soil made with peat moss. Peatlands store a third of the world’s soil carbon, and harvesting releases carbon dioxide.) Indoor soil is better than outdoor soil because it’s designed to absorb moisture and resist compaction.
Plant seeds or transplants. Greens that are fast-growing, like arugula, can be planted from seed. Buying transplants gives you a headstart, and a chance to support your local farmers. But the plants can go through transplant shock, or experience stress, when repotted or exposed to a different environment. After bringing home your plant, wait a few days before repotting so it can get acclimated to your space. Mixing some nutrient-dense compost into your potting soil can also help mitigate transplant shock.
Water, but not too much. When it comes to watering plants in containers, Tucker swears by what she calls the “two knuckle rule.” Insert your finger into a pot past your second knuckle and if the soil feels dry, it’s time to water. Let the soil dry out almost completely before watering it again. For an over-waterer like myself, Acadia advises resting a few ice cubes on top of your soil so they can melt—slowly.
Lauren Skillen is a News Fellow based in Chicago, IL.