Window Sill Gardening

I love to grow plants of all types. I live in the South and Southerners are ingrained with the desire to plant, plant, plant. :)

Even during winter the obsession must be fed! One way to do this is by starting a Window Sill Garden.

If you have kids, this is a great winter project to keep them from going stir crazy indoors. Just pick a window that gets plenty of sunlight, choose which seeds you want to grow and start your garden with a few simple steps:

In this example I use Lima beans -

First, I fold a paper towel so that it fits snuggly into a zip lock sandwich bag. Next, drop in a few beans, making sure they all lay at the bottom of the bag in a single row one side of the paper towel. It's important that the seeds are only on one side of the paper towel.
Add about a quarter cup of tap or spring water. Close the bag and lean it against the window pane with the seeds where you can see them.
The paper towel will let just enough light filter in for photosynthesis but will shield the seeds from direct light that may harm them.

The warmth of the sun even on a cold day will stimulate growth. After a few weeks you should see the seeds split open as they slowly break through their seed coat. The seed coat is a protective cover or skin around most types of seeds.

Over the next couple of days the roots will appear. They naturally reach down into the water and will also grow into or grab the paper towel to stabilize themselves.

Next, a stem will protrude, stretch towards the light and present a bundle of new leaves that uncurl and reach for the light as well. A new plant has been born!

At this point, caring for your seedling is critical. You don't want to let your seeds dry out. This is not a major danger since the bag remains sealed and the moisture is regenerated over and over but it could happen.
But, since your seeds are constantly in water, they are susceptible to "root-rot" which is indicated by murky water fuzzy growths on the roots of the plants.

Note that the water will naturally get a little cloudy, especially with the decaying seed coats still present but you need to watch for mold-like or black spots anywhere inside the bag. If you see these you need to carefully change the water and discard the seed coats. Otherwise, leave the bag closed and the seed coats in place. As long as there is no root-rot, the coats will continue to decay and release nutrients for your seedings to feed on.

Finally, some plants are content in your window for their entire life cycle while others may need to be transplanted to a pot or the ground later on.
As for Lima beans, you can let the stems grow until they reach the seal of the bag. I would then transplant them into little pots of good soil and continue to let them stay warm in your window sill. In the Spring you can plant them in the ground and expect to soon reap a small harvest!

In my window sill Garden I have grown tomatoes, herbs, flowers, bamboo and even bonsai trees. The possibilities are just about endless and so is the enjoyment.