Frugal Friday

Time for another Frugal Friday tip.  I have talked a lot about raised bed and container gardens.  But there is one other way to grow a few veggies or some flowers.  Window boxes.  Window boxes are a great way to grow cherry tomatoes, lettuces and other small or mini varieties of vegetables. They are also perfect for flowers and ivy and add a charm to your home that not much else can.   They are  also excellent for making an herb garden.  What could be better than the smell of mint or basil or rosemary wafting through your kitchen window from a window box full of herbs.  Plus your cooking will improve as you will be able to just walk outside and snip fresh herbs to add to your dishes.

Window boxes are very easy to make and you can use scrap wood you have laying around or can find cheaply.  Old fence boards, plywood and other things like dresser drawers, can all be used to make window boxes.  They can be as plain or as fancy as you like.  Add trim or appliques for a shabby chic look or leave them plain for a more rustic approach.  You can even buy them pre-made and just hang them.  There are as many styles as there are budgets. Let your imagination run wild and just remember to design them so that they will co-ordinate with your home’s décor.   Here are a few examples:

This example is from the blog My Shabby Streamside Studio and was made from scrap wood.  An applique was added and then the whole thing was painted shabby chic white.  Plastic window boxes tucked down inside the wooden box,  hold a variety of plants and can be changed out from season to season.

Here is an example of a rustic wooden window box that was hung on brackets.

Adorable cottage style window boxes on a shed give it charm.

How’s this for creativity?  Old dresser drawers make perfect window boxes!

I am sure if you do a quick search online, you can come up with many more ideas, especially on sites like Pinterest.  So why not go out and rummage around  in your garage or at the local thrift store and see what scrap wood you can come up with to   create some lovely and useful window boxes for your cabin, cottage or castle and then get planting!