I’m loving the newest addition to our indoor gardens: windowsill succulents. On an innocent trip to Lowe’s to look at self-watering pots, we were distracted by a cute little potted arrangement of four succulents. Then D, ever the green-thumb, said, “We can do this better – let’s plant them ourselves.” We knew the succulents would be great in our rather-wide windowsills, and when we couldn’t find a suitable planter, we had just the solution: our shipping pallets.
We also happen to have a bunch of shipping pallets lying around for a DIY table project. The already-sanded wood we’ve harvested from the pallets made the perfect containers for our windowsill garden.
Once the boxes were built, D lined them with plastic (cut from a potting soil bag) and filled them with a mixture of potting soil and perlite.
Once the succulents were settled, we trimmed the edges of the plastic just below the soil line and gave the plants a good soaking via spray bottle.
We built three boxes, one for each window in the bedroom. D had yet another idea: locally harvested rocks to top the soil. So we trekked into the woods, and we (and by we I mean he) gathered pebbles from a little creek. The pebbles were just the right finishing touch.
I love it! Good job y’all!
Have you had any problems with drainage? Don’t the succulents need to drain so they don’t rot?
That’s a great question. Ours isn’t a perfect system. We don’t water them often, since they require so little water, but every now and then we take them outside and give them a good soaking. There are small holes in that plastic liner, as well as cracks in the wood, that allow the excess water to drain off.
cool…. both of you
cute window dressing…..kudos to both of you
I LOVE the window sill succulent garden!
so so so cute! Thanks for the idea!
how big should the box be – width?
Wonderful idea , thank you so much. I am looking for new areas to put more indoor plants, I am so excited to do this :)!!!
Do succulents attract nats or bugs like other plants?
Felicitaciones! Muy buena creación, me gustó muchísimo, lo imitaré.
It’s really an amazing idea !
I’m so in love with this!
Ahhhhh 5 years after your article (2017), I’m renting while looking for a retirement house.
Which means no garden. Pots or plants. That just won’t do!!
A trip to Lowes brings a flat of sedum, cedar fence boards , and bag of soil . A 6 foot board will fit in my small car while a pallet won’t. At $2.75 cheap too.
Two cuts with a saw and screws equal a 24 inch cedar planter. OK toss in scraps for the ends.
In goes the soil and sedum equals in or outdoor planter. That will last for awhile.
Or subtract the screws and transplant into the new garden.
Closing on the new house is a month away. My rental 12 x 12 patio is edge to edge with plants. Alright a couple of boards and ….well the new place does come with an acre…what eles am I to do with all of the plants ?!
kinda annoyed with how easy this looks. 🙂