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Want to Seed Start But Have No Space? This DIY Seed Starting Rack for Your Window is the Answer!

January 10, 2020

Do you dream of a huge set of seed starting shelves filled to the brim with plants under multiple sets of grow lights? You could save money, start your own seeds, and stick it to Old Man Winter.

But the reality is, there’s just no space in your small home!! Or you have one decent window to seed start, but there’s barely even a ledge. What do you do now? Resign yourself to a life of expensive starters?

Not you my friend.

You’re going to DIY yourself a seed starting shelf in your window frame. (Or order one from us, more details at the end!)

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you purchase anything I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read more about it in my Privacy Policy. Thanks for supporting Shifting Roots!

Seed Starting Shelves without Grow Lights!?!

Yes, it is possible!

This design fits right into your window frame. All you need is a minimum 1 1/4″ window ledge and a South-facing window. West and East facing windows can work too, but heat loving vegetables will not be as successful.

Grab the listed supplies, set aside an afternoon, and you’ll have your own DIY seed starting rack in your window before you know it!

Step One: Measure the Window

Measure the length and width of the window you plan on installing the shelf in. Make sure that your vertical measurement is straight!!

Materials and Tools

The dimensions in the following list are based on the windows in our house. You will need more or less wood depending on the height and width of your windows.

  • Measuring Tape
  • Drill
  • 3/4″ Drill bit
  • Circular Saw or Hand Saw with a Mitre Box
  • 3/4″ Wooden dowel
  • 1×6 Shelving board
  • 2×2 board
  • Wooden shims
  • Hammer, for tapping the rack in place.
  • Safety glasses
  • 80 Grit Sand paper
  • Optional: Wood Glue

Cut the 2×2 board(s) just short of the height measurement of the window, so you have 2 same-sized pieces.

Determine where you want the shelves to be on the 2×2 pieces, starting from the bottom up. Leave at least 12″ between shelves and the top of the window to allow room for the plants to grow.

Mark the spots on the 2×2, making sure both pieces are marked at the same height.

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Drill 3/4″ holes through the 2×2’s at those marks. (Remember the shelf sits on top of the dowels–adjust your height accordingly.) To avoid tear out, drill partway through on one side until you see the tip of the drill bit. Turn the wood over and drill on the other side.

Cut the dowel into 6 1/4″ pieces, one for each hole. We made six holes for 3 shelves, but you may need more or less, depending on the size of your window.

Cut the shelves to the width you’d like to fit inside your window.

If your window is wider than 3 feet and you’d like the shelves to span the full width of the window, you should build a third support. It is tricky to make the shelf level with a third support, so we don’t recommend going wider than 3 feet if you’re a beginner woodworker.

Sand all edges of the pieces to get rid of any splinters or sharp corners.

Starting your seeds without a grow light? Here’s how to do it.

Assembly Instructions

Fit the dowels into the holes, making them all flush with the back side.

Place wooden shim on top of window. Tap the vertical supports into place with a hammer, wedging the support in place. Tap another wedge in the other side to fully secure it. Repeat the process for the other support.

Place the shelf on top of the dowels.

We have not provided any instructions for securing the shelves or dowels, as the intention with this project is that it is totally removable and folds up into as little space as possible at the end of the growing season. If you have pets or kids who would likely get into shelf, you can secure the dowels with wood glue, and screw the shelves in place.

Finally, add your seed starting containers and enjoy your new shelf!

A quick disclaimer: Please use common sense and do not overload your shelf!! While it’s designed to be as stable as possible, only use light-weight containers for your seedlings. Place plants starting in the centre of each shelf and then at the ends to avoid tipping. (Unless you have chosen to screw your shelves in place.)

There’s another way to start seeds when you have no space and light in your house.. . here’s how.

Wish you could seed start indoors, but don't have room for big shelves or grow lights?  If you have a south or west facing window, this removable DIY seed starting rack is the answer!  Build your own shelves according to your window's dimensions and easily remove the whole thing at the end of Spring!  Perfect for your homemade seed starting trays. #seedstarting #DIY

It’s still too early to start most of my seeds, so all I currently have on it is my peppers, artichokes, a couple of vines I’m propagating, and some of my small succulent planters.

If you’d like to know more about starting seeds from your window, you’ll love this guide.

Then head over to this post about where to buy your seeds online.

Wish you could seed start indoors, but don't have room for big shelves or grow lights?  If you have a south or west facing window, this removable DIY seed starting rack is the answer!  Build your own shelves according to your window's dimensions and easily remove the whole thing at the end of Spring!  Perfect for your homemade seed starting trays. #seedstarting #DIY

So, what do you think? Would you make something like this?

If you’re local to Saskatoon, SK, Canada, the Hermit is taking orders for these seed starting racks. Email [email protected] to get on the list of pre-orders.

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

2 Comments
Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged: DIY, seed starting, small space, small space garden

Create this Relaxing Garden Room Entirely with Container Gardening

December 26, 2019

Do you ever wish you had your own private garden oasis to escape to, but you don’t have a lot of space to work with? Even if you only have a patio or small deck available to you, I can show you how to create your own garden room entirely with container gardening and vertical gardening techniques.

In 2019, I grew this beautiful small space garden on the deck in my backyard. It soon became one of my favourite spots and I loved having my morning coffee out there. Since it was right by the house, it was also very convenient to grab a few herbs or vegetables, or snip a flower or two to make the table pretty.

It took a few tries over the years to get this space just right. Head on over to this post about all the mistakes I made along the way and how you can avoid them.

A quick disclaimer before we get into the post. I garden in zone 3 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, so your results might differ if you live in a different climate.

1. Start with a Colour Palate

You don’t have to have a colour palate, but I like how my my blue pots and accessories contrast against all my orange flowers. If you want to steal the look, you can see my inspiration here.

Next year, I’m going to keep my blue, but try for more pinks and purples flower-wise for more subdued look and see what I like better.

I also think an all-white palate would be beautiful for those who like a more neutral look or spend most of your time outdoors in the evening.

2. Provide Natural Mosquito Protection

Nothing kills the fun of an outdoor garden room than being plagued by mosquitos. That’s why my number one priority every year is to plant at least one pot of citronella or citronella geraniums. That way, when I come to the garden, I can immediately run my hands over the plant and get natural protection for my face and any other exposed parts.

3. Plant a Mix of Herbs, Companion Flowers, and Vegetables

An outdoor garden space should be both practical and beautiful. With a good mix of herbs, flowers, and vegetables, there’s always something to pick once the garden gets established.

This year I planted leafy greens, pole beans, cucumbers, peppers, cherry tomatoes, basil, thyme, sage, rosemary, mint, patio-sized spaghetti squash, onions, marigolds, zinnias, snapdragons, and nasturtiums.

What should you plant? Whatever you actually like to eat, plus a new variety or two to expand your horizons.

4. Choose Small-Scale Varieties When Possible

Over the years I’ve found that it’s important to choose varieties that work better in pots–cherry tomatoes instead of heirloom tomatoes, container-sized squash, and pole beans instead of bush beans. Both heirloom tomatoes and bush beans have worked for me in containers, the yields just haven’t been very good.

Kale grows well in pots, but the way I plant it, it remains miniature sized. I like to put 4 per 14 inch pot, but ideally I should only put one for bigger leaves. If you like baby kale, plant it like I do. If you want bigger leaves, plant only one in the pot.

Most seed catalogues and seed packets will state if a variety is suitable for container gardening. If you see a vegetable packet that says it grows well in pots–snap it up!

I also haven’t had a lot of luck growing successful root vegetables, but I know it can be done and I’m going to keep trying.

Whatever you grow, lead your vining plants like pole beans, squash, and cucumbers up trellises or pallets. I’m fortunate enough to have a trellis already attached to the deck on one side, so I lead my beans up there.

5. Consider Where the Rain Falls. . .Or Not.

One of my biggest mistakes the first time I tried to grow a container vegetable garden like this was putting my plants too close against the house. The rain usually didn’t get the plants that were under the overhang, and they also tended to get hotter during the hottest afternoon sun. This lead to struggling and eventually dead plants as the summer progressed.

This year, I kept everything at least 1 foot/30 centimetres away from the house and my plants did much better.

6. Water Daily

Okay, so you might not have to water daily all the time. However, container gardens usually require a more diligent watering schedule that regular in-the-ground gardens. You can combat the need for constant watering by surrounding your plants with mulch, but during the hottest days you might need to water your plants in both the morning and evenings.

This year, I actually had the opposite problem, in which it rained so hard for so many days that any of my pots without a drainage hole were completely saturated and had standing water in them. I had never experienced this before, as the Canadian Prairies tend to be more prone to drought.

Next summer I’ll remedy my pots. However, I was forced to take as much of the standing water away and I didn’t need to water my pots for over two weeks.

P.S. Speaking of pots, if you like my blue pots in the pictures, here’s how I decorated them and step-by-step directions so you can get the look.

7. Use Started Plants

Can you grow vegetables, flowers, and herbs directly from seed in a pot? Sure. But in my experience, they take forever to grow and my birds end up eating most if not all of the seeds. If it’s a vegetable or herb that can be started indoors, you’ll have more success with a starter plant.

One of my favourite vegetables to plant in containers are Hungarian Wax peppers. I’ve always had great results, even if I’ve neglected them a little bit.

On a side note, this was also the year that I really perfected my pepper growing process. Get all my secrets here!

I also am a huge fan of Crackerjack marigolds. They’re the really tall ones (instead of container sized) and I like them because they provide a bold hit of colour and can be used as both a companion flower and a cut flower.

8. Bring Your Houseplants Outdoors

Most houseplants love to spend a summer outdoors, soaking up more sunlight and rainwater. I brought my lemon tree outdoors (pictured near the side below) and it finally grew three decent-sized lemons. I garden in zone 3, so it is a bit of a struggle to get a lemon tree thriving in my area, but it can be done!

I personally don’t bring out my shade-loving plants for the summer. I’m sure you could, as long as they’re in a shady spot, but my backyard doesn’t have any consistent shade to put them in.

By bringing your houseplants outdoors, you instantly add an extra layer to your garden space without spending any extra money. Just be sure to harden them off at the start of the season, just like you would any other plant. Get more details on the hardening off process here.

9. Head to Your Garden Room Often and Enjoy.

I’ll never forget the moment I was sitting in my garden room one morning, drinking coffee, and looking out into my yard. For the first time in 4 years, I loved what I saw, and it brought me a deep happiness.

My garden room became a place where I could go to unwind, and it was my go-to place to entertain the baby in the grumpy hour before bedtime. She wasn’t mobile yet, so I could safely leave her on the deck with a few vegetables or edible flowers for her to play with and do a bit of yard work nearby. If you have a mobile baby or toddlers, this will probably not work.

Finally, one last surprise I experienced in the container garden this year was how well tall cut flowers grew in pots. I had no problem with cut flower-sized marigolds, snapdragons, and zinnias. This summer I’m going to experiment more to see how many other typical cut flowers can be grown in pots.

Looking for more help with your cut flower garden? Here’s the best perennials and best annuals to plant.

So that’s my little garden room! Will you grow a container garden in your small space? Any tips or tricks we should know about? (Just remember to include your growing zone or approximate location in the comments for context.)

Pin this for later!

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

1 Comment
Filed Under: Uncategorised Tagged: container gardening, small space, small space garden, vegetable gardening

How to Host a Party in a Small Space

October 24, 2019

Do you want to host the party of your dreams, but find your space lacking?  Never fear!  This past weekend we hosted a party for 26 in a 1050 sqft house with our space and sanity intact.  Here’s how you can do it too.  

I have general tips at the beginning of the post, and Christmas-specific ones at the end.

[Read more…]
Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

6 Comments
Filed Under: 1929 house, Simple & Easy, Small Space Living Tagged: birthday party, Christmas, christmas party, entertaining, good times, hosting, minimalism, move furniture, party, party zones, small space

25 Best Gardening Books for the Urban Gardener

January 14, 2018

Urban gardeners face some special challenges, the biggest of which is lack of space.  These 25 gardening books cover all the bases to build the beginner urban gardener’s confidence.  I’ve assembled a collection that covers general gardening knowledge, companion planting, composting, small space gardening, and so much more.

Also, I couldn’t resist adding a few just for my Canadian readers.  When you’re done, check out my list of 25 best gardening books for prairie gardeners, or anyone in USDA hardiness zones 2 or 3.

[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

2 Comments
Filed Under: Gardening, Outdoor Life Tagged: back yard, Garden, garden boxes, lasagna gardening, plants container gardening, small space, square foot gardening, vegetable, vegetable gardening

What’s it Like to Downsize to a smaller house?

April 2, 2017

My husband and I have owned 4 different houses in our 10 years of marriage. Yes, we are crazy. Like most people, we started out in a smaller 1000 sqft home, moved up to 1250, and then up again to 1350. We realized that we were only really using half of our living space. We also only have one child and are unlikely to expand our family. So why were we paying for all that extra space? (Point made–a family of six rents out our 1350 sqft house.) We decided to downsize and haven’t looked back.

What’s it like? Could you do it? Here’s what it’s like to downsize in your young-family years.
[Read more…]

Kristen Raney

Kristen is a former farm kid turned urban gardener who owns the popular gardening website, Shifting Roots.  She is obsessed with growing flowers and pushing the limits of what can be grown in her zone 3b garden.  She also loves to grow tomatoes, but oddly enough, dislikes eating them raw.

www.shiftingroots.com

13 Comments
Filed Under: 1929 house, Compromises, Renovation, Small Space Living Tagged: Decluttering, living, organization, small house, small space, storage

Grow roots with us

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Welcome!

Hi, I'm Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

P.S. First time gardener? You'll want to download the quick start gardening guide below!

Recent Posts

  • 26 Best Flowers to Grow for Dried Flower Arrangements
  • 17 Perennial Flowers That Love Shade
  • How to Design a Cut Flower Garden in Raised Beds
  • How to Start a Cut Flower Garden
  • How to Make Watercolour Decorated Sugar Cookies

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Kristen and I help new gardeners learn to grow their own vegetables and beautify their yards. I also share recipes that use all that delicious garden produce. Grab a coffee (and your gardening gloves) and join me for gardening tips, simple recipes, and the occasional DIY, all from the lovely city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Connect with Shifting Roots On. . .

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Find What You’re Looking For. . .

Privacy Policy

Are you gardening in containers this year? When y Are you gardening in containers this year?  When you're shopping for vegetable seeds, look for varieties that have names with words like patio, tiny, small, etc.  While lots of vegetable varieties will do fine in a container, you'll have an easier time with ones that are specifically bred for that situation.⁠
⁠
📸 by @blushbrandphotography
I'm living the pepper dream in this photo. While I'm living the pepper dream in this photo.  While these ones are a bit on the small side, who doesn't want ripe peppers in July in zone 3?!?! ⁠
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Over the years I've gotten better at growing peppers, and I promise I'll spill my secrets in February when it's actually time to start them.  Until then, get yourself all or one of my four favourite varieties: ⁠
⁠
🌶️Carmen⁠
🌶️Escamillo⁠
🌶️Candy Stripe⁠
🌶️Hungarian Hot Wax⁠
⁠
Do you have a favourite pepper variety?⁠
⁠
Have you flipped open a seed catalogue lately? It Have you flipped open a seed catalogue lately?  It's so easy to get completely overwhelmed, especially if you're new to gardening.  Why are there so many varieties of everything and which ones do I choose?⁠
⁠
Here's how I try to narrow it down.⁠
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🌤️ Short growing season like me?  Try and prioritize varieties that have short dates to maturity.⁠
🥗 What do you or your family actually eat?  While I think you should always try a couple of new things, there's no sense in planting a giant garden filled with vegetables that you're not going to cook with. ⁠
🥒 Do you care whether your vegetables are heirlooms or hybrids?  Heirlooms are the kind that have been around for 50+ years and you can save seeds from.  Believe it or not, this year we're prioritizing hybrids for some of our garden.  The Hermit @mgsraney is obsessed with production this year, so anything that's going in "his" greenhouse better be able to produce a lot.  I'm using more heirlooms in my "glamour garden" as we call it, because I want things that are pretty and I can save seeds from.⁠
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What do you prioritize when you're picking out seeds?⁠
Last week we started thinking about our plans for Last week we started thinking about our plans for cut flower gardening, now this week we start thinking about plans for our vegetable gardens.  Unlike cut flowers, there's not as many vegetables that need to be started ridiculously early.  However, it's still fun to plan and dream and get your thoughts sorted.⁠
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I'm curious--what size of garden do you have to work with?  Are you on an acreage or farm, city backyard, or do you have a couple of pots on an apartment patio?⁠
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As for me, I have quite a mix.  I have my container garden on my backyard deck, the small cut flower garden in my yard, then vegetables in raised beds.  We also garden at my Mother-in-law's acreage, so there's a giant garden over there where we're figuring out how to grow food on a larger scale.  Then finally, sometimes my Mom grows things for me in her garden if I'm nervous that I'll ruin them in my own garden--call it a backup garden if you will.⁠
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📸 by @blushbrandphotography
I hope you've enjoyed this week of chatting about I hope you've enjoyed this week of chatting about the best flowers to plant in a cut flower garden.  There's so many options, these 5 that I talked about all week don't even come close.  If you need more help creating a small cut flower garden, I created this plan intended for a raised bed (but you can plant it in-ground too.⁠
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Head over to my insta links page on my profile, and you'll see the button to click on that will take you directly to it.⁠
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#cutflowergarden #cutflowers #raisedbedgarden #raisedbedgardening  #growyourown #greenthumb #raisedbeds #urbangarden #urbanfarm #squarefootgardening #slowflowers
Hey friends! There's a lot of new faces in this l Hey friends!  There's a lot of new faces in this little corner of IG, so I wanted to introduce myself.  My name is Kristen and I'm the gardener & content creator behind Shifting Roots.  I'm wife to @mgsraney and mom to 3 kids, ages 8, 23 months and 7 months.  Needless to say, our house is BUSY.  I garden in zone 3 in Saskatoon, SK, so if I can grow it in my short growing season and cold temperatures, you probably can too.⁠
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Here's a few fun facts, can you relate to any of these?⁠
🍅I don't like raw tomatoes, but I grow a ton of them because I like tomato sauce.⁠
💐I probably sound like every flower is my favourite flower, but my two favourites are peonies and zinnias.⁠
🌈I can't pick a favourite colour--I love so many of them in different circumstances.  If you force me to choose, I think I've got it narrowed down to coral and turquoise, but even then I still want to throw in yellow, emerald green, fuchsia. . . ⁠
🖤Even though I love colour to the moon and back, you'll often find me wearing black and white in real life, because it's just easier and I don't have to think about it going together.
When you think of rudbeckia, do you think of those When you think of rudbeckia, do you think of those maybe-slightly-boring flowers with yellow petals and a brown centre? (Please don't come at me with your pitchforks if that's your favourite flower!!)⁠
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Rudbeckias, like these orange and burgundy ones, can be so much more!  Pair them with sunflowers & amaranth for an especially striking late summer bouquet.⁠
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🤞I'll have amaranth and sunflowers this year to play around with.⁠
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Need help planning the cut flower garden of your dreams?  It doesn't have to be complicated.  Grab your copy of Cut Flowers Made Simple and have pails of flowers like this one at your fingertips.⁠
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See my link in bio and click on the ebooks button.
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