CHAPTER XIII 



WINDOW-GABDENING 



Window-gardening has been successfully car- 

 ried on in England and is becoming very com- 

 mon in this country, especially in cities where 

 other gardening is impossible. There are two 

 kinds of window-gardening — summer and win- 

 ter. For the former, window-boxes are made 

 to fit the window-sills on the outside, or on 

 balconies, where they exist. Boxes may be 

 ornate, made of wood, terra-cotta, iron or 

 wire patterns — the latter affording free drain- 

 age and allowing the air to get through the soil 

 to the roots, a great advantage to the health of 

 the plants. The box should be the length and 

 breadth of the window-sill, but never exceed six 

 inches in depth. 



The best soil for window-boxes is com- 

 post of turfy loam — soil formed by rotted sods 

 that have been cut two inches deep from good 

 ])asture-land. Add one-fourth rotted stable ma- 

 nure and thoroughly mix. This is a good soil 

 for almost any growing plant. Where a limited 

 quantity of soil is required this can be secured 



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