DMN Window Garden Blog: WINDOW GARDEN DESIGN

DMN WINDOW GARDEN DESIGN

Materials:

Material:	Quantity:
1 litre bottle	1
2 litre bottle	3
mulch	500g
Flannel clothes	3
Bone meal	200g
fertilizer	200g
Loam soil	300g
Large stones	300g
Bike tube	1
charcoal	200g
Nutrient plant food	100g
Cotton wool	1 ball
Thyme	1
Mint	1
Chives	1
Broomstick handle	1
Nails	8
String	Own choice
Hooks	4

three 2l bottles

nutrifeed

charcoal mix

bottles with cotton

stones and gravel

soil, fertilizer and bone meal

fertilizer

flannel clothes

string

bike tube

chives and thyme

all the materials

soil mixture

hammer and nails

Diagram:

About the design:
This design was designed in a way to still be innovative. The design aims to effectively transport water and is designed in a way to direct water the roots as well as the stem. This design was on a basis of hydroponic farming and filtration that enables nutrients to be retained.

Functions:

Charcoal mix: This is a mixture of charcoal and nutrient rich plant food. It is used as the secondary filtration point. Its main function is to provide the essential nutrients to the plants.

Cotton wool: This is used as the tertiary source of filtration. It is used to slow down the water before it goes through the bike tube and to help the soil retain water.

Flannel cloth: The cloth is used to transport the water from the roots to the stems of the plants. This allows for more effective water distribution. This also acts as protection against the sun. It stops the soil drying out

Large stones: This is used as our primary source of filtration. It slows down the water running through and it is a source of essential minerals.

Soil mix: The soil mixture is a mixture of loamy soil, fertilizer and bone meal. This mixture doesn't only act as filtration but adds minerals, nutrients and vitamins to the plants.

Mulch: This is used as a primary source of filtration.

2l bottles: These are used as as support to hold all the material.

Bike tubes: These are used to transport the water from one bottle to the other.

Stand: This is used to support the contraption.

1l bottle: This is used to catch the water.

Type of plants:

Thyme:

How to Plant Thyme

Where: It thrives in hot conditions, loves full-sun, and doesn't need constant watering or attention.

How to Cultivate Thyme

Soil: Plant thyme in well-drained soil with an optimal pH between 6.0 and 8.0. In early spring, you may fertilize with organic matter, like compost, but not much soil amendment is necessary.
Sun: Thyme needs a growing area with plenty of sunlight. Indoors, find a sunny window for your thyme. In the garden, intersperse among other drought-tolerant perennials in an area that receives full sun.
Water: Most varieties of thyme are drought-resistant, so only give a thorough watering, when the soil is completely dry.

thyme

Mint:

How to Plant Mint

Where: Mint performs its best in full sun, as long as the soil is kept moist, but it also thrives in partial shade.

How to Cultivate Mint

Soil: Mint thrives in moist, rich soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. To keep the soil moist, cover the soil with a little mulch.

Sun: Optimally, plant mint in a sunny location. I have mint planted in a portion of the garden that receives about fives hours of sun per day, and it does just fine. If you are planting mint indoors, where it also performs well, make sure you place your container near a sunny window.

Water: Regular watering is really the only maintenance mint needs. Keep the soil moist at all times.

Chives:

How to Plant Chives

Where: Chives grow well in container gardens and thrive indoors on a sunny windowsill.

How to Cultivate Chives

Soil: Plant chives in fertile, well-drained soil. Integrate a little organic fertilizer or healthy compost into the soil and avoid over-fertilizing throughout the season, so you'll obtain the best flavor.

Sun: Chives thrive in full sun, but they will grow almost anywhere. If you are growing chives indoors, place them in a south-facing window or a spot that receives at least six hours of sunshine.

Water: Keep the soil moist. Chives grow best when watered frequently, as long as there is proper soil drainage.

chives

Watering cycle and recycling:

Our window garden will be manually watered. Every second day a member of our group will manually return the water to the top of of our water cycle. We will recycle water by catching it in our water collection tray and using it again. This allows the water to retain the nutrients in it.

Building process:

Unfortunately in the making of the window garden not all members were able to be present, therefore the work was then spread out evenly in different ways.Luckily we didn't have any cost to pay during the making due to all the materials being found at home as recycled material or just lying around. With directly building the window garden, Maximillian did the work. With the installation Nick Powell got the filtration material, while Maximillian installed it. Declan was involved with the responsibility of doing the blog and the design.

three prepared bottles

the bottle attached

a timelapse of the installation

Abiotic factors:

In terms of light and temperature, we would like to use the right hand side of the classroom. This is because we found that the right side gets more sunlight and warmth than the left side. We will have to use plants that grow well under warm conditions and strong light and since that is the case, I believe that our plants will thrive.

Type of soil:

In terms of soil, the soil we would like to use is loam. Loam retains the most water out of all the soils. It is also evenly composed of sand and clay which allows it to hold nutrients. To the loam soil we shall add a mixture of bone meal, organic fertilizer and nutrient rich plant food.