How to grow greens at home on a windowsill?

Breeding greenery on the windowsill of an ordinary apartment allows you to easily provide its inhabitants with fresh vitamins all year round. Many housewives are fond of growing greenery on the windowsill. If it is not possible to harvest crops from a summer cottage, this method of gardening may well help out lovers of fresh parsley and dill.

Juicy onion on the windowsill

It is extremely easy to grow onions on a windowsill. Experienced gardeners do this in two ways:

• traditionally in the ground;
• by hydroponics.

Owners of small windowsills, planting bulbs in the ground, can use the space wisely by arranging vertical beds. To do this, take an empty plastic water bottle and cut holes in it in a circle. Next, you need to pour the earth into the bottle in layers and lay out the bulbs in rows so that their heads stick out from the holes made. If the earth in such a structure is replaced mineral wool, then the beds will turn from traditional to hydroponic. When working with mineral wool, do not forget about rubber gloves, which will help protect your hands during landing.

How to grow green onions on a windowsill. Photo

How to choose a bow on the windowsill

When starting to plant, it is necessary to carefully select the planting material. Bulbs should be firm, round, with shiny husks and no signs of decay. Their root bowl should be well developed, it is better to give preference to bulbs that have begun to germinate.

If no sprouted bulbs can be found, experts recommend making a neat cut at the top of the bulb parallel to the root bowl. Before planting in the ground, the bulb can be soaked briefly in water.

Care rules

Growing onions on a windowsill requires knowing some little secrets. Onions release green feathers well when temperature 18 to 20 degrees above zero.Raising the temperature to 24 degrees will speed up this process, and if it reaches a level of 30 degrees, the growth of greenery will stop.

Growing onions on a windowsill for greens. Photo

With the cultivation method using hydroponicsWhen the bulbs are in the water, care must be taken to prevent them from starting to rot. To do this, you can raise the body of the bulb above the liquid using a cardboard or plastic circle with a hole in the center. In addition, to prevent the development of a putrefactive process, a 4% solution can be periodically added to the water. hydrogen peroxide or slightly pink solution manganese.

Contrary to popular belief, you should not put your bow on a window close to the light immediately after planting. For the first 10 days, he should be in a dark, cool place. During this period, the formation of the root system takes place. In the following time, the bow gratefully receives a large amount of light. If there is not enough natural light, you can use backlightby building it from fluorescent lamps.

Juicy onions on greens on the windowsill. Photo

Green salad on the windowsill

Juicy green lettuce leaves are an indispensable addition to many vegetable and meat dishes. This plant is popular with lovers of tasty and healthy food. That is why many gardeners are wondering how to grow a salad on the windowsill of their apartment. Experts recommend using for this purpose such types of salad as Odessa, Rand Credo, Lol Rossa.

Growing lettuce on the windowsill. Photo

You can grow this plant in a pot of soil throughout the year. The lettuce produces lush greens but quickly recedes by firing arrows. Having collected a crop once, the bush must be destroyed, and a new plant must be planted in its place.

Planting and grooming secrets

Before planting, lettuce seeds should be kept in a slightly pink solution for several hours. potassium permanganate... After that, they need to be planted half a centimeter in the ground. It is better to immediately use a large enough container, since the salad does not like transplanting. But what he really loves is a lot of light and moisture moisture. In conditions of excessive dryness and poor light, the leaves of the plant become weak and pale. The salad should not only be watered, but also generously sprayed. In winter, the plant needs lighting.

Having planted the seeds in the ground, the container must be closed with cellophane and not opened until the sprouts hatch. This happens, as a rule, for 3-4 days. The optimum temperature for plant growth is 18-20 degrees Celsius. The heat has a negative effect on the harvest, as it accelerates the release of arrows by the plant.

Parsley on the windowsill. Growing

It is hard to imagine what plant could compete with parsley in popularity. Almost no dish of Russian cuisine can do without this greenery. Knowing how to grow parsley on a windowsill, you can have fresh twigs of this useful plant on the table all year round.

Parsley on greens on the windowsill. Photo

How to plant correctly

Growing parsley at home is not difficult. This plant is very grateful and very picky. You can plant it:

• seeds in spring;
• root crops throughout the year.

Planting parsley with root vegetables

The roots of the plant should be planted in a container at a distance of at least a centimeter from each other. In this case, they need to be covered with earth so that the tops stick out on the surface. Drainage with such a fit, it is not necessary to use. The earth needs to be crushed well and abundantly to water.

Parsley on the windowsill. Photo

Green shoots will appear within a couple of days after planting. From this point on, the plant must be provided with sufficient light. The first crop can be harvested in about two weeks.Experts recommend periodically rotating the container with the plant around its axis so that the growing bush forms symmetrically.

Planting parsley seeds

Unlike cultivation using root crops, seeds will germinate and give their first harvest no earlier than a month after planting. However, such a plant will delight its owner with lush greenery much longer.

Before planting, it is recommended to soak the seeds in an intense pink solution of manganese for 1-2 hours. It is imperative to put a drainage layer in the pot. There are two ways to plant seeds.

1. With a dive... In this case, the seeds must be sown in small containers, and after the emergence of seedlings, choose the strongest young shoots and transplant into the main container for growing.
   
2. Without picking... This method involves planting seeds directly into large containers. It is simpler, but does not provide the ability to sort the sprouts.

   

Caring for parsley on the windowsill

Optimal for growing greens temperature are 12-18 degrees Celsius, but parsley easily tolerates and its significant drops to 5 degrees Celsius and even lower. The heat causes the plant to stretch upward and its leaves become lighter in color.

Growing parsley on the windowsill. Photo

Parsley, as a moisture-loving plant, needs generously to water water at room temperature. However, in winter, the abundance of watering should be reduced. To maintain a high yield of the bushes, it is recommended to fertilize them every 2-3 weeks. A teaspoon is suitable as a top dressing. agrolife or one cap Rostorma into two parts of water.

Dill on the windowsill

Growing dill on a windowsill can be done all year round. True, depending on the time of planting, it requires a different intensity of care. The least clap comes from greens grown between May and September. During this time of the year, dill gets enough light and warmth. But in winter, the delicate greens of this plant must be carefully illuminated and kept at a comfortable temperature.

Growing dill on the windowsill. Photo

Planting dill seeds

Any gardener knows how to grow dill on a windowsill. Before planting, the seeds must be soaked in an intense pink solution of potassium permanganate to awaken vitality in them. Dill, like parsley, can be planted with dive and without it. It is imperative to pour a layer on the bottom of the container drainage... After planting the seeds in the ground, it is recommended to cover the container with a film to create a greenhouse effect and accelerate the emergence of seedlings.

Growing greenery on the windowsill. Photo

Dill crops grow best when temperature 15-18 degrees Celsius, but they are not afraid of dropping the temperature to 8 degrees, so they grow well in winter on glazed balconies.

Dill loves moisture, therefore, it must be watered abundantly in summer, during periods of high temperatures. In winter, the intensity of watering should be reduced.

The first crop can be harvested one and a half months after planting.

Sorrel on the windowsill

Growing sorrel at home is not only easy, but also very useful, since this plant actively releases oxygen. Sorrel is a very popular herb for housewives, so many of them know how to grow sorrel on a windowsill.

How to plant

1. Seated sorrel with roots of three-year-old plants. To do this, the roots saved since autumn should be shortened by about 15 centimeters, and then planted in a prepared container. At the bottom of this container, you need to arrange a drainage pillow, then put a layer of sand and fill it with earth from above. Planting with roots is done in December. They need to be planted close to each other to prevent excessive growth of root rosettes.
   
2. Sorrel can be grown from seed... Before planting, they should be placed in a saucer with a little water and placed in a warm place.High-quality seeds will sprout in a couple of days, which need to be planted in beds with a distance of up to 6-7 centimeters between them.

How to care for sorrel on a windowsill

It is recommended to keep the plant for the first week at temperature + 10 degrees, then it can be increased to 20. Immediately after planting, the soil must be thoroughly moistened, as the greenery grows, watering should be done as needed.

As fertilizers when growing sorrel, you can use a decoction of onion peels, coffee grounds or dormant tea.

Greenery on the windowsill. Photo

In the early ripening stage, sorrel requires a lot of light. An adult plant easily tolerates darkened places. The first crop can be harvested in a month. Experienced gardeners claim that with good care from December to April, they collect three crops in a row.

Growing basil on a windowsill

For growing basil in pots on a windowsill, any varieties of this plant are great. The key to success is:

• sunny place;
• warmly;
• fertile soil;
• abundant watering;
• the presence of drainage.

Growing greenery on the windowsill. Photo

Basil planting rules

Many housewives, deprived of personal plots, would like to know how to grow basil on the windowsill of their own apartment. This extremely beneficial plant reproduces in two ways:

• seeds;
• vegetatively, using cuttings.

Basil planted seeds, will require more effort, but it will also delight the owner much longer than plants grown from cuttings.

To propagate basil vegetatively, you need to take a few of its branches, bought in a store or in the market, and put them in the water. After 7-10 days, they will give roots, after which the shoots can be planted in the ground. Two weeks after planting, the plant will be ready for consumption.

When planting with seeds, you should:

1. Pre-soak the seeds in a manganese solution;
2. plant to a depth of 1-2 centimeters in abundantly moistened soil;
3. provide a 3 cm drainage layer;
4. keep the seeds planted in pots covered with foil until the first shoots appear.

Care rules

1. Basil is very sensitive to light, so you need to find the brightest spot for it.
2. This plant feels good at a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius and can hardly tolerate any, even a slight, drop in temperature.
3. Basil needs regular watering. In addition, he loves daily spraying with water.

Growing greenery on the windowsill. Photo

When harvesting, you must first cut off the side shoots. In this case, the plant will grow vigorously.

Rosemary on the windowsill

Rosemary is loved by gardeners for its beauty and benefits. It is an exquisite spice, a delicate fragrant ornamental plant, as well as a raw material for the preparation of medicines.

Rosemary isn't easy to grow on a windowsill, but the result is worth the effort. In order to successfully cope with this task, you need to follow the recommendations of specialists explaining how to grow rosemary on a regular windowsill.

Despite the wide variety of rosemary varieties, it is possible to grow at home only fragrant rosemary.

Rosemary on the greenery on the windowsill. Photo

Landing conditions

1. Growing rosemary is recommended in spacious pots, as this plant has an extensive root system.
2. Planting rules require expanded clay cushion and slightly alkaline soils.
3. Rosemary needs constant feeding. The soil should be fertilized every 14 days in summer and at least once in winter.
4. The plant needs to provide a sufficient amount of light and a comfortable air temperature.
5. The plant does not tolerate excessive moisture, so it is better to underfill than to fill it.With a lack of moisture, the leaves of rosemary turn yellow, and with an excess of moisture, the roots begin to rot.

Growing rosemary from seeds on a windowsill

Rosemary can be grown from seeds, but this is not easy to do because the seeds of this plant are not very germinable. Spring or autumn are suitable for planting seeds. Before planting, the seeds should be wrapped in wet gauze and leave for a couple of days. After that, they need to be placed in a well-moistened ground and covered with a film of polyethyleneby making several punctures in it.

You will have to wait for shoots from two to four weeks, regularly watering soil. If after a month the seedlings do not germinate, you need to repeat the planting procedure again. When the seedlings reach about 9 centimeters in height and acquire three leaves, you can make a dive. Throughout the growing period of the plant, it must be transplanted into larger and larger pots.

Propagation by cuttings

By cutting off an adult plant, you can get shoots for its further reproduction. In this case, you need to cut off the shoots from the top of the rosemary and make sure that they have a rustic stem structure.

Remove the lower leaves from the cuttings and place them in a container with a wet mixture of peat and sand, or simply in water. After root formation, the sprouts can be transplanted into ceramic flowerpots.

Rosemary flowers

In order for the plant to bloom, it must be placed in a colder environment. The air temperature can be about 10-15 degrees Celsius. During this period, the plant does not need to be watered or leaves to be cut off.

The flowers and the tops of the annuals can be used for food.

Spinach on the windowsill. Growing and care

Growing spinach on a windowsill is easy. This annual plant is very popular with culinary specialists. Its juicy leaves are added to salads, first and second courses.

Many housewives know how to grow spinach on a windowsill. This plant is very unpretentious and lends itself well to cultivation throughout the year.

Growing greenery on the windowsill. Photo

Sowing spinach

Spinach is grown from seed... Before planting, they need to be placed overnight in a container of warm water to soak the hard shell, and then put in a solution. potassium permanganate for a few hours.

Spinach on the windowsill. Growing and care

When planting in a pot, you need to fill a layer on its bottom expanded clayand then put a layer of earth. Seeds can be planted to a depth of one and a half centimeters. While waiting for the shoots to appear, the pot should be covered with cellophane.

Features of caring for spinach on the windowsill

1. The spinach needs to be watered frequently and abundantly, since dry soil tends to throw out the shooter, after which the plant is no longer suitable for food.
2. The plant prefers a temperature of 15-18 degrees Celsius, but calmly tolerates its lowering to 8.

The first greens after sowing can be harvested around the end of 3 or 4 weeks. But after a month and a half, the plant becomes unusable.

Growing greenery in pots on a windowsill is a very rewarding and fun process. Having mastered it once, you can decorate your diet with various green spices for many years.

Growing greenery on a windowsill in winter for beginners is a very real task. You just need to create suitable conditions for it and choose those types of it that will feel good even indoors. A mini-vegetable garden on the windowsill today is not only a practical, but also a fashionable solution within the framework of the current eco-trend and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Of course, it is very convenient to always have fresh parsley on hand, but at the same time such a garden not only provides the family with fresh herbs and vitamins, but also becomes a decoration of the kitchen.

What greens can you grow at home?

Greenery on the windowsill all year round is not the most difficult task.Of course, each gardener decides for himself which crops will make up this vegetable garden on the window. But you need to take into account the peculiarities of growing one or another greenery at home. The purpose of their breeding is to obtain a high yield, and you need to choose those varieties that ripen quickly.

In most cases, greens at home are grown from seeds. But, of course, it all depends on the culture itself. So, green onions are grown from a bulb. This is generally one of the most common garden crops that grow on windowsills. On the one hand, it is very easy to grow it, on the other hand, it is a whole storehouse of vitamins. Many housewives are afraid to grow it because of the unpleasant smell, but it only occurs when the bulbs are kept in water for too long. And if it is grown in the ground, then there will be no smell.

Leaf salad

A home garden on the window often includes spinach. This is one of the most common types of greenery, as it sprouts quickly and looks beautiful in a pot or neat box.

Dill can also be grown on the windowsill, but only some of its varieties, since it ripens quite late, even in the best case, its first sprouts will appear only a month after sowing.

And, of course, the window garden includes parsley. Unlike other types of greens, it is grown from root vegetables, in which the whole upper bud must be preserved. Dill is grown in fairly tall pots or boxes. But most types of salad do not require this. In addition, it is recommended to use peat tablets or cassettes for them. Experts advise buying several types of lettuce, with leaves of different shapes and colors. Firstly, the plants will look more decorative, and secondly, the greenery on the windowsill will be all year round, since different species differ in terms of ripening. The most unpretentious type is considered watercress. It does not grow so luxuriantly, but because of the characteristic shape of its small leaves, the pot of greenery looks curly.

Growing basil

In theory, a window garden could include more crops. But not all of them will grow in winter lighting conditions. And some for normal development need a stable above-zero temperature outside the window. This applies to crops such as arugula. basil, watercress, marjoram and thyme. To make the seeds of these crops sprout faster, they arrange something like a mini-greenhouse, covering the pots with a film, under which there will be a comfortable temperature and humidity for these species.

General rules for growing greens

The garden on the window is not difficult at all, the main thing is to follow the general recommendations. You can grow greens in ordinary flower pots, and in wooden boxes, which should not only be convenient, but also beautiful. In addition, the drawers should be made in such a way as to keep out water. It is very important to choose the right pot parameters. The optimal length of the container for most types of greenery is 40-50 cm. The width should be 20-25 cm, and the height should be 12-15 cm. A drainage hole must be made the day before. In such a pot or container, a drainage layer must be arranged. To do this, use expanded clay, broken brick or even just coarse clean sand.

It is not enough to know how to grow greens at home, you also need to be able to find the optimal place for it. As a rule, greens prefer warmth and sunlight, so it is better to grow them in a south or southwest window.

Kitchen garden on the windowsill

Before planting, it is imperative to water the soil prepared for distillation with hot water, then crush it and make grooves in it: then seeds are poured into them, and a layer of earth about a centimeter thick is added on top.

Greens are usually watered every other day, usually in two doses and in small portions. It is recommended to warm some seeds before planting and first germinate in damp gauze.But this mainly applies to crops such as asparagus.

Growing greenery at home means creating the most comfortable conditions for it. For example, most of these crops are harmed by dry heat from radiators. In order not to harm the plants, the battery can be covered with a special shield and a humidifier can be used. This is also useful for creating a comfortable microclimate in scrap. If it is not possible to buy such a device separately, you can make an impromptu humidifier by simply putting a piece of wet cloth on the battery.

In winter, greenery lacks light. Therefore, many plants grow pale, and there may be less vitamins in them. In such cases, additional illumination using ultraviolet lamps is used. For most crops, the optimal daylight hours are 12-16 hours.

Lovage

However, pale leaves can mean chlorosis, which often occurs due to problems in the acidity of the water. The fact is that tap water is often a more alkaline medium, and therefore a number of nutrients (phosphorus, manganese, iron, boron) cease to dissolve in the soil, plants do not receive them, and this affects their condition. In this case, you need to take care of the water for irrigation; in extreme cases, you will need to add special phyto-mixtures to it.

With home-grown crops, you can safely replenish your diet. Firstly, in this case it is known for sure that all this was grown without chemistry. Secondly, greens that were picked and used almost immediately retain more vitamins than those that have been in the store for a long time.

How to grow parsley?

As you know, parsley is a real storehouse of vitamins. The composition of this plant includes ascorbic acid and vitamins A and E, which are antioxidants, and B vitamins, and phosphorus, and potassium. Of course, every housewife wants such greens to be always at hand. Parsley is easy to grow, but remember that its seeds take much longer to germinate than other green crops due to their high content of essential oils. There are two options for growing it: from a root crop and by accelerating seed germination. When choosing the second option, the seeds must be thoroughly rinsed with water and wrapped in a damp cloth.

Growing parsley

The soil for growing parsley is prepared in advance. You can take ordinary garden soil, but it will need to be additionally treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. You can buy ready-made soil for such crops, which is sold in garden centers.

There should be no difficulties with growing parsley. You just need to take the container a little higher than usually taken for greenery - 20 cm high. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the container, then covered with earth. After the soil is ready, you can plant the seeds. To do this, make beds with a distance of 10 cm from each other. Seeds are planted to a depth of no more than 1 cm. The soil is watered before planting, as described above. In the future, until shoots appear, the earth is watered every other day from a sprayer. After the emergence of seedlings, you can already water from a watering can once every two days.

At a temperature of 20 ° C and normal illumination, parsley shoots will appear in 3 weeks.

Growing spinach and onions

Spinach can be grown on the windowsill all year round. This culture has a taproot, which requires compliance with certain rules regarding the selection of pots for it. When caring for plants, it is important not to flood the soil and avoid contact of delicate leaves with water when watering.

Spinach is germinated in boxes or containers at least 10 cm high. Good drainage is very important for it. For this, expanded clay is usually used. Spinach seeds are planted not tightly, but at a distance of 5-10 cm between the rows. Planting depth - 1-2 cm.Under favorable conditions, within 1-1.5 months, greens will appear, suitable for consumption. The most delicious is the greens obtained from plants with 6-10 true leaves.

Growing onions

You can choose any onion for planting. The larger the bulbs, the more nutrients they will contain and the more greenery will be grown. But you can also plant small shallots. The ideal option is to choose several varieties at once with different dormancy periods so that the greens are on the table all year round.

In theory, onions can also be grown from seeds. But in this case, it should be clarified whether this or that variety can be grown at home.

Growing lettuce and dill

Lettuce greens are tasty and healthy. And there shouldn't be any problems with growing it. However, it must be taken into account that this culture has very small seeds, therefore, later, when shoots appear and the feeding area increases, a pick will need to be made. For these purposes, cassettes are used in which you need to plant seedlings - they choose those that already have 1-2 real leaves with a lump of earth, and one in each cell. Over time, the salad will grow beautifully.

As for dill, not all varieties are suitable for growing on a windowsill. For mini-vegetable gardens, the variety "Grenadier" with light leaves and a delicate aroma and taste, the unpretentious and disease-resistant variety "Gribovsky", the very fragrant variety "Richelieu" with beautiful blue-green leaves resembling lace, as well as the variety "Kibray" containing a huge amount of vitamins.

As with any greenery, you need to prepare the soil to grow dill. The garden soil is disinfected, and this is the most important moment for further harvesting. To do this, it is recommended to treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate, and if it is not there, then ignite it in the oven or microwave. Another option is to treat with hot steam, which is guaranteed to eliminate pests.

A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the container, then the prepared soil is poured. The seeds are pre-soaked in warm water and left in this state for a day, changing the water every 5-6 hours. Then they are dried with a paper towel or cloth and planted in a pot.

Dill is sown in beds, seeds are sown to a shallow depth, covered with a layer of earth about 2 cm thick on top. This crop needs abundant lighting, so it is usually grown under ultraviolet lamps.

It should be remembered that greenery has a short growing season. Therefore, it has the ability to quickly accumulate nitrates in large quantities. This makes any feeding problematic, including with the help of mineral fertilizers. The soil sold in garden centers contains enough minerals. But if in doubt, you can feed the greens with natural fertilizers, in this case, eggshells and tea.

Home mini-gardens

on windowsills are now very popular. We talked about the most important rules that allow you to grow almost any vegetables in such conditions in the article

"10 secrets of the home garden"

... And this time I propose to discuss the best crops for home "beds" - those that do not require special worries, but at the same time they invariably delight with the harvest in the shortest possible time. I present my list and look forward to your comments.

Home garden. Photo by the author

1. Green onions

Topping my "hit parade", of course, green onions. Probably, at least once in his life, everyone grew it on the windowsill, even if only in childhood - out of curiosity. This is an ideal plant for a home garden: fast growing, unpretentious, useful.

As planting material you can use both onion sets (large fraction - samples) and ordinary onion turnips. I've tried both; from the seed (or small turnip), the yield, of course, is less - the bulb is depleted faster. But the feather - for my taste - is softer and more tender.In addition, the small onion takes up less space when planting. A large bulb produces more greenery, its feather is usually larger, and it takes longer to harvest.

Small bulbs can also be used as planting material. Photo by the author If there are not many of your own turnip onions to use for forcing, you can specially buy them in the fall of samples - in supermarkets and specialized country shops they sell them at the end of the season with good discounts. I would not recommend purchasing such planting material for a turnip, but for distillation - just right.

You can plant onions for distillation in small containers with water or nutrient solution (so that the onion does not fall into the water, but only touches it) or into the ground. I personally like the second option more: the bulbs on the water often begin to rot, exuding a specific aroma; with unpaved I have never had such an incident.

In the soil for planting, I certainly add a hydrogel soaked in a solution of Gumi (this biological product strengthens plants, additionally nourishes them, and increases resistance to diseases). In room conditions, the soil substrate dries out quickly, and the hydrogel prevents the bulbs from suffering from moisture deficiency.

To always be with the harvest, it is best to plant an onion regularly - every 10-14 days... Then, by the time the crop is fully harvested from the first "bed", the greens will ripen on the next - and so on until spring.

A box with green onions. Photo by the author I use small plastic boxes for planting. I pour expanded clay at the bottom (there are no holes for the drain of excess moisture in the boxes, so drainage is necessary), on top - soil with hydrogel up to about half of the box. Having slightly compacted the mixture, I plant the bulbs in it close to each other, without burying them in the soil. I water it abundantly - that's all.

Since I plant usually already sprouted bulbs, the harvest does not have to wait long. I do not carry out any specific procedures (pruning, soaking, etc.), which are often recommended to be performed when forcing onions on a feather, - I do not see a special need, and there is always not enough time. But if you, friends, have such an experience, and you see the benefits of such processing, be sure to share your opinion in the comments - the recommendations of practitioners are always invaluable!

You can also read our publications:

• How to grow delicious onions on a windowsill - secrets and subtleties
• A vegetable garden on the windowsill: we grow onions, garlic and carrots for greens
• Forcing onions in special boxes: the experience of Yulia Minyaeva
• Growing green onions in a plastic bottle

2. Watercress

I will say right away: I myself have grown this plant only once - I was not impressed by its gastronomic properties. Personally, I liked mustard leaf more - it is also a very undemanding cruciferous plant. But taste, as you know, is a purely individual thing, and I still take the liberty of recommending watercress as one of the best crops for home gardens. Why?

• Firstly, he - like the bow - is extremely unassuming. Those who do not have the ability or desire to spend time on laborious care of the "beds" on the windowsill will certainly appreciate it, I suppose.
• Secondly, it is very early ripening: already in 2-3 weeks after the emergence of shoots (and they will not be long in coming) you will be pleased with young vitamin greens.
• Thirdlynature has endowed watercress with many beneficial properties: regular consumption of this culture helps to normalize blood pressure, improve digestion and sleep. It was used as a remedy for scurvy, and anemia and vitamin deficiencies were treated with juice.

Watercress - Harvest in Two Weeks If you have children, try sowing watercress with them - at least for the sake of experiment. This plant is one of those with which it is worth starting the introduction to gardening, because failure is almost impossible!

Watercress grows successfully on windowsills even in winter - it is very cold-resistant (the ideal temperature for it is from +15 to +18 degrees) and is not picky about light. The only thing he needs is regular moistening of the soil and air, since this plant does not like drought. To keep the greens on the table constantly, it is recommended to sow the next portion of watercress every 7-10 days.

I recommend reading more about growing watercress in the article How to quickly and easily grow watercress on a windowsill.

3. Lettuce

As a big salad lover, I could not, of course, ignore it. This culture is a little more demanding than green onions and watercress, but for the juicy greens it is worth the effort. What do you need to consider?

• Firstly, lettuce at home needs additional lighting - this is a light-loving culture. Lack of lighting will lead to early peduncle formation. The problem is partially solved by the choice of varieties. Lollo Rossa and Lollo Bionda (my favorites) proved to be quite good for me; recommend for home gardens also varieties New Year, Vitamin, Emerald lace.
• Secondly, lettuce reacts painfully to drought and heat: the leaves become coarse and bitter, flower stalks form quickly.
• Thirdly, lettuce shoots need to be thinned. It is recommended to do this twice: a week after the emergence of seedlings at a distance of 1-2 cm between seedlings, and in the phase of 2-3 true leaves - at a distance of 4-5 cm.If you thicken the crops, the plants will stretch out, weaken, and you are most likely to harvest , you will not see.

Young lettuce plants. Photo by the author From growing head lettuce at home, it is better to refuse until there is enough experience: they are more demanding and need more careful care than their leafy counterparts, and their growing season, as a rule, is longer. To be honest, I did not even try to grow lettuce at home to the standard sizes that it reaches in the garden - tender young leaves were enough for me. But, if space permits, and there are conditions suitable for a salad, it is quite possible to get large outlets.

4. Parsley

You can get parsley greens at home in two ways: sowing seeds in the ground and forcing from prepared roots. The second method, although it requires some preliminary preparation, is generally simpler. Even if you have not prepared planting material since autumn, you can look for high-quality root crops for distillation in the vegetable departments of stores.

For our purposes, absolutely healthy parsley roots of medium size (30-60 g in weight) without signs of wilting are suitable. They must have an apical bud - heavily trimmed plants will not produce greenery.

Having well moistened the soil in a box or flower pot, we plant root crops, covering their tops with soil. Too long can be cut (sprinkled with charcoal cut to avoid rot) or planted obliquely. The latter option is considered even more preferable than the regular fit.

Parsley from seeds at home. Photo by the author If you grow parsley from seeds, you need to take into account two nuances: the plant is photophilous, and its seeds germinate rather slowly. When sowing, the containers with parsley were not very well located relative to the light source, and the seedlings immediately began to stretch out. And it was possible to accelerate germination thanks to preliminary soaking of the seeds in a solution of Gumi (I will certainly tell you more about this wonderful preparation somehow).

Parsley is not afraid of cold weather, so it feels great on the windowsill. The plant also does not impose special requirements for moisture - we water it as needed, depending on the conditions in the room. I already traditionally add hydrogel for all such plantings, so I usually don't have problems with watering my home garden at all.

Read more about growing this plant at home in the article How to grow parsley on a windowsill.

5. Chive bow

This crop will require a little preliminary preparation: in order to get a harvest all winter, it is necessary to prepare planting material for forcing... Small chunks of chives are dug up and, having cut off the feather, are planted in boxes or pots, which are stored in the basement or on the balcony.

In winter, they are brought into a warm room as needed and placed closer to the light. The feather grows quickly on chives; it can be plucked from the bush selectively or cut off completely. I love the taste - it is softer and softer than regular green onions, so (given the ease of growing) I have no hesitation in putting chives on my list of the best crops for home gardening.

As my experience has shown, at home, a crop from one plant can be obtained twice, after which it is depleted, even with good care and feeding. Therefore, it is wise to prepare several containers of planting material in order to grow greens throughout the winter. Well, in early spring, chives are one of the first to sprout in the garden.

Chives greens - a crop from a home garden. Photo by the author It is advisable to take planting material for forcing from those plantings that you intend to thin out or completely remove - the plants used for forcing are no longer restored, and after the final harvest they are removed.

An important nuance: chives are very sensitive to moisture - with a lack of moisture, the feather coarsens and begins to noticeably bitter, flower stalks form quickly. I set up an experiment: I planted the same cuttings in the same containers; one - in a regular soil, the second - in a mixture of soil with hydrogel. Differences in the growth and development of plants, visible, as they say, with the naked eye, confirmed the hypothesis about the benefits of using a hydrogel in this case as well.

Let's summarize

Here's a list. I tried to grow radishes, and dill, and cilantro at home; in childhood, she planted beans and peas. I drove out the greens of beets and carrots, tried to preserve the basil transplanted from the garden ... In a word, there were many different experiments, and the listed crops were among my favorites.

Decisive when choosing there were factors such as ease of cultivation and undemanding conditions. I will repeat what I have already said more than once: almost any garden culture can be grown at home, but not everyone has the opportunity for this. Therefore, the best plants for a home garden are those that anyone can easily grow.

Let me remind you: A vegetable garden on a balcony or windowsill: the peculiarities of home gardening are the topic of another lesson in our Academy of the gardener. The recommendations of the specialists of the Agrofirm Search, together with whom we organized this project, will help beginners quickly master the wisdom of gardening, and experienced gardeners - to systematize and deepen their knowledge.

What do you grow on the windowsills? What do you agree with in my story, and what could you argue with based on your own experience? Share your opinion in the comments, tell us about your favorite plants!

Good afternoon - today we will talk about how to grow greens at home, on the windowsill or on the balcony. I'll show you how to plant and how to care for edible herbs grown in boxes and pots at your window. I will also introduce you to spicy herbs that are most often used in the cooking of Europe and Asia... We will find out what juicy leaves and stems can be added to our vitamin salads and other dishes.

WHAT EDIBLE GREENS

YOU CAN GROW ON A WINDOWSILL.

Before we start talking about the rules of sowing growing greens on windowsills ... Let me first tell you WHAT wonderful greens you can grow all year round on your windowsill.Why each herb is useful and how to use it in cooking.

Let's make a brief overview of the greenery with a photo. And to make you want to grow greens more at home - I will give not only a photo of herbs on the windowsill - but also photographs of dishes made with these herbs.

I won't talk about parsley, salad, and dill. Everyone is already familiar with this greenery since childhood.

I want to make you fall in love with other new edible herbs ... who knows, perhaps you will discover an amazing new flavor for your family cooking.

So ... let's get acquainted ...

BORAGO is a cucumber herb with juicy stems.

Borago (or "cucumber grass") - it really tastes like our cucumber. It has double leaves and green flowers. She was loved in France (there she is called "the grass of joy" - her blue small flowers were put in a glass of wine, they taste sweet.

Borago produces lush leaves with thick juicy stems - they are eaten directly from plump stems.

The leaves are harvested even before flowering - they make vitamin salads, add to okroshka, garnish with fish and meat, brew with tea, put in wine or hot punch.

ROSEMARY - the soul of European cuisine on your windowsill.

Rosemary widely used in Italian and French cuisine. It is seasoned with lamb, poultry, potato casserole, vegetable stews. Meat for grilling is even strung on sprigs of rosemary - and the stems of this herb transfer their aroma to the kebab.

OREGANO - herb for sauces.

Oregano - added to marinades, sour cream or mayonnaise sauces. Grind with thyme, basil and olive oil - and this dressing is used to flavor any summer salads or spaghetti. It is also put into pizza.

THYME is a medicinal herb on your windowsill.

Thyme (thyme) - fresh leaves are added to salads, meat and vegetables are stewed with thyme. Thyme is added to omelets, cheese dressings for casseroles.

Tea with thyme (i.e. with thyme) helps stop coughing, relieves hangover syndrome, and eliminates digestive problems.

MAJORAN - greens not like all the others.

The ancient Greeks adored marjoram - they considered it a magical herb, they covered sacrificial altars with it. Marjoram enhances SEXUAL ATTRACTION - in ancient times it was actively used by men - by adding it to wine, to hot alcoholic drinks (such as modern punch and mulled wine).

Nowadays - the entire sausage industry in Germany - prays for this herb - it is generously added to all German sausages. Maybe that's why the Germans are considered sex-addicted ... it's just that marjoram in sausages has such an effect on them.

Add to minced meat - to fillings for meat rolls - to soups - to fish salads. When the diet restricts salt intake, this herb is an excellent substitute for it.

Very quickly, marjoram heals NASMORK - rub the leaf with your fingers to bring it to the nose - you start sneezing and the nasal sinuses are immediately cleared - the swelling of the mucous membrane is removed. Used for diseases of the respiratory tract. Reduces CHOLESTEROL.

BASILIC ON THE WINDOWSILL.

Basil - a well-known spice of very wide application - they put it everywhere... Fresh in salads. In vegetable stew and meat roast - 3 minutes until cooked. It is an ideal seasoning for fish - for liver - for pickles. It is added to minced meat for sausages - to meat fillings for pies and casseroles, as well as to omelets.

CRESS SALAD grown at home.

Watercress - a herb containing just a storehouse of vitamins - just the entire alphabetical-vitamin series. Watercress is used to treat many skin inflammations (including purulent ones) - its leaves heal wounds. It also helps in the treatment of cataracts and other eye diseases. Used in the treatment of prostatitis. It is recommended to eat watercress leaves for depression and nervous disorders.

Cream soups, sauces, and gravies are prepared from cress leaves crushed in a blender. This herb is good in omelets and casseroles. Ideal for fresh salads.Suitable as a side dish for meat and fish dishes.

Below I will talk about how to grow watercress at home - it has an original way of planting.

WHEN TO PLANT GREENS on windowsills.

You can start a sowing company in any season of the year. But of course that in the summer period (with long sunny days, warmed up window sills - sowing will quickly sprout and abundant greenery. While in winter - all these processes will occur much slower.

If you sow greenery in spring and summer, then all that is required for it is systemic watering and a little bit of vermicompost (for nutrition).

WHAT IS BIOHUMUS - and why should it be added to the soil for planting greenery.

Vermicompost is a natural biological fertilizer. Which gives strong immunity to landings. Accelerates seed germination. Accelerates growth and maturation of plants. Prevents the accumulation of nitrates through plant roots. Protects against bacterial and putrefactive diseases.

When added to the soil, biohumus gradually releases nutrients to the plant ... during all its growth stages.

There are already soils on sale - which include vermicompost (read the composition of the soil on the package).

WHERE TO PLANT GREENS - for growing on a windowsill

Preparing the soil. We mix vermicompost with coconut fiber (proportion 1: 2). So we will not get pure vermicompost - but a good substrate, which will gradually give its nutrients to your green plantings.

We prepare containers - pots (with a hole in the bottom), or drawers, or other decorative bowls-cups (if you want your windowsill to look elegant.

The depth of the selected container should be at least 15 cm - if you want to harvest a serious crop.

At the bottom we put 2-3 cm of drainage layer (for the outflow of excess water from the ground) - as drainage, you can use expanded clay balls or even just small pebbles or gravel will do.

You can immediately sow in box pots. And you can first in peat tablets or cups - and then transplant them into large pots.

HOW TO PREPARE THE SEEDS BEFORE PLANTING.

Many people like to test seeds for germination - by dropping them into water. And throwing out floating seeds (like dummies). But in fact, this principle no longer works. Currently, there are varieties and hybrids in which floating seeds germinate in the same way as those settled on the bottom. Therefore, this rule can be omitted.

And just soak the seeds in warm water - for your own pleasure.

FOR PETRUSHKA - such a stay of seeds in warm water is even beneficial. There is a lot of essential oil in its seeds - it prevents the seeds from absorbing moisture and emerging. Therefore, they need to be kept in water - so that the essential oils are washed out of the seeds and increase their germination.

HOW TO PLANT GREENS ON THE WINDOWSILL.

SEEDS are spread on prepared filled with vermicompost, and slightly crushed soil with your fingers. The laid out seeds are sprinkled with earth - a layer no more than 1 cm.

Light-sensitive seeds (small-small) and you do not need to fall asleep at all, but slightly crush it with your finger (stick to the soil) and leave it to lie.

After disembarkation - we need to sprinkle our "bed" with water and cover with a plastic transparent bag to create a greenhouse - so that moisture does not evaporate quickly. In the bag, make a few holes for air or just leave the bag ajar - so that there is no unnecessary discussion in the bag.

Such a man-made greenhouse - will create uniformly humid climate and will accelerate seed germination.

After seed germination (1.5-2 weeks after sowing) - you can remove the greenhouse... But it is better to do this not in the evening, but in the morning ... So that the plants get used to the temperature with a gradual cooling of the day towards evening.

After seed germination - a month later (when they are already standing stretched out on their thin stems) - you need make a bed of earth - another 2 cm.

NOTE -

some greens can be propagated NOT ONLY BY SEEDS ...

ROSEMARY they are also propagated by dividing the bush, cuttings, layering.

 

PETRUSHKA AND CELERY - also planted with roots. If you plant parsley not with seeds - but with roots - then it will very quickly give its greens.

BASIL - reproduces by leaves. We cut off the leaves with cuttings - we plunge them into the water and wait for the cutting of the leaf to sprout root processes.

BORAGO - sown with standard seeds. The distance between the seeds is at least 6 cm - so that there is where to plow the leaves. Borago does not like a lot of sun - this green is ideal for windowsills with access to the north, west, east.

CRESS SALAD - these are greens that can be planted without land - on a wet flannel cloth or in a scattering of expanded clay balls.

HOW OFTEN WATER GREENS ON THE WINDOWSILL

In the first month of growth - we water a little, but often. The ground should be constantly moist (but not wet) ... The greenhouse helps us with this. In the course of the day, they opened the bag ... sprinkled water from the pshikalki and covered the film again.

In the following months, watering is carried out as needed. More often in summer… less often in winter.

You can arrange a self-irrigation system for greenery ... so that the earth itself absorbs moisture as needed

FOR GREENS TO GROW LUSH

Every day - you need to turn the pots with sprouts - 180 degrees - so that the plant does not bend in one direction (towards the sun).

Onions, dill and parsley do not require a lot of light. Therefore, pots with these green bushes can be placed on the edge of the windowsill - and other sun-loving plants can be placed closer to the window.

ROSEMARY growing in bushes in pots - has a tendency to grow with rhizomes (roots will climb into the drainage layer). Therefore, it is recommended 2 times a year - take the plant out of the pot - cut off part of the roots with a knife along with the ground. Put a layer of drainage back on - add some soil - and return the rosemary bush to the pot. Such a transplant stimulates the emergence of new green shoots. ALSO rosemary requires feeding (with a weak solution) every 2 weeks.

BASIL - after the appearance of 6 leaves - pinch off. So that he bushes to the sides. Then the twigs that have gone to the sides - we pinch in the same way after 5 leaves - so that they also start up their side shoots. And so on until we create the lush crown of the basil bush we need.

ONION ON THE WINDOWSILL - HOW TO GROW.

And we will tell you separately how to get fresh onion feathers on the windowsill - by germinating the bulbs in water.

Pour water into cups (glasses, jars) so that the onion dropped into the container is immersed in it no more than half. And leave it like that in the water. After two days, the bulb will begin to give a feather. To make the whole composition look beautiful, you can arrange such plantings of onion greens - with decorative materials.

And here's an idea for using eggshells to sprout bulbs. Pour water into the shells. We lower the small bulbs outside and wait for the green harvest.

These are the simple rules for growing greenery in your home on a windowsill or balcony.

Successful sowing and tasty harvest.

Olga Klishevskaya, specially for the site "Family Heap"

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