What edible plants can you grow in your apartment?

As you know, self-grown food products are much healthier than their store counterparts. Fortunately, you don't need to be a farmer or even live near a village to enjoy these benefits. If your home has a sunny window and you have a little free time, then you can grow many food items with your own hands. Read our roundup for 16 healthy plants to grow at home.

General Tips

Before you get started, check out a few tips that are relevant no matter which plant you choose from the list.

1. All of these plants require well-drained soil, which means you will need to use a pot with holes in the bottom or place a few rocks on the bottom before adding soil. This will allow water to drain through the stones. If you decide to use a pot with holes, be sure to place the drainage container so that no water can spill onto the windowsill or floor.
2. For each of these plants, you can buy special fertilizers at the garden center or make your own.
3. Many of these plants grow best in areas that receive ample sunlight and remain fairly warm throughout the day.

Avocado

An avocado tree can be grown from seed, but it will not produce edible fruit. If you want to eat what you grow, it is best to purchase a dwarf avocado plant. It can produce green or black fruits. To plant an avocado, add some sand to the bottom of a large, well-drained pot. Then you should fill it with soil and plant a tree. The avocado should be watered regularly, but the soil should not be too wet. Place the seedling in a room with high ceilings, as even bonsai can grow taller than three meters.

Carrot

Buy carrot seeds and a box or pot that is at least half a meter high with drainage holes in the bottom. Fill the container with humus-rich soil. Before planting seeds, the soil must be watered. They must be covered with a thin layer of soil after planting. The container should be placed in an area that is well lit throughout the day. The soil should be moist, but not too moist. Seedlings will appear in about two weeks.

Green garlic

Growing heads of garlic indoors is much more difficult, but you can easily grow herbs that are used in the same way as chives. Buy a few small cloves of garlic.Also choose a pot with drainage holes in the bottom, and a small bag of fertilizer. Divide the head of garlic into cloves and plant them in the soil, pointed end up. Water the soil and place the container in a sunny location. Water the seedlings regularly and make sure the soil stays moist, but not soggy. Green shoots should appear in about a month.

Lemon

If you want to be able to harvest immediately, you can buy a one- or two-year-old tree. The pot for it should be made of ceramic, clay or plastic. The size of the pot should only slightly exceed the volume of the roots of the tree. Make sure the pot has multiple holes at the bottom. It is advisable to fill the drainage container with stones, this will allow the air to circulate. You can choose the soil that has been specially formulated for citrus trees. Lemon needs moist air, so spraying the leaves regularly will help keep them fresh.

Mandarin

As with lemon, it is best to buy a dwarf tangerine tree. It will grow best in a spacious pot with drainage at the bottom and in rich soil. Also mandarin requires sunlight. It must be rotated regularly so that the light falls evenly from all directions. Water the plant regularly, although you can allow it to dry out a little between waterings. The tree can grow up to one and a half meters, and the root system along with it. As the roots begin to show through the drainage holes, it's time to transplant the mandarin into a larger pot.

Microgreen

Purchase seeds from a variety of plants, such as radishes, cabbage, beets, basil, and dill. Microgreening requires a shallow tray with drainage holes. The soil should be moistened with water, but it should not be too wet. Sow the seeds evenly into the soil, they should be close to each other, but not touching. To close them, you need to sift through a thin layer of soil. Then use a spray bottle to create a light mist. Place the tray in a sunny location. The greens can be consumed three weeks after sowing.

Mushrooms

The easiest way to grow mushrooms indoors is to use a laundry basket. You can also purchase a special kit for growing them.

Salad

Purchase seeds or seedlings. It must be planted in a box that has drainage holes. The seeds must be pushed into the soil and watered.

Green onions

No seeds are required to grow it. To grow your own crop, you just need to buy a bunch of green onions, fasten the bulbs together with an elastic band and place them in a glass of water. When new green shoots appear and roots begin to grow in the water, the onions can be transplanted into a shallow container. Plants need to be watered regularly and kept in the sun.

Tomatoes

To grow tomatoes, you will need a large pot with drainage holes. To harvest regularly, you need to plant new plants every few weeks. The seeds are immersed in the soil and watered. The soil should be moist, but not soggy. Seeds germinate in 5-10 days. After the new plants have risen a few centimeters, they must be transplanted into fresh soil. About two weeks after planting the seedlings, organic fertilizers and mixtures can be added.

Basil

For a bountiful harvest of basil, it is very important to choose a container with good drainage holes. Basil loves warm temperatures and lots of sunshine for at least six hours every day. You can fertilize the soil once a month. If the room temperature is very high, water the basil every day. If the temperature is acceptable, then every other day. Pruning can also help you maximize your basil yield. In addition, you need to remove the flowers when they start to appear.

Chivis

The pot for this type of onion must be filled almost to the top with soil. After sowing, the seeds should be covered with a thin layer of soil.The container should be in a partially shaded area. Water regularly, the soil should not dry out.

Coriander

The seeds of this plant must be sown into the soil, covered with a thin layer, and then watered. Cover the container immediately with plastic wrap, securing it with rubber bands. You need to remove it when the seedlings have already appeared and have reached the level of the film. This may take several days. Water your seedlings every day and keep them in a place that gets enough sunlight.

Ginger

It is easy to grow it. Just buy ginger root from the grocery store and cover it with soil in a container. In this case, the prospective buds should be directed face up. The container must be placed in a place that receives scattered sunlight, and you can wait for seedlings. The soil should be watered regularly and should not be dry.

Mint

Plant the seeds of the plant in a large, deep pot as mint tends to thrive. The pot should be left in a place that receives sufficient heat and sunlight. Water the mint regularly to keep the soil from drying out.

Rosemary

Start by planting the seeds in a container with holes in the bottom for drainage. It is best to use soil mixed with coarse sand. You can also add a teaspoon of lime to make the soil alkaline. The container should be placed on the sunny side. Rosemary will grow best if it is exposed to sunlight for at least six hours a day. Watering is necessary if the topsoil is dry to the touch.

The idea of ​​a garden on a kitchen windowsill is gaining popularity. All the necessary greens can always be at hand. And at the same time, no chemistry, one continuous benefit.

therefore decided to tell you about plants that can be easily grown at home.

Salad

It will not be difficult to grow it. The remaining white root from the salad must be placed in water so that it does not cover the end of the stem. Place the plant in the sun and be sure to spray water over the cut area to keep it from drying out. After a few days, you will notice the appearance of new roots and leaves. After a week, the plant can be transplanted into the soil, and the leaves must be above the ground. The crop will grow within a few weeks.

Another way is to plant the plant directly into the soil, but in this case, the first week it needs to be intensively moistened until the first shoots appear.

Ginger

Re-growing ginger is very simple. Plant an extra piece of rhizome in the ground, shoots up. Better on the sunny side, but not with direct rays. Remember to water well, and it will sprout new roots and shoots soon enough. After it has grown, you can remove it completely from the soil, cut off the necessary piece from the root and plant again.

In addition, ginger looks very attractive as a flower and will make good company with your plants on the windowsill.

Lemongrass (lemongrass)

It grows like any ordinary grass - only a glass of water and sun is enough for its root. After about a week, it will start to grow. Then you need to transplant lemongrass into a pot. When the stems are about 30 centimeters tall, they can be cut off, after which the rest continues to grow.

Leek

For cultivation, you can use the root left after eating. Place it in a glass with a little water and leave it in a sunny place, such as by a window. True, in winter it is better to find a place away from drafts. The edible part of the plant will grow as long as you want, and it will only have to be cut as needed. The water needs to be changed once a week, otherwise it is a very unpretentious plant.

Arugula

It is not demanding on the soil, the main thing is that it is sufficiently loose and always moist.Arugula seeds should be placed on top, covered with a layer of dry earth (1-1.5 cm) and sprinkled with warm water from a spray bottle. Cover with foil and place in a warm place. The first shoots will appear in 3-7 days. This is a signal to remove the film and move it to a permanent place. When the leaves reach a height of 10 cm, you can begin to feast on this spicy herb.

Fennel

There are two ways to grow it. Use the rest of the white root - place it in a glass jar of water and place it in a well-lit place. After a while, fresh herbs will appear, which can be cut off and added to food. Or the second option is to sow seeds in the soil, but in this case you will have to wait for the shoots a little longer.

Radish

Very suitable for growing on a windowsill. Seeds should be soaked in warm water two days before planting. Then plant in a pot or box, not very deep, about 2 cm. You can cover with foil, water and protect from drafts for the first time. After the shoots appear, make sure that there are not too many of them, otherwise you will not get large and tasty fruits. The second batch of radishes can be planted in the same soil, but before that, wait at least a week and use top dressing.

Mint

You can also use seeds. It is better to plant them to a depth of 5 mm, it is better to water the soil from a sprayer, mint does not like waterlogging. Seedlings will appear in two weeks. After another half month, you can already enjoy fragrant tea with mint. There is one caveat: the plant does not tolerate direct sunlight and needs shading.

A pineapple

For especially patient gardeners who love experimentation. To grow it, you need a top with leaves. In this case, you need to cut off all the remaining parts of the fruit, this must be done carefully so that the root processes are preserved (small circles on the flat base of the stem). Then you need to remove the leaves growing from the bottom to a height of 2-3 cm. Plant your pineapple in warm soil with good drainage so that water does not accumulate in it. It is necessary to water regularly only the first time, when the plant gets stronger and takes shape. Then water once a week. You will notice growth in the first few months, but it will take at least 2-3 years before you can taste your crop.

Based on materials: Rustoria
Preview photo: Хcook
 

See also:
8 vegetables that you can buy once, and then always grow

Cucumbers, peppers, carrots and even strawberries! All this can be grown on a balcony or windowsill and there is fresh, eco-friendly, and most importantly, free vegetables and fruits all year round. Right now, we will tell you how to set up a mini-vegetable garden in a city apartment.

Growing food in a city is popular all over the world. So, Britta Riley lives in a tiny apartment in New York. She came up with a vertical hydroponic vegetable garden. It takes up little space and produces a good harvest. Britta talked about her innovation at TED.

In the West, if a product is labeled eco, bio or organic, it means two things. Firstly, these products are grown, harvested and processed in accordance with environmental standards, that is, without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, growth stimulants and other "nasty". They have been certified, and serious organizations have guaranteed their quality. Secondly, organic products are much more expensive than conventional ones.

In Russia, the “clean food” market is just emerging. Biocertification and control systems have not yet been formed. And the difference in prices between organic products and ordinary vegetables and fruits sometimes reaches 1,000%! Therefore, for us, the most eco, bio and organic are products grown by our own hands.

But not everyone has dachas and relatives in the village. What should urban children do, who are accustomed to seeing potatoes washed and in nets, and greens in vacuum packages? Grow vegetables and fruits directly on the balcony or windowsill.

6 reasons to arrange a mini-vegetable garden at home

1. You can pamper yourself with fresh vegetables and herbs full of vitamins all year round.
2. Saving. Vegetables and fruits are expensive, especially in winter. With a home garden, you no longer have to adjust to the season (we eat plenty of tomatoes only in July, and apples in September).
3. You yourself can grow a plant from a tiny seed with your own hands, you can collect fruits. This is a creative activity that charges with positive energy.
4. You can improve your knowledge of biology, gain useful skills and acquire an exciting hobby.
5. Your children will see how tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables grow, and they will understand that they do not materialize miraculously in the refrigerator, their cultivation is a serious work.
6. You can surprise your friends and acquaintances. Imagine showing off your harvest by showing your window beds. 😉

What you need to grow vegetables and herbs at home

• A place... This is usually a windowsill or balcony. Better if they face the sunny side. If not, lamps will be required for additional lighting. If necessary, the window sill can be expanded or racks for "beds" can be built (the minimum distance between shelves is 50 cm).
• Capacities... Clay or plastic pots, wooden boxes can serve as beds for a home garden. The main thing is that there are holes in the bottom for draining water. It is recommended to place containers on pallets.
• Priming... There are many potting mixes available for indoor gardens. As a rule, several layers are made: peat, compost, turf. You can prepare the soil yourself, or you can buy it in a specialized store.
• Seeds... Some varieties of tomatoes or cucumbers grow well at home, while others do not even sprout. Therefore, before you start indoor gardening, you need to sit on the forums, read articles on the Internet and find out which seeds to buy.

In addition, you may need fertilizers, top dressing, a thermometer and a vessel for settling water (house plants are watered with water at room temperature, separated from chlorine).

We have the inventory, now we need to decide what to plant. The life hacker has already written about some vegetables that grow well on the windowsill.

16 foods you can grow at home

Today we will tell you about ten such plants.

Carrot

Variety: "Amsterdam".
Temperature: from 15 to 25 ºС.
Harvest: in ≈70 days.

For growing at home, you need to take miniature carrots. You can plant in boxes, pots or just cut plastic bottles with holes in the bottom. Drainage soil should be taken.

The seeds are placed in the ground to a depth of about 7 cm. When the carrots have sprouted and germinated a few centimeters, they must be thinned out, leaving the strongest shoots at a distance of about 2 cm from each other. It is not recommended to keep the beds in direct sunlight.

You need to water the carrots at home often, but you need to make sure that there is not too much moisture, otherwise the root crop will rot. From time to time, you can feed with fertilizers with a low nitrogen content (if there is a lot of it, all the growth will go to the tops). It is also very useful to loosen the soil sometimes.

Pepper

Balcony-Grown Peppers

Varieties: "Treasure island", "dwarf", "watercolor", "swallow" and others.
Temperature: from 25 to 27 ºС.
Harvest: after 100-130 days.

For growing peppers in an apartment, it is recommended to use a special soil enriched with trace elements. It is sold in gardening shops. The primer can be supplemented with hydrogels for greater friability.

The seeds are first planted in small pots, which are covered with cling film and placed in a warm place. When the first shoots appear (after one to two weeks), several small punctures need to be made in the film. After a while, the pepper will get stronger, then it can be transplanted into large pots or buckets. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the spine. The plant is rooted by a third, after which it is watered with warm (30 ºС) water.

In the future, the pepper can be watered every day.This plant loves light, so white light bulbs are recommended in addition to natural light. It is necessary to protect home-grown peppers from drafts and direct sunlight.

You can fertilize with nitrogen fertilizers, but potassium salt and potassium chloride will destroy the roots of the plant. With proper care, peppers on the windowsill can delight with fruits up to two years.

Cherry tomatoes

Varieties: "Pygmy", "bonsai", "bead" and others.
Temperature: from 23 to 25 ºС.
Harvest: after 90-100 days (depending on the variety).

The soil, as in the case of pepper, is more convenient to buy ready-made. It is recommended to take a cylindrical container: it is better filled with the root system.

First, the seeds are germinated in small pots: they are buried to a depth of 1.5 cm, covered with cling film and left in a warm place until the first shoots. When the tomatoes have risen, they are dived into a larger and deeper dish.

It is important that the plant receives uniform lighting. To do this, over the "beds" you can hang fluorescent lamps or regularly turn the containers to the window.

Watering should be done carefully: cherry is easy to pour. When the plant grows, it is recommended to loosen the soil from time to time and feed it with mineral fertilizers. If necessary, the stem of the tomato can be tied to a support (wooden skewer or pencil). It is also important to ensure that pests do not appear on the tomatoes.

By the way, not only cherry tomatoes grow well in home gardens, but also ordinary tomatoes.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers grown on the window

Varieties: "Rytov's room", "miracle on the window", "ant" and others.
Temperature: from 21 to 24 ºС.
Harvest: after 35–45 days.

For cucumbers, rather large containers are needed, with a volume of at least 6 liters. The soil should be loose, with peat or compost.

Self-pollinating cucumber varieties grow well at home. First you need to prepare the seeds: they are poured into a weak saline solution, those that have surfaced are thrown away. Then, suitable seeds are soaked for 20 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate, after which they are washed on damp gauze and planted in the ground (under a film). When the seedlings sprout and grow, they can be planted in large containers.

Home cucumbers are poured with warm water every day, but with caution. Leaves can also be sprayed with a spray bottle. Potassium nitrate is recommended as a top dressing.

When the cucumber lashes form and grow, props should be built for them so that the plant can weave.

Radish

Homegrown radish

Varieties: "Carmen", "white fang", "celeste F1" and others.
Temperature: from 18 to 20 ºС.
Harvest: after ≈40 days.

It is recommended to plant radishes in wooden or clay containers, but ordinary plastic cups can also be used. You need a loose, well-drained soil. Seeds can be tested for germination before planting, like cucumbers. Then they need to be buried to a depth of 1-3 cm.

After planting, the soil must be watered and covered with foil. When shoots appear, the "greenhouse" is removed. Radishes are generally not dived. But sometimes it is placed for two or three days in a lower temperature regime - about 15 ° C. This hardens the plant and promotes a better harvest.

Five days after the appearance of the first shoots, organic feeding is carried out, and two weeks later - mineral. Water the radish abundantly as it dries. It is also important that the air in the room where it grows is not dry.

Spinach

Homemade spinach

Varieties: "Virofle", "godry", "gigantic" and others.
Temperature: 15 ºС.
Harvest: after ≈40 days.

Spinach is a green vegetable and is considered very healthy. To grow it at home, you need containers 15–20 cm high. You can use ready-made potting mixes. The main thing is that they include peat.

It is recommended to soak the seeds in water for a day before planting. Sowing is carried out to a depth of 1–2 cm. To accelerate germination, you can cover the containers with foil. Spinach emerges about a week after planting, then it can be dived.

In winter, when the apartment is heated and when there is a short daylight hours, it is recommended to illuminate the plant with lamps and spray from a spray bottle (in addition to watering).

You can harvest when the spinach is 7-10 cm tall.

Basil

Varieties: "Marquis", "lemon", "Baku" and others.
Temperature: from 22 to 24 ° C.
Harvest: after 50–55 days.

Basil is one of the most aromatic and favorite seasonings for housewives. At the same time, it is quite unpretentious and grows well on the windowsill.

Basil is planted immediately in large containers (with a volume of at least 1.5 liters). First you need to prepare the soil for planting: water it twice with mineral fertilizers at intervals of five days. The seeds are deepened by 1–1.5 cm. Until the plant sprouts, it must be watered every two days. Further watering is carried out daily, preferably in the morning.

Basil loves the sun. Therefore, it is recommended to extend the period of insolation up to 15-17 hours a day using fluorescent lamps. Also, once every two weeks, you can loosen the soil to enrich it with oxygen.

Green garlic

Varieties: "Kharkiv", "Jubilee" and others.
Temperature: from 18 to 25 ° C.
Harvest: after 15–20 days.

Typically, garlic bulbs are used in cooking. But green shoots (arrows) are also suitable for gastronomy: they are suitable for making marinades and sauces.

Garlic varieties are divided into two groups: winter and spring. The latter usually do not produce arrows, so they are not suitable for growing at home.

For those who have ever grown onions on a windowsill, garlic will not be difficult to cope with. You need to take cloves of winter garlic, preferably with sprouted sprouts. You can take any soil mixture. Each clove is planted at a depth of 2-3 cm and at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other. After planting, be sure to water.

The container with garlic should be kept on the lightest window in the house. Water as the soil dries up. From time to time, you can feed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

Mint

Temperature: from 20 to 25 ° C.
Harvest: after ≈60 days.

Mint has a rather branched root system, so you should take a deep and wide container for planting it. It is recommended to use peat soil, any varieties.

There are two ways to plant mint: seeds and cuttings. The latter is shown in the video below.

To grow mint from seeds, you need to plant them in the ground to a depth of about 5 mm and water. To create a greenhouse effect, you can use a film. Before germination (after about two weeks), the soil should be sprayed with water every day. After germination, the mint must be planted.

Mint is unpretentious. In summer, it must be protected from direct sunlight, and in winter from lack of light and excessive watering. From time to time, the plant can be fed with organic mixtures.

Mature plants can be up to a meter in height. As a rule, they have a lot of leaves - there will be mint for tea or homemade mojito almost always.

Strawberry

Varieties: "Autumn fun", "home delicacy", "garland" and others.
Temperature: from 18 to 20 ° C.
Harvest: in ≈30 days.

For a home garden, ampelous remontant varieties of strawberries are suitable. They bear fruit all year round and are not too demanding on light. You can plant strawberries in any soil mixture. But first, drainage (expanded clay, small pebbles) should be poured onto the bottom to protect strawberries from stagnant water.

Strawberries can be grown from seedlings or seeds. Both are sold in shops for gardeners.

The seeds are planted in small containers (for example, plastic glasses), watered abundantly and covered with cling film. After the first shoots appear, the film is removed and the seedlings are placed in a well-lit place. When three to four leaves are formed, the strawberries are dived into larger containers.

This plant loves light. When days are shorter than nights, artificial lighting should be used. Watering and spraying is carried out as the soil dries up.Strawberries are easy to pour.

As a top dressing, solutions with a significant iron content are used. During active growth, strawberries grow overgrown with mustaches, they need to be tied to supports.

As you can see, growing vegetables, herbs and even berries in a city apartment is not difficult and even exciting.

If you have experience in home gardening, tell us about it. Write in the comments, what and how did you happen to grow on your windowsill.

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 stalks) - 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 bush to the sides. Then the branches 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"

to your site.