What greens can be grown on the windowsill all year round?

When planning to master the cultivation of greenery on the windowsill in winter, autumn and spring, lovers of indoor beds consider three indisputable leaders: dill, parsley and green onions.

These plants are suitable as a condiment for many dishes. They gained their popularity due to their ease of care, versatility and taste. How to grow popular and not very beaten spicy herbs in the kitchen with your own hands, what should you pay attention to so that the harvest pleases the eye and taste?

1. General recommendations for growing herbs on the windowsill
2. Requirements of different greenery
   • How to grow parsley on the window
   • Features of growing dill in an apartment
   • Fragrant basil on the window
   • Ideal salad variety for home growing
   • How to get green onions quickly in winter
   • Fragrant mint in the home kitchen
3. What else can be grown on the windowsill in the apartment

General recommendations for growing herbs on the windowsill

Almost any greenery can be grown on the windowsill in the apartment. The main thing is to choose the right variety and comply with the plant's requirements for soil composition, air humidity, watering, and temperature conditions.

Important:

• Choose unpretentious varieties, or better hybrids specially bred for indoor conditions. This will make it easier to care for and increase the chances of a crop. If you are not confident in your abilities and want to get a quick result, buy not seeds, but ready-made seedlings in pots.
• Practical greenery pots on the windowsill should be rectangular. Take a wide and shallow dish. Plastic containers are quite suitable, they are lightweight and practical to clean. Ideal for multiple use. Read more about the choice of containers here.
• Buy a light, well-drained soil for your greenery. You can prepare a mixture of vermicompost with coconut fiber. The proportion should be 1: 2. At the bottom of the pot, be sure to pour a layer of small stones, expanded clay, crushed foam, or make another drainage.
• If it's cool or blowing outside, use plastic hoods to create mini greenhouses. You can buy ready-made or do it yourself from a package.
• The optimal daylight hours for green pets are 10-13 hours. In winter, there is not enough light, especially on the north side. To illuminate the greenery on the windowsill, install lamps, it is better to buy fluorescent or special phytolamps. Regular fixtures will not work.

• Do not neglect top dressing, pick up complexes of mineral fertilizers for watering every 2-3 weeks. But make the solution less concentrated than for open ground.
• Spray green pets every other day or more with a fine spray, especially if the air in the apartment is dry.
• Do not be lazy to turn the pots in different directions to the light so that the plant develops evenly.
• To grow greenery to the apartment, it is better to take a window sill in the kitchen. The bedroom is not the best place for frequent watering, spraying, and fertilizing. In the bathroom, herbs will look ridiculous; other plants are more appropriate for landscaping.

If you do not want to be limited only to greenery, then study our tips for organizing and decorating a vegetable garden on the windowsill and find out what else you can grow in a city apartment all year round. However, for beginners, it is best start with herbs and indoor pepper. Difficult to cultivate plants can disappoint with the result and discourage the process.

Requirements of different greenery

Before heading to the store for seeds or seedlings, learn how to grow different types of greens on the windowsill, and stop at the simplest and most affordable option for you.

How to grow parsley on the window

To grow parsley in pots, you need a mixture of one part of peat, the same amount of humus and twice the amount of garden soil, disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. But it's easier to buy a ready-made universal primer.

When choosing seeds, give preference to early, fast-maturing varieties. This information is indicated on the packaging. Low-grade species and curly parsley look beautiful. It is important that the selected variety can easily tolerate frequent pruning, because you will constantly pluck the leaves to decorate dishes.

Optimal varieties for indoor conditions:

• Appetizing;
• Vorozheya;
• Aster;
• Gloria;
• Nastenka;
• Station wagon;
• Russian feast.

To increase the germination of parsley, experienced gardeners are advised to keep the seeds warm in a damp cloth for two or three days. Then you need to squeeze out excess water, place a cloth with seeds in a bag and put in the refrigerator for several days.

Basic rules for growing parsley on the windowsill:

1. Choose containers for planting with a height of at least 15 cm.
2. During planting, be sure to keep the distance between the holes at least 5 cm.
3. Deepen the seeds to a depth of 0.7-1.4 mm.
4. Immediately after sowing, cover the pot with foil or a special plastic greenhouse and place it on a lighted windowsill.
5. Provide a temperature of 17-21 degrees.
6. Moisten crops, but not liberally, otherwise mold will form. Remove the film every day, providing air access.
7. With proper care, parsley shoots will appear in one and a half to two weeks. The film can be removed.
8. Water your greens two to three times a week. Provide supplemental food once a month.
9. The optimum temperature for indoor parsley is 15-18 ° C during the day and 10-12 ° C at night.
10. Make sure that the greens are not attacked by pests. Spider mites are often transferred from other plants to parsley.

When harvesting, try not to rip off the tops, but thin out ranks... This will improve the conditions for further growth.

Features of growing dill in an apartment

When choosing which greens can be grown on the windowsill in winter, pay attention to dill - the second most popular spice in the kitchen.

To enjoy the summer aroma in a month, buy varieties with fast ripening: Gribovsky, Carousel, Early miracle, Aurora, Grenadier. You can plant varieties with different ripening periods on the same windowsill, in order to first use the early ones, and then switch to the later ones, which will just have time to grow up.

1. To select good seeds, soak them in warm water for two days, changing the water to fresh water every 12 hours. Throw away everything that comes up mercilessly, and use the rest of the material for planting.
2. Moisten the soil in the pots and make holes 1-1.5 cm deep, leaving gaps of about 4 cm.
3. Cover with soil, sprinkle with water and cover with plastic as described above for parsley.
4. Place in a warm (18 to 20 degrees) place protected from sunlight for a week.
5. When shoots appear, remove the film and place the pot of herbs on the windowsill. If it seems that there are a lot of sprouts, thin out, leaving a space of about 3 cm around each sprout.
6. Water as the soil dries. It is better to take a spray bottle as an assistant so as not to damage young seedlings.
7. Turn the pot with opposite sides to the sun so that the dill grows evenly.
8. Fertilize once every 30-45 days.

Fragrant basil on the window

Basil is another popular choice for growing fresh greenery on a windowsill in a city apartment setting. There are many varieties of basil in nature, but only a few dozen are suitable for human consumption. The leaves of the plant are used in cooking, they are ideal for salads, and for meat dishes, and for marinades.

The best varieties for a room are:

• Marquis - is distinguished by its compactness and beautiful shape of the ball;
• A dwarf is a low bush, there are species with greenery of a purple tide;
• Clove - attracts with a pleasant aroma and high decorativeness.
• Lemon - delicate scent of lemon and crown with beautiful light green leaves.
• Purple is a bright bush with large leaves.

Basil seeds are different long germination... To speed up the process, keep the seed in a warm place for 10-14 days, then soak in warm water for a day. Throw away the floating instances.

1. Make holes in the soil and plant the seeds about 3 cm apart. It is unnecessary to do large intervals, since not all crops will sprout.
2. Make a polyethylene greenhouse to accelerate germination. The plant loves light and warmth - provide a temperature of 25 ° C.
3. Moisten the mini-bed as it dries.
4. When the basil rises, thin out the excess so that there is 5 cm of free space around each plant.
5. Place on a well-lit windowsill and regularly look after the plantings - water, turn, fertilize, loosen the soil. Heat water for irrigation to 30 ° С.
6. Basil loves light, so be sure to install a backlight lamp on the windowsill and provide at least 15 hours of daylight.

For culinary purposes pick off the leaves from the tops of the bush... This will prevent blooming, which makes the grass unfit for food.

Ideal salad variety for home growing

If you are planning to plant greens on the windowsill for the first time, pay attention to watercress. This is one of the most unpretentious and fastest growing plants. Watercress seeds do not require long soaking, and seedlings are resistant to temperature fluctuations and light. The best varieties: Pepper, Ordinary, Broadleaf, Curly.

1. To get a bountiful harvest, soak watercress seeds in a mild potassium permanganate solution for a couple of hours.
2. Make good drainage at the bottom of the pot and fill it with flower soil from a bag or a mixture of two parts coconut fiber and one vermicompost.
3. Prepare holes 5-10 mm deep, sow basil and sprinkle with soil. Moisten and cover with plastic wrap.
4. The first micro-greens on the windowsill will appear in a week. Keep the pot at 17-20 degrees.
5. The higher the temperature, the more watering should be.

Watercress is one of the most unpretentious plants, it can be grown without land at all. Someone does it right in the water, and someone on foam rubber. But in a pot on the kitchen windowsill, greens look more attractive.

How to get green onions quickly in winter

To grow onion greens at home on the windowsill, you can use two options - in the soil in a pot and in water. The second method is very fast and is well known to everyone from childhood. You just need to fill the glasses with water and place the bulbs in them. Better to take those that have already begun to germinate.

Nuances of growing luka in the water:

1. The water should be warm - about 40 degrees.
2. If the bulb has not yet begun to germinate, it is recommended to cut the top by 1.5 cm.
3. Only the roots should be in the water; the bulb should not be immersed more than one third.

By the way, in the same way, you can grow an avocado from a stone at home and get a beautiful tree.

Instead of jars, it is convenient to use egg packs or special pots for growing onions at home. This is a container with holes for the bulbs. Looks neat and beautiful on the windowsill.

It is longer and more difficult to grow green onions in soil.Use bulbs for planting, as the harvest from the seeds may not wait at all.

See the video for planting bulbs on greens in a bottle.

Fragrant mint in the home kitchen

An excellent choice for home - mint with a wonderful aroma. Mint is a perennial plant that can be easily grown on a windowsill using root cuttings or seeds. The second method will take more time, but it will also bring more pleasure.

For growing mint, peat or loose humus soil with an acidity of no more than 5-6 pH is suitable. Feel free to buy a universal primer in the store and do not worry. The ideal temperature is 18-25 degrees. Plant good lighting required.

1. You need to divide the bush in the fall after the completion of the growing season. Divide the rhizomes carefully so that each portion contains dormant buds.
2. Fill the pots two-thirds full with nutrient soil.
3. Spread out the seedlings carefully and cover them with soil.
4. Drizzle with warm water.

The first leaves should appear in about two weeks.

If you bought a bunch of fresh mint, then try to get planting material using the method cuttings... Simply place a few twigs in the water by dipping them into a root stimulator (root). The roots will appear in 8-14 days. All that remains is to plant the seedlings in pots.

1. Sowing mint seeds for growing on a windowsill is best in mid-spring.
2. Fill the pot with soil, prepare the wells 0.5 cm deep and moisten the soil.
3. Sow the seeds and sprinkle on top with a little of the same soil.
4. Cover with a plastic greenhouse.
5. At a temperature of 19-25 degrees, seedlings will appear a couple of weeks after sowing.
6. Control the moisture content of the ground, avoid drying out and excessive moisture. Water using a spray method to avoid diluting crops.

When growing mint in winter, do not over-water it. Let the soil dry out slightly. Avoid drafts. Water liberally in summer, but protect fresh greens from excess direct sunlight. If conditions permit, use mint to create a fragrant atmosphere in the garden on the balcony.

What else can be grown on a windowsill in an apartment

If you are going to grow greens on the windowsill in winter, you can choose almost any type of fast growing spicy herbaceous plants. Oregano and sage celebrate themselves well in the apartment, they are not demanding of light and withstand partial shade.

Unpretentious fragrant melissa... Lemon balm seeds just need to be sown into the soil to a depth of 0.5 cm without presoaking, watered and moistened regularly. The greens will hatch in days. Melissa loves light, a lack of it reduces the production of essential oils that impart fragrance to the leaves.

It will require care, but it looks very original on the window celery... The easiest way to get celery greens is in water. Just cut the root off the stem and leave it in a container of water in a sunny place. In a few days, new shoots and roots will appear. You can transplant the plant into soil or leave it in water. Cut green leaves as needed and groom if transplanted.

Green seeds cost a penny. Try, experiment with different types and planting options. Create your own spicy mini-vegetable garden to delight yourself and the envy of passers-by looking through the windows. And for more effect decorate the pots with your own handsusing our selection of ideas. So you will be able to significantly save on the purchase of containers.

Having made it your hobby to grow herbs on the windowsill at home, you will enjoy, decorate the kitchen and always have spicy herbs on hand for salads and soups. This hobby is ideal for joint leisure activities with children and husband. Have a good harvest all year round!

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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. Growing parsley is easy, but remember that its seeds take much longer to germinate than other green crops, due to the 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 sprouting, 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, greens suitable for consumption will appear in 1-1.5 months. 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 dormant periods, so that the greens on the table are 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 window sills 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 cares, 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-turnip. 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 you do not have enough of your own turnip onions to use it for forcing, you can specially buy it in the autumn of samples - in supermarkets and specialized country shops they sell it 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) have shown themselves well; 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 elongate, 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 do not 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: features 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!

We grow onions, spinach, dill, parsley, lettuce, lemon balm, savory, mustard, basil, marjoram all year round on the windowsill.

Growing greenery indoors is easier than growing vegetables on a windowsill, but it still has its own characteristics.

Greenery in flower pots does not react as painfully to limiting the area of ​​plant nutrition to the size of the pot as to a lack of light.

Growing full-fledged greenery on a windowsill in winter will not do without additional lighting.

The key to successfully growing greenery in pots in an apartment is: the presence of the sun (at least 3-4 hours a day), heat, high-quality soil substrate and supplementary lighting in winter.

we grow greens on the windowsill

Which of the greens is easier to grow on the windowsill?

There is a simple rule of thumb:

parsley root for planting in a pot on a windowsill

Everything that is planted in a pot with roots or bulbs grows without much effort and cost, practically does not disappear and gives the first greens very quickly.

Anything planted with seeds requires a lot of patience, careful maintenance and strict housing conditions.

Parsley, planted with roots, grows very unpretentious and in two weeks already gives the first greens. Onions planted with bulbs grow well, even dipped in water, as does garlic planted with cloves. A celery stalk (root) planted in the ground will also begin to grow overgrown with greens in a couple of weeks, requiring no special care.

Dill, basil, spinach, lettuce (other greens planted with seeds) are another matter. Without enough light and warmth, growing a lush mass in a pot will be problematic, especially in winter.

celery

You will have to make some efforts to achieve a good result. In winter, additional lighting is indispensable.

A "green bed" on the windowsill can be created from store greenery. Namely:

- you can buy roots (celery, parsley) and plant them in a pot;

- you can buy store-bought greens in containers with roots (such greens are grown in hydroponics and sold with roots in special containers), then the rosette with roots from the container is transplanted into a pot (this is dill, parsley, basil, lettuce, etc.), watered abundantly and are looked after according to the standard scheme;

- you can propagate greens by cuttings, in this case they buy greens in bunches, cut off several shoots, put them in water and after 1-2 weeks the rooted cuttings are transplanted into a pot (such greens include basil, mint, lemon balm, rosemary, savory, marjoram) ...

rooting marjoram

Greenery planting time:

You can plant green seeds for growing on the windowsill in an apartment all year round. It all depends on your desire.

Greenery planted in spring and summer will grow easier and easier. There is a lot of heat, enough light, daylight hours are long. For such greenery, you will need a little vermicompost in a pot, a light window sill and systematic watering.

Greens planted in autumn and winter will require additional efforts and costs.

marjoram on the windowsill

Mainly it is the problem of providing the potted beds with enough light. In winter, on sunny bright days, the greenery will need to be illuminated in the evening (lengthening the daylight hours by 4-6 hours). And on cloudy days, also during the day, as daylight will not be enough.

When will the first harvest appear?

From the moment of planting the seeds to the appearance of ready-to-cut greens (grown on the windowsill), an average of 1-2 months will pass. Namely:

Culture	Time from landinguntil the first greens for a cut
Onion garlic	2-3 weeks for planted onions, cloves
	6-7 weeks for planted with nigella (seeds)
Parsley, Celery	2-3 weeks for root-planted
	6-7 weeks for seeded
Rucola, Purslane	2-3 weeks
Dill, Fennel, Mustard	3-4 weeks
Lettuce, Spinach, Basil, Cumin, Cilantro (coriander)	4-5 weeks
Melissa, Mint, Chervil, Catnip, Valerianella, Sorrel	6-7 weeks
Savory, Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme (thyme)	7-8 weeks (before flowering)

Seed selection:

Seeds for growing greens on the windowsill are chosen, giving preference to low-growing crops.

Root varieties are chosen from parsley and celery seeds, since with a limited area of ​​nutrition in a pot, the plant should have the largest root mass.

When buying seeds in a store, they pay attention to the expiration date, the seeds of some crops very quickly lose their germination.

They give preference to "Early" or "Early ripe" varieties.

Seeds are planted according to the instructions on the package (there are light-sensitive seeds that are not sprinkled with earth).

Preparing a quality substrate:

It is prepared from coconut fiber and vermicompost.

coconut fiber

vermicompost

To do this, mix 1 part of vermicompost with 2 parts of coconut fiber.

cocofiber (left) and vermicompost (right), prepare the substrate - 1 part vermicompost and 2 parts cocoa fiber

Drainage must be placed on the bottom. Usually it is expanded clay or gravel. The height of the drainage layer should be 2-3 cm.

expanded clay-as-drainage

Preparing containers for planting:

As containers for growing vegetables on the windowsill, take ordinary flower pots, always with holes at the bottom (for the waste of excess moisture), with a capacity of 1-2 liters. It can be other containers and boxes, 20-25 cm deep, but not less than 15 cm.

There are two ways to form bushes of greenery in pots (with and without a pick):

1. Sowing seeds for seedlings in small containers (disposable cups) or peat tablets (cups), followed by picking (transplanting) them into large pots;

planting greens through a pick

2. Sowing seeds directly into large pots.

planting greens directly in large pots (without picking)

Seed preparation for sowing:

The seeds are immersed in a warm medium potassium permanganate solution (not pink or dark red) for 2-3 hours.

preparation of seeds for planting, soaking in a solution of potassium permanganate

Then they take them out (it is recommended to take out only those seeds that have sunk to the bottom during this time, and those that have surfaced - it is better to throw them away, since the germination rate of such seeds is very low) onto a cotton pad (or a piece of cotton cloth), let them drain.

Planting seeds:

Next, the selected container is filled with the prepared mixture.

planting seeds in small cups (with a pick)

Small cups (when planting with a dive) are filled with an earthen mixture, slightly crushing, while they do not add 2 cm to the edges.Place the seeds on top and cover them with a substrate, crushing so that the height of the earthen layer above the seeds is 1-1.5 cm, watered. Light-sensitive seeds (usually indicated on the seed bag) are not sprinkled with earth, but simply crushed lightly on top.

planting seeds directly in large containers (without picking)

When planting immediately in large pots (with a capacity of 2-4 liters), without picking, a layer of expanded clay is poured onto the bottom of the pot (drainage is required), then the earthen mixture, lightly tamping, not filling up to the edges 3-4 cm. Seeds are also laid out and sprinkled with a layer land 1-1.5 cm (or just lightly crush the seeds on top, if the seeds are light-sensitive). The remaining height (2-3 cm) will be needed to raise the ground level. After about a month, add soil to the edges of the pot. This procedure replaces the pick.

Seedling picking(when forming a bush in the first way) or

adding earthen mixture(when forming a bush in the second way):

Approximately 3-4 weeks after germination, small seedlings are transplanted (dived) into large pots. They take a seedling in a small container, turn it upside down (the top of the glass will be on the palm), gently pull the glass up.

pick

In the hands were seedlings with a lump of soil in the shape of a cup. Carefully insert it into a prepared large pot with pre-poured soil mixture on drainage expanded clay or gravel and add the soil mixture to the remaining empty space around the perimeter of the large pot.

basil pick

Dive seedlings are watered abundantly already in large pots.

dive seedlings into a large pot

dived mustard seedlings

When planting seeds immediately in large pots, at the same time (3-4 weeks after germination), fill the pots with earthen substrate to the top (to the height of 2-3 cm remaining from planting seeds).

salad in a pot before adding earth

lettuce after raising the ground level

Watering and spraying seedlings:

The bushes are watered in different ways throughout the year. In the first month of life, the seedlings should be watered regularly, but very sparingly. At this stage, it is important not to overflow the seedlings, as there will be a threat of various diseases. In winter, you do not have to water them often, since there is little sun and heat.

melissa on the windowsill

In winter, they adhere to the rule "it is better not to top up than to pour." But since the end of March, moisture consumption will increase, and the sun will do its job with warmth. In summer, it is important not to let the soil dry out in pots. In the summer, they adhere to the rule "it is better to pour than not to top up."

On warm and sunny days, the bushes are systematically sprayed, it is better to do this every evening.

basil on the windowsill

Turning the bushes around its axis 1 time per day.

Seedlings and adult plants on the windowsill must be rotated 180 degrees around their axis once a day. A plant that receives light only from the side of the window tends to bend towards the light. Therefore, so that the plants are not crooked, not symmetrical and ugly, they systematically rotate them around their axis.

salad on the windowsill

Top dressing of vegetable beds in pots:

Thanks to vermicompost and pressed coconut flakes, the seedlings will grow strong and healthy, but to help them overcome difficulties such as lack of light, picking, limited feeding area, it is advisable to regularly feed with mineral or organo-mineral fertilizers during their growing season.

The first feeding is carried out two weeks after the pick, then every 2 weeks.

fertilizer growth concentrate

Top dressing is alternated. The first week the seedlings are sprayed with fertilizer (we prepare according to the instructions), the second week - they are watered under the root. Good results are obtained with ROST fertilizer (concentrate or universal). They are sold in almost all stores.

agrolife

Agrolife (concentrated chicken droppings) has also proven itself well.

Basic rules for supplementing greenery on the windowsill in winter:

On short and cloudy winter days, it is almost impossible to grow a lush green mass on windowsills. Therefore, greenery must be supplemented with artificial light, since light is very important for plant growth (light is the main component of photosynthesis, and therefore the nutrition of the entire plant).

Plants are illuminated in such a way that the total duration of daylight hours is 13-15 hours a day.

we strengthen fluorescent lamps (phytolamps) for supplementary lighting of greenery on the windowsill in winter

Fluorescent lamps of white and daylight are used as light sources at the rate of 200-300 W per 1 m2. These lamps give light close to the sun, but emit little heat and therefore can be near plants. There are also special-purpose phytolamps in stores.

When used, they are usually suspended at a height of 10-50 cm above the plants (10 cm for light-loving plants, 50 cm for shade-loving plants).

To grow herbs and herbs on the windowsill, the height should be 10-20 cm.

For example, for a windowsill measuring 30 cm by 1 meter, a 60-90 W fluorescent lamp is needed. This means we go to the store and buy one 80 W fluorescent lamp:

The required lamp power = (200 ÷ 300) x Ssill = (200 ÷ 300) x 0.3 = 60 ÷ 90 W.

For a windowsill measuring 50 cm by 1 m, you will need a power of 100-150 W (let's say two lamps of 80 W each).

For a window sill measuring 30 cm by 1.5 m, you will need a lamp power of 100-150 W.

For a windowsill measuring 50 cm by 1.5 m, you will need a lamp power of 150-220 watts.

The length of the lamp is chosen as close as possible to the size of the length of the window sill.

It is convenient to plug the lamps into special timers, and then into the socket. Then the backlight turns on itself, say at 7-00, works until 11-00 and in the evening from 16-00 to 20-00.

greenery on the glazed balcony in winter