Seedlings on the windowsill - a mini-vegetable garden in your home

Gardeners start the planting season from early March or even mid-February, depending on the region. Growing period seedlings is very important, the future harvest of vegetable crops depends on it. Not everyone in the apartment or in the house has a special area for breeding seedlings with ideal growing conditions.

Many people have to cultivate crops on window sills, despite the poor conditions for the plants in the window opening. However, experienced gardeners have already adapted to this method of growing seedlings. There are quite a few tricks and tricks for successfully breeding seedlings on the windowsill. The main point is to prepare the place for the plants. It is necessary to create optimal growing conditions. How to do this and how the gardener will learn from this helpful guide. Following the tips and tricks, even a novice gardener will be able to grow strong and healthy seedlings on the windowsill.

Content

• What seedlings are grown on windowsills
• Preparing containers for seedlings
• We create conditions for growing: temperature and lighting
• We take care of the seedlings correctly
• Pros of growing seedlings on a windowsill

What seedlings are grown on windowsills

Using window openings for breeding seedlings very popular, since often there is simply no other place in the apartment to install containers with plants. Moreover, the window is the only source of natural light. Therefore, in early spring, you can see sprouts of plants peeping out on every second windowsill. Many novice gardeners are wondering what kind of seedlings can be grown. on the windowsill... The answer is simple - any. The main thing is to create certain conditions on it. In this case, any culture will grow and gain strength. Here, the question of what order should be planted is rather important. seeds... The seeds are sown first peppers, celery and eggplant.

The optimal planting period for these crops is late February or early March.

Sowing of seeds begins in the middle or end of March tomato, Luke, cabbage... Seeds can be sown in April cucumbers... Planting, for example, tomatoes in February is impractical. They will stretch and outgrow even in the case of good growing conditions - timely lighting, sufficient humidity and optimal air temperature.

On the windowsill, seedlings of not only vegetable crops, but also flowers are bred. Sowing is carried out depending on the variety of plants and the timing of planting in open ground. In the case of flowers and vegetable crops, a distinction should be made between them. Vegetables should occupy some windowsills, and flowers others. In the case of narrow window sills, the space can be expanded with the help of tables - they are moved to the window and containers are installed on them. This expands the space for seedlings. It is important to select the optimal types of containers. The success of growing seedlings will depend on this factor.

Preparing containers for seedlings

Many cultures require picks after seed germination.Therefore, many gardeners prefer to use individual peat pots, plastic cups or peat tablets... So the seedlings will not have to be disturbed by the picking process, and in the future it will be very easy to plant them in open ground.

Popular seedling containers:

• The best option for growing seedlings on the windowsill will be special plastic or peat cassettes. It is convenient to cut them and adjust them to the size of the window sill. A separate "house" is provided for each seed. So you do not have to engage in picking and the problem of transporting seedlings to the site is removed. The cassettes are very convenient both for growing and for carrying seedlings.
• Peat pots or tablets. They are planted one seed at a time in a container. Such containers are impregnated with growth enhancers, in which the seedlings feel great. However, if the window sill is cold, it is better to resort to denser containers - wooden boxes, flowerpots. The first option is very easy to make yourself in accordance with the size of the window sill. In the case of a cold window opening, it is necessary to overlay the container with foam or other insulation. This is done so that the root system does not cool down.
• Many gardeners plant seeds in plastic cups and put them in wooden crates. The option is convenient in that the plants will not freeze on a cold windowsill, and the transportation of seedlings to the site will take place without deformations and breaking fragile stems. Plastic retains moisture and heat well, and a wooden box will protect the cups from hypothermia.

Having prepared containers for future seedlings, you can start creating optimal conditions on the windowsill.

We create conditions for growing: temperature and lighting

Seedlings of any culture love warmth, moisture and good diffused light. Growing plants on the windowsill is complicated by a lack of light and humidity:

• Often the window opening is characterized by temperature changes, if it is not a euro-window. However, the situation can be remedied. Optimal conditions on the windowsill are created with the help of improvised means that are in every home. To organize the lighting necessary for the seedlings, reflective screens should be installed on the windowsill - foil, metal or mirrors. They are installed from the side of the room. This is done in order to uniformly illuminate the plants. Otherwise, the seedlings will stretch up, they will be pale and weak.
• In an apartment or house, as a rule, the air is very dry. This factor is not conducive to growing strong and healthy seedlings... Therefore, a humid environment should be created in the area of ​​the window opening. This is very easy to do. Wet towels are thrown at the radiators near the window. Care must be taken to ensure that the matter is always moist and does not dry out. Over the seedlings themselves, water at room temperature is sprayed every day from a spray bottle. This will increase the humidity indicator. Today many people use electric humidifiers. If the window sill is cold, the containers should be insulated with polystyrene or other insulation.

For germination seeds should be maintained at an air temperature in the range of 22 ° to 24 °. As soon as sprouts appear, the temperature is lowered to 10 ° -15 ° for a couple of days. Then it should be increased again to 20 °. If seedlings are sown in February, they should be highlighted with a special lamp for plants. The backlight is installed above the seedlings, not on the side or below. Typically, a standard window sill requires two lamps, depending on the technical parameters of the equipment. Plants should be illuminated in winter and early spring from 2 to 4 hours - in the morning and in the evening.

So daylight hours are artificially added - plants should receive light for 14-16 hours.

If the seedlings are grown on the north side, then it must be highlighted all day.Lamps should be selected with red and blue radiation. It is these parts of the spectrum that promote plant growth. Always use a simple formula when choosing a backlight lamp. For full illumination of 1 sq. m will require a lamp power of 8,000 lux. Based on this indicator, choose lighting equipment.

Observing all the subtleties of organizing conditions for growing plants on the windowsill, the grower will grow strong and healthy seedlings. It will not stretch, wither and hurt. In addition to the created growing conditions, the gardener should take care of the care of the seedlings.

We take care of the seedlings correctly

If the plants receive enough light and moisture, this does not mean that you can forget about the seedlings and wait for the season for planting them in open ground.

Care Tips:

• It is advisable to feed the plants with natural fertilizers - mullein, nettle or well-rotted humus, if it was not introduced into the substrate.
• An important factor is regular watering plants. Use for these purposes only settled water at room temperature. You cannot take tap water for irrigation.
• Make sure that the soil does not dry out, especially if the seedlings are planted in peat pots or tablets. Such a container does not hold moisture well. Therefore, you should constantly moisten both the substrate and the container at the same time. However, plants cannot be poured - root rot or a black leg will appear. The soil should be moderately moist, not damp.
• Fertilizers are applied only after the appearance of at least three full-fledged leaves. Before applying mineral complexes for the growth of seedlings, be sure to moisten the soil abundantly. The measure will protect the plant from burns.
• Monitor the humidity of the air. Throw wet towels over radiators or use an electric humidifier. As soon as a stable above-zero temperature is established outside, start hardening the seedlings.
• Take containers out onto the balcony or terrace. Re-enter the house at night to avoid hypothermia in the event of unexpected frosts. The hardening procedure is carried out every day. So the plants will get stronger and will be ready for transplanting into open ground.
• Timely aeration of the premises is of great importance. Ventilate the room periodically, but do not create drafts. It is better to do this already in a warm season. There is no need to open the vents at night, the plant may be overcooled.
• Timely dive seedlings, if they were not originally planted in separate containers. Otherwise, the plants will be weak, they will not fully develop. The pick is best done in the late afternoon. Do this carefully so as not to damage the fragile root system.

Seedling care is not difficult if optimal conditions for growing on the windowsill have been created.

Pros of growing seedlings on a windowsill

One of the biggest benefits of growing seedlings on a windowsill is access to natural light. Even if it is not even complete, it plays the most important role in the formation of plants. It is very easy to organize the necessary environment for seedlings on the windowsill - a small area can be easily turned into a temporary greenhouse.

If you add a special lighting for plants to the window sill equipped for seedlings, then a strong and healthy planting material will grow. Therefore, it is not worth discounting window sills for growing seedlings. Sometimes in the apartment there are simply no other places for breeding planting material. The windowsill will be the perfect place in this case. Seedlings will be indistinguishable from those grown in special greenhouse conditions. The only thing the gardener will need to take care of is the creation of certain conditions in the window opening.

Growing seedlings on a windowsill is still one of the most common methods of growing seedlings.

By choosing the southern direction of the windows for plants, the gardener will be able to grow full-fledged, strong and healthy seedlings, despite the skeptical views of modern plant breeders. Our ancestors have always used this method and have never been left without a bountiful harvest. Modern equipment - lamps and air humidifiers - will only help in this difficult matter of growing seedlings on the windowsill. The main task in the preparation for planting seeds is the organization of the place. This is the installation of reflective screens, insulation, in the case of cold window sills, and air humidifiers. Having done everything right, the gardener will definitely enjoy strong and healthy seedlings!

More information can be found in the video.