Growing lemon balm on a windowsill in winter. Vegetable garden on the windowsill. What can you grow on a windowsill? Greens on the windowsill all year round for beginners: necessary conditions for growing seeds

Growing lemon balm on a windowsill in winter. Vegetable garden on the windowsill. What can you grow on a windowsill? Greens on the windowsill all year round for beginners: necessary conditions for growing seeds

20.06.2020 Boilers

Many housewives have large windowsills and are thinking about how to grow herbs at home. In fact, there is nothing complicated; many types of green plants do not require special care, feeding or additional lighting. Greens can be grown all year round. It is tasty and healthy, especially during periods of vitamin deficiency. You can grow irreplaceable food additives.

Juicy spicy greens are indispensable for activating metabolic processes in the body; they have an expectorant, disinfectant, and diuretic effect. But first things first.

It is better to grow greens in plastic containers; wooden boxes are not practical, they are heavy and often leak. In one long container, you can plant several varieties of herbs at once, but taking into account their combination with each other and watering conditions. For example, dill, parsley and celery can get along in one container, but marjoram, thyme and oregano need their own separate space.

The most optimal composition of the earth (soil) is peat, soil, river sand and sawdust, taken in equal proportions. For drainage, it is advisable to place pebbles or expanded clay in a layer of up to 5 cm at the bottom of each vessel. To create the required level of humidity, you will need a piece of plastic film or caps made from plastic bottles. They need to cover the sown seeds for faster germination.

All types of greens, how to grow

Growing greens at home has its own characteristics for some types of greens. The easiest ways to get a harvest of onions, dill and parsley.

To obtain large and juicy arugula leaves, containers should be kept in sufficient light and humidity levels. The top layer of soil should be constantly moist. Rucolla loves moisture, as well as fertilizing and nitrates. Seeds are sown to a soil depth of 11-12 cm, covered with a small layer of soil on top - up to 1.5 cm. Within a week you can expect the first shoots to appear. When the leaves reach a height of 7 cm, they can be cut and added to salads.

Celery prefers to grow in fertile, nutritious and moderately moist soil. Planting seeds are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate, soaked for a day in warm water, wrapped in a damp cloth and left for some time in a dark place. It is important not to let the fabric dry out and spray it from time to time.

The hatched seeds are ready for planting. Place the seeds on a layer of soil at a distance of up to 6 cm from each other, sprinkle with a small layer of soil, and place in a warm, illuminated place. The optimal temperature for celery is 25 g. Sufficiently overgrown plants will need to be thinned out and the soil loosened. The best varieties for home cultivation: delicacy, snow globe, apple, mushroom.

Green juicy spinach leaves are rich in provitamin A, vitamins PP, B, C, vitamin B2, mineral salts, easily digestible iron, and iodine in large quantities. For anemia, this vitamin and mineral composition of spinach is simply irreplaceable. With regular use, hemoglobin will increase, vision and pancreas function will improve, and blood vessels will strengthen. But children and people with high acidity need to take spinach very carefully. It contains a lot of oxalic acid.

Greens at home, like spinach, require good watering and long-term lighting. First, the seeds are soaked for 2-3 hours in warm water, then planted in containers to a depth of 1.5 cm. The optimal room temperature is -18-21 g. After a couple of weeks, the crops need to be fed with mineral fertilizers to form wide and lush bushes. After 1-1.5 months, fresh greens are ready to eat. The following varieties are easy to grow on window sills: Virofle, Mazurka, fat-leaved Victoria, Melodiya.

Borago and marjoram

Contains vitamin C, carotene, smells like fresh cucumbers. Borago is sown with seeds at a planting depth of up to 1.5-2 cm in fairly fertile soil. Containers should not be placed in drafts. The place should be warm and the soil should be of high quality.

If such conditions are created, after 2 weeks you will be able to admire the first shoots, and after 1.5 months, cut the first juicy leaves for salads, which, by the way, can replace cucumbers if they are not on your table in winter.

Do not cut or throw away the arrows that appear on the grass with purple flowers. They have a pleasant smell and taste of honey, they can be dried, added to baked goods, desserts and even to homemade liqueurs and liqueurs.

Marjoram is an unfamiliar spice for many; it is sold in bags as a dried seasoning for adding to meat dishes, soups, appetizers, salads, and pates. It can be grown at home, in flower pots. Marjoram is included in traditional medicine recipes for the treatment of kidneys, liver, respiratory organs, helps with headaches, toothaches, and is a good sedative.

Marjoram is an unpretentious plant; growing it at home is quite simple.

Drainage is placed at the bottom of the container, a layer of earth up to 15 cm is placed on top, then seeds with a depth of up to 2 cm are placed, lightly sprinkled with earth on top.
Afterwards, the soil can be watered and placed on window sills with moderate lighting, but avoid drafts.
In a couple of weeks the first shoots will appear.
In another 15-20 days - the first harvest.

Plants require regular watering.

Lettuce and mustard

The salad is low-calorie and is used in many diet menus to normalize blood pressure and prevent sclerosis.

Drainage is poured into the bottom of the boxes, a layer of earth up to 13 cm in height is placed on top, then a small layer of nutrient mixture. You can sow the salad tightly, water it well, cover it with film and keep it warm. When seeds germinate, move the boxes to brighter windowsills. The first seedlings after the appearance of 1-2 leaves should be picked and planted. For rapid growth of lettuce, the soil should be fertilized and fertilizers should be applied in combination. Watering 3-4 times a week to keep the leaves juicy and fresh. In about a month, the first harvest will be ready for harvest.

Watercress contains carotene, sulfur, potassium salts, vitamin C. By adding salad to the diet, blood pressure and sleep are normalized. Lettuce is not picky about growing conditions. Grows in the shade, on windowsills facing north. Soil up to 12 cm is poured into the container, seeds are planted with a depth of 1 cm, and lightly covered with the top layer of soil.

For quick entries to appear, you need to water abundantly. After 2-3 weeks, the juicy leaves will be ready to eat. Lettuce grows well when fertilized with mineral fertilizers, in sufficiently moist soil, the drying out of which is unacceptable. Overheating of the air or insufficient watering will lead to coarsening of the leaves, stretching of the stems, and the formation of inflorescences. This salad is no longer suitable for food. Pepper, curly, common, and broadleaf varieties overwinter well on the windowsill.

Mustard greens grow well next to watercress. The seeds must first be soaked, after swelling, placed on prepared soil in boxes, sprinkled with a layer of up to 1.5 cm of soil on top, and covered with film to speed up germination. Keep in a dark place until they appear. As soon as the first shoots appear, you need to remove the film from the plants and expose them to light. The first harvest is in 15-25 days.

Mustard does not need to maintain high temperatures and excessive light. The best place is cool, shaded, and watered moderately.

Green onions: growing in boxes (video)

Parsley, dill, basil and onion

Thickened seedlings should be thinned out. Feed min. Fertilizers can be applied after the first harvest of parsley and dill.

Mediterranean cuisine is not complete without aromatic basil. He loves light and warmth. In winter, it is worth taking care of additional lighting and daily watering. You can plant the seeds in flower pots. When the first shoots appear, apply complex fertilizers. To prolong the life of the plant, remove flower stalks when flowering.

What is easy to grow on a windowsill are onions.

A jar of settled water is enough for him. Scald the onion with boiling water and place it in a jar so that only the roots touch the water. When green arrows appear, cut them off periodically. New arrows will appear again until the bulb wrinkles, but the water must be changed regularly.

To grow green onions in containers, add a layer of soil up to 7-8 cm, plant the bulbs, and sprinkle with soil. Expose the drawers to light, preferably south-facing windows. If there is insufficient lighting, the taste and beneficial substances of the onion will be lost.

For forcing on feathers, it is better to plant small bulbs up to 2 cm in diameter. Plant in the ground at a distance of 2 cm from each other, half the volume of the bulb.

Growing greens on the windowsill quickly and easily. Stock up on the necessary seeds in the fall. Delicious, fresh and aromatic spices will always come in handy in winter.

How to grow dill at home in winter (video)

Gallery: greens at home (15 photos)

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In winter and early spring, we often feel a lack of vitamins and spend money on expensive store-bought citrus fruits, foreign fruits, and buy vitamins at the pharmacy, although the easiest way is to grow fresh herbs on our windowsill, which will make up for the lack of vitamins and quench our longing for spring grass. Moreover, growing greens at home is a simple and very enjoyable process.

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Greens at home

How to grow greens on a windowsill

To grow greens at home, you may need:

wide and shallow pots or containers;
high-quality substrate for vegetable seedlings - the best combination of vermicompost and coconut fiber in a 1:2 ratio;
drainage material – small pebbles or expanded clay;
plastic caps or bags for creating mini-greenhouses;
fine sprayer for watering the soil;
liquid mineral or organic fertilizer;
phytolamps or fluorescent lamps for organizing long daylight hours.

You can grow greens on a windowsill from seeds, or you can buy greens already planted in pots and containers at a garden center, plant them at home in larger containers and take care of them by cutting the harvest - these plants will last you for several months. You can also propagate purchased greens from cuttings. However, you will enjoy greens grown from seeds longer.

Low-growing crops are usually chosen for growing on a windowsill. When purchasing seeds, be sure to pay attention to their expiration date, since the seed of some plants quickly loses its viability. When choosing varieties, give preference to early, or early ripening, and bushy ones.

Conditions for growing greens at home

You can grow greens in an apartment all year round, but seeds sown in spring and summer germinate more easily, since there is a lot of heat and light at this time - the plants only need a little humus, a well-lit place and regular watering. How to grow greens in winter?

Greens sown or planted for forcing in the autumn-winter period will require great effort and expense, since they will need additional lighting. On sunny winter days, additional lighting will be needed in the evening to increase daylight hours by 4-5 hours, and on cloudy days, additional lighting will be required in the morning. The total daylight hours should be 13-15 hours. The lamps are placed above the plants at a height of 10 to 50 cm - the height depends on how light-loving the crop is. The more the plant needs lighting, the lower the lamp should be located.

It is very convenient to use timers, which can be purchased at garden pavilions: you set the necessary parameters on the device, and the backlight turns on and off at a certain time.

In addition, both seedlings and adult plants need to be rotated 180º once a day so that they all receive even lighting.

Growing greens in winter requires adherence to a watering regime, and although it is different for each crop, you should take into account that your greens grow in close proximity to heating devices that dry out the air in the room. To increase the air humidity that green crops need, you can place containers of water around the crops or cover the radiators with damp towels, and watering should be done with settled water at room temperature.

As for fertilizing, using natural organic matter at home is not very convenient, although it is the best fertilizer for vegetables and green crops, and the best mineral fertilizer to use is Rainbow.

What plants are grown on the windowsill?

What kind of greens can be grown on the windowsill? Leaf lettuce, herbs (parsley, dill, basil, cilantro, marjoram, lemon balm, mint), onions and garlic, spinach and mustard. The easiest ways to grow parsley and celery from the root, watercress, as well as onions and garlic.

Planting parsley and celery

There are two ways to grow parsley - sowing seeds and planting root crops for forcing.

If you prefer the seed method, then in order for seedlings to appear faster, wrap the seed in gauze and hold it for half an hour under warm running water, and then leave it wet for 24 hours. Sow the seeds in a container with a drainage layer and substrate to a depth of half a centimeter, only lightly sprinkling the substrate on top. Until the seedlings appear, the crops are kept in the dark and watered moderately every other day, but as soon as the seeds germinate, move the container with the crops to the windowsill of a well-lit window and thin out the seedlings, leaving a 4 cm interval between them.

You can try parsley from seeds in just a month and a half, when the seedlings reach a height of 10-12 cm. The best varieties of parsley for seed cultivation are Sugar, Urozhaynaya, Beads, Astra, Vorozheya, Fitness, Emerald Lace or Borodinskaya.

If you prefer to grow greens at home from root vegetables, then choose short thick parsley roots no more than 5 cm long and no less than 2 cm in diameter, preferably with petioles and always with an apical bud. Also choose celery roots that are thick and not very long. Place a drainage layer in a pot disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate, then fill the container with substrate, moisten it, plant the root crops in the soil at an angle so that there is a layer of soil 2-3 cm thick above the top point.

If you plant root vegetables in a box or container, keep a distance of 2-3 cm between them, and 4-5 cm between rows. Place the containers in a cool place - for example, on a glazed balcony or loggia, water moderately, and when sprouts appear, move the box to the windowsill. Don’t forget to turn the bowl with greens 180º every day, and if there is not enough light, arrange additional lighting. Parsley and celery develop at temperatures from 15 to 20 ºC. If the necessary conditions are met, the greens can be cut in just 3.5-4 weeks.

By the way, celery, like parsley, can be grown from seeds: it loves fertile soil and good lighting. Under optimal conditions, one branch of celery can produce about a hundred succulent leaves, which can be plucked off as needed.

Planting on salad greens

We have already posted an article on the website about how to grow watercress on a windowsill, and now we will tell you how to grow leaf lettuce at home.

Lettuce is a light-loving crop, so when grown in autumn and winter it will need additional lighting. Part of the problem of insufficient lighting can be solved by choosing a variety: salads such as Vitamin, Emerald Lace, New Year's, Snowflake, Raspberry Ball, Zorepad, Golden Ball, Lollo Bionda and Lollo Rossa do not require too long daylight hours.

In addition, with low air humidity, lettuce leaves acquire a bitter taste, and the plants begin to form flower shoots. These two factors - lighting and air humidity - which greatly influence the growth of lettuce, must be taken into account when growing it at home.

A container for sowing lettuce is needed with a depth of about 20 cm - a box, container or pot. Treat the vessel with a disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate, place a drainage layer of expanded clay or padding polyester on the bottom - it absorbs excess moisture and then evaporates it, humidifying the air. The salad substrate can be purchased at the store, or you can make it yourself from ordinary garden soil, rotted manure and peat in equal parts. Add a kilogram of sand and wood ash and a tablespoon of urea and Nitrophoska to one bucket of soil, mix thoroughly, place in containers and moisten.

Sow lettuce seeds in furrows up to 1 cm deep, made at a distance of 15 cm from each other, sprinkle the substrate on top and lightly compact the surface. Place a plastic cap on the dish to create a greenhouse effect and place it in a warm, lighted place. A week after the emergence of seedlings, the seedlings are thinned out in increments of 1-2 cm, and when they develop 2-3 true leaves, they are thinned out a second time, leaving an interval between copies of at least 4 cm.

By observing how the seedlings develop, you yourself will determine when you need to water the substrate and whether the seedlings have enough light. It is better to spray the leaves daily, and once a week you should feed the plant with a solution of fermented cow dung in water in a ratio of 1:10.

Planting onion greens

Forcing onions into feathers is an activity that a younger student can do. Each of us grew green onions as children by dipping the bulb, roots, into a mayonnaise jar of water through a cardboard circle with a hole in the center. This simple method is scientifically called “growing onions hydroponically.”

The main condition for growing onions this way is that only the roots should be in the water, otherwise the onion will begin to rot. Before putting the roots of the onion in water, scald it with boiling water and carefully cut off the top with a sharp knife. When the feathers begin to grow, cut them for food until the bulb shrivels, and as soon as this happens, the head that has become unusable must be replaced with a fresh one.

Onions are also grown in soil, into which it is advisable to add a hydrogel soaked in a solution of the Gumi preparation. The fact is that at home, the soil dries out quite quickly due to heating devices operating at full power in winter, and the hydrogel does not allow the bulbs to lack moisture. There is no need to immerse the bulbs completely in the ground; it is enough that only a third of the head is in the ground. It is convenient to grow onions in two containers, planting them in each with an interval of 2 weeks: by the time you finish eating the greens that grew in the first box, the greens in the second will already have grown.

Planting spinach on greens

Spinach is sown in boxes about 15 cm deep and grown at a temperature not exceeding 18 ºC on the windowsills of southern windows, since it really needs good lighting. If there is not enough light, then the temperature of the content should be lower. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked in water overnight, and then disinfected for 2-3 hours in a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Sow spinach in a ready-made soil mixture for decorative indoor plants, making grooves 1.5-2 cm deep in it at a distance of 6 cm from each other. The interval between seeds in the furrow should be 4 cm. As soon as seedlings appear, watering the seedlings should become regular and abundant, and the leaves should be sprayed frequently.

3-4 weeks after the emergence of seedlings, instead of picking the seedlings, you need to add a 2-3 cm layer of soil into the container. Around the same time, the spinach can already be cut for food. One sowing of spinach will last you for a month to a month and a half.

Planting dill on greens

The popularity of dill in winter is as high as parsley and green onions. To plant greens for the winter, it is preferable to choose varieties such as Gribovsky, Grenadier, Kaskelensky, Armenian-269 and Uzbek-243 - they produce abundant harvests in light, humus-rich soil.

If you want to eat fresh dill all winter, sow it after a month and a half. To fill a 15x40 container with crops, 3 g of dill seeds is enough. It is better to use peat soil as a substrate. Before sowing, dill seeds, like spinach seeds, need to be soaked in water for a day, changing it every 6 hours, then they are placed for disinfection in a strong solution of potassium permanganate.

Sow dill on top of wet soil in grooves made at a distance of 15 cm from each other, and sprinkle them on top with a layer of dry soil 1-2 cm thick, cover the containers with film and place them on the windowsill. The optimal temperature for germinating dill seeds is 18 ºC. After 7-10 days, when shoots appear, the film should be removed.

Caring for dill is easy: Regular but moderate watering is necessary, and spraying is carried out daily, the temperature is maintained within 18 ºC, every day the container with greens is turned 180 º and once every two weeks after watering, liquid Rainbow fertilizer is added to the substrate in the concentration specified in the instructions.

The time to harvest dill comes 4-5 weeks after emergence.

Planting basil on greens

Basil seeds will take a very long time to germinate, since their high content of essential oils slows down this process. You can propagate basil by rooting fresh stems in water - after just five days they will grow roots, and the cuttings can be planted in a pot. If you still want to grow basil from seeds, then you need to soak the seed in water for two days, changing it regularly, and after sowing, cover the container with film and place it on a south-facing windowsill.

After the emergence of seedlings, the film is removed, and in the development phase of the seedlings, 5-6 leaves are pinched to enhance tillering. Feed the basil with nitrogen fertilizer, and if buds appear on the plant, cut them off, otherwise the plant will form flowers and not grow leaves.

Basil is grown on southern windowsills at a temperature of 25 ºC, moistening the substrate every day in the morning, carefully loosening the soil around the seedlings every three days and protecting the plant from drafts and sudden temperature changes.

Planting cilantro on greens

Cilantro, or coriander, is a cold-resistant, unpretentious plant that is sometimes called Chinese parsley, but the aroma of cilantro is deeper and brighter than that of parsley, and the leaves are more tender. For growing at home, the cilantro varieties Smena, Luch or Yantar are more suitable.

In order for the seeds to germinate, they are kept in damp sawdust at an air temperature of 17-20 ºC. As soon as the seeds hatch, they are planted in moist soil to a depth of 2 cm, maintaining a distance between rows of 5-10 cm, sprinkled with a layer of substrate on top, covered with film and placed in a bright place. It is necessary to lift the film daily to ventilate the crops and keep the soil moist. Coriander shoots will appear in two to three weeks.

At first, they need high air humidity, which can be provided by daily spraying of the seedlings. Water cilantro frequently, not allowing the substrate to dry out completely, and the temperature must be maintained at 10-12 ºC, so the best place for the plant is a glassed-in balcony or loggia. Feed coriander with a solution of complex fertilizer Flora - dilute 3-5 ml in a liter of water.

The first harvest can be harvested after a month, but after cutting, cilantro does not grow back, so it is better not to cut the stems, but to pinch off the leaves from them.

Planting thyme on greens

Thyme, or thyme, or savory can be grown at home without any difficulty. Place a 2 cm thick layer of drainage in the pot, then fill it with soil for vegetables, spread thyme seeds over the surface, sprinkle them on top with a 1.5-2 cm thick layer of soil and carefully moisten them through a fine spray. Place the crops in a bright place, protected from direct sunlight. When the shoots appear, they need to be thinned out. Water thyme as needed. In winter, it is advisable to provide additional lighting for the plant.

Planting lemon balm on greens

Melissa is also easy to grow at home. You can dig up a lemon balm bush in the garden in the fall, transplant it into a pot and keep it in your apartment in winter. You can plant layerings or cuttings of the plant in a pot, or you can grow lemon balm from seeds.

Sow seeds soaked for several hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate into the mixture of humus and coconut fiber, which we have already mentioned, to a depth of one and a half centimeters, after which the substrate is moistened and covered with film. The covering is removed when the first shoots appear, and when they grow, they are planted in separate larger pots. Melissa requires regular watering and spraying the leaves with water, but make sure that the water does not stagnate in the roots of the plant. Melissa is photophilous, but grows well in partial shade; the plant tolerates cold and heat well.

Planting sage greens

It makes sense to grow sage at home. Before sowing, its seeds are laid out for pecking on damp gauze for a day. Sow sage in a large pot or container with a drainage layer at least 2 cm thick, which is filled with fertile loose soil on top of the drainage.

If you decide to use garden or vegetable soil, it must be sterilized by steaming or roasting in the oven before sowing. The seeds are immersed in the soil to a depth of 5 mm, after which the surface of the substrate is moistened with a fine spray. Place the pot in a dark place and make sure that the soil in it does not dry out.

Sage, like lemon balm, grows well in partial shade, but if it is exposed to bright light for 6 hours every day, the aroma of the plant will become stronger. Grown sage does not need frequent watering, but it needs to be moistened generously. Sage does not like drafts and needs daily spraying with water.

Planting on oregano greens

The oregano plant, or oregano, is so unpretentious that it grows well in apartment conditions for several years. Oregano is grown from seeds, sowing them in separate pots with a drainage layer and any soil - in this regard, the plant is not picky. However, you need to keep the crops on a sunny windowsill, since oregano loves the sun very much. The seeds are buried half a centimeter, then the surface of the substrate is carefully moistened, after which the pots are covered with film, leaving a small hole into which air will flow. Until the shoots appear, the crops are kept in the shade.

Shoots will appear no earlier than in two to three weeks, and during this time you must ensure that the substrate in the pots is moist. When the seeds begin to germinate, move the crops to the windowsill. When growing oregano in winter, you will most likely have to provide additional lighting to the seedlings. Water oregano once every two days, but the leaves should be sprayed daily.

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After this article they usually read

Not everyone has a dacha, but every family needs fresh parsley, dill, and green onions. The solution is simple: growing greens on the balcony or on the windowsill will allow you to have vitamin seasonings all year round. Some housewives tried this method and gave up because the herbs turned out tasteless and not aromatic. The reason is improper care: in winter there is little light in the apartment, too dry air and other unfavorable conditions that need to be taken into account when growing vegetables at home.

What can you grow at home?

They can grow in a small amount of soil, so they can be grown in containers, boxes and pots on a windowsill.

Suitable for growing at home:

dill;
leaf mustard;
parsley;
green onions;
watercress;
celery;
leaf salad;

You can start creating a home garden with green onions. It does not require soil - take a jar with a narrow neck, fill it with water and place the onion so that its edges rest on the sides of the container and the roots are immersed in the liquid. You will only need to change the water from time to time and cut off the green sprouts for food. When the bulb shrinks and becomes soft and shoot growth stops, replace it with a fresh specimen.

It’s easier to grow each species in a separate container, so you can choose the right soil composition, provide the necessary conditions and watering. In addition, a large heavy box is difficult to move and turn towards the light so that the plantings are evenly illuminated. You can grow each species and variety separately in small pots and containers, take them out onto the balcony in good weather, and bring them indoors when there is a threat of frost. For proper hydration, there must be drainage holes in the bottom. It’s easy to fit a tray under a compact container, and excess liquid will not create puddles on the windowsill.

When you have little space or containers, you have to grow different types of greens in one container. Group plants according to their heat-loving qualities: dill, watercress, celery and parsley in one container; in the other - thyme, marjoram, basil.
Don't forget to allocate at least one container for children. Let them decide for themselves what herbs will grow there, sow the seeds with you, and take care of their own plantings. Even a first grader can do this kind of work. Explain that plants are alive and can die of thirst, and the child will become responsible for their pets.

You need to start work by preparing the necessary equipment and materials. Containers should have drainage holes. To prevent excess moisture from accumulating on the windowsill, place containers on pallets. In winter, the air in apartments is often too dry. Add hydrogel to the soil; it will supply the roots with moisture if you forget to water the plantings on time. Place small pebbles on a tray and regularly moisten the stones, then the plants will not suffer from dryness at home.
Each crop requires a special approach when planting and growing.
Green onions can be grown either in water or in soil. Take sets or small onions and plant them in the ground 2 cm from one another, burying them halfway into the ground.
For feathers, you can plant perennial onions in boxes. Dig it up from your garden, cut off the green feathers and plant it in a container.
Parsley seeds germinate slowly due to the abundance of essential oils. Soak the grains for a day in a saucer of water, and then sow. You can plant rhizomes with a good apical bud in the ground, placing long roots obliquely.
Sow watercress in rows at 10 cm intervals.
Leaf lettuce seeds should be sown in separate holes, so that the distance between plants is about 5 cm. You can sprinkle several grains into each hole, and then leave the strongest specimens.

At home, vegetables are usually grown whose aerial parts are eaten. To ensure that shoots and leaves develop well, sow herbs during the waxing moon. If you need good rhizomes, sow when the night star is in its waning phase.

Place expanded clay on the bottom of the container, then the nutrient mixture. You can purchase it in a store or prepare a composition from the same amount of peat, sawdust and sand. After sowing, sprinkle the seeds with a 0.5 cm thick layer of soil, cover the container with film and keep in a warm, dark place until shoots emerge. To ensure that the green conveyor constantly supplies you with fresh seasonings, make new plantings every 2 weeks.

How to properly grow greens on the balcony
For those who do not have a summer house, you can grow greens on an open balcony in the summer. If you build deep boxes, you can sow other crops: carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes. In summer, caring for plantings in boxes is not much different from cultivating herbs in open ground, the only difference is that the soil dries out quickly and watering should be more frequent. Frost-resistant species can be sown as soon as warm days arrive, while basil, rosemary and other southern crops are kept at home on the windowsill and taken outside only when the spring frosts end.
In winter, greens can be grown on glazed and well-insulated loggias. Try to plant unpretentious species that can withstand a short cold snap. Don’t forget about lighting; equip your balcony with comfortable fluorescent lamps. If stationary boxes are used for planting, which cannot be brought indoors during severe frosts, keep heaters at the ready.
Residents of the southern regions can also grow heat-loving crops on glass loggias: basil,. You need to plant greens only in small containers, which can be easily brought into a warm room if the weather forecast is unfavorable. It is desirable that all bindings have sashes. Winter in the South is unpredictable; even in January the temperature can rise to +20⁰. On warm, clear days, open the windows to let your plants enjoy the sun and fresh air.

Caring for greens at home
In the northern regions, in winter, plantings do not have enough light, so often the greens on the windowsill grow tasteless and without aroma. The plants themselves will tell you that it is too dark for them: they will begin to stretch upward. Install energy-saving lamps and provide your pets with at least 12 hours of daylight. To take full advantage of the light's brightness, surround the containers with mirrors or foil.
The next problem is crowding. Each bush should have enough space to develop. If you sprinkled the seeds too thickly when sowing, destroy the excess specimens. When plants have more space, they will produce more tasty, juicy shoots and leaves. If you notice that buds are appearing on the plantings, trim the flower stalks and the greenery will be more luxuriant and tender.
For good development, plants need sufficient watering. In very dry apartments, be sure to add hydrogel to the soil, and cover the surface of the soil between the plants with small pebbles. Water at least every other day and spray the greens with a spray bottle. If the soil begins to crust, loosen it. Every 2 weeks, feed your garden on the windowsill with a solution of complex fertilizer.

Greens for sale
If the area of your apartment allows, growing herbs at home on the windowsill can be a good addition to the family budget. There are many methods that allow you to organize your business selling herbs. If you wish, you can build racks in several tiers or purchase a hydroponic installation. There are entrepreneurs who earned start-up capital from parsley and dill. To be able to promote your business, you need commercial skills, and an ordinary housewife can simply sell excess greens.
You don’t have to stand at the market; you can meet a seller of herbs and give the herbs for sale. Another option: offer your products to a small cafe or snack bar. Owners of small establishments are already tired of imported herbs, which are expensive, look good, but cannot boast of any taste. They will be happy to buy from you spicy bunches, which half an hour ago grew in fertile soil on your windowsill and absorbed the aromas familiar from childhood.
The easiest way: hang a notice on the door of your entrance. In an apartment building, your neighbors will instantly buy up all your surplus and will sign up for the next harvest. If you are on maternity leave, freelance, or for some other reason do not have a regular income, containers on the windowsill will help replenish your budget.

Conclusion
Fresh herbs can be grown at home all year round. In the summer, your dacha or balcony will provide you with vitamins, and in the winter you can grow herbs in a heated greenhouse, on a glassed-in loggia, or right in the room on the windowsill. You will receive double benefits: a harvest of succulent leaves and a natural humidifier for dry air in the apartment.
It is advisable to grow each species in a separate container. If there are few containers, group plants so that the same container contains herbs that require the same growing conditions and ripen at the same time. Prepare a pot of new seeds in advance, then fresh herbs will be present on the table uninterruptedly. Remember that rhizomes planted for forcing are quickly depleted; after about 2 harvests they will have to be replaced with new ones.
For greens to gain flavor and aroma at home, they need a lot of light. Install energy-saving lights and reflective screens and keep stems from stretching. Water and loosen the soil in a timely manner, do not forget to feed your pets, and you will never have to stop at stalls with wilted parsley and dill that look more like camel thorn.

Fresh herbs are a great addition to homemade winter meals. Portions of greens from the store constantly have to be renewed; in the refrigerator they wither a little and lose their freshness. Another thing is to take sprigs of herbs from your windowsill for seasoning; the quality differs significantly.

Growing and care

Soil for herbs

The soil is purchased at a garden store or prepared in advance in the fall. It consists of equal parts:

garden soil,
peat,
river sand
sawdust

You need to start filling the pot with drainage: expanded clay, pebbles, small crushed stone or pieces of broken brick. The drainage layer makes up at least a quarter of the total volume of the pot. Earth is poured on top of it.

Water for irrigation

The pot is watered with melt water, which is very easy to prepare. A partially filled plastic water bottle is placed in the freezer or placed in the cold to freeze.

Planting seeds

The seeds are laid out on the spilled soil in three segments and covered with a thin layer of slightly dried soil. Soon the soil moisture will level out, and you can preserve it if you cover the top of the pot with a transparent plastic lid or plastic bag.

Creating conditions for plant growth

Plant growth and productivity are affected by lighting and conditions in the apartment. To insulate the roots, polystyrene foam is placed under the pots on a cold windowsill or the plants are placed in two pots; if there is not enough light, additional lamps are turned on.

Types of greenery

Spinach

At home, it is worth growing something that grows quickly. These primarily include spinach.

In early spring it is planted in a greenhouse and after 1.5 months it is completely removed from it. Some varieties of spinach grow on the windowsill. It needs a lot of sunlight and moisture. Spinach roots penetrate deeply into the soil; the plant requires loosening 2 hours after watering.

Salad

The king of the kitchen window is the sandwich leaf lettuce. It lands in a plastic box with two pallets. A second wide and deep tray is needed to thoroughly wet the ground once a week and prevent excess water from spreading over the windowsill. Make an almost small bed under the leaf lettuce, maintaining a distance between the grooves of 5–6 cm and planting the seeds to a depth of 1 cm. You should not sprinkle a lot of seeds. The lettuce is growing in width. Excess bushes are transplanted into another pot or stored in the refrigerator.

Watercress

The greens on the windowsill can be any, even watercress. It is tasty and healthy, although the leaves are sometimes very small. Because of these features, it is planted separately from other plants. The container is filled with soil to a depth of 10 cm, the seeds are planted to a depth of 1 cm. The soil under the watercress is watered abundantly, the lettuce leaves are cut for consumption, and they grow again from the roots. After the first cutting, mineral fertilizers are added to the irrigation water, and the lettuce grows faster.

Onion

The most common greenery on the windowsill is onions. The garden on the window begins and ends with it. It is the most common on the green market, but you also need to know how to grow it.

Onions can be grown either in the ground, without completely burying the onion head in the ground, or in water, changing it after two weeks. The peculiarities of cultivation are that only the roots and lower part of the onion are immersed in water. For complete success, make a wooden raft that has 3-4 holes for the bulbs. The raft is placed in a deep cup of water and a drop of fertilizer is added to it.

An old, proven way to produce green onions in winter is to place the heads close together in a box of soil and water them sparingly. In the first days, the box is placed in a dark, warm place. When the onion sprouts, the box is transferred to the windowsill.

Joint planting of herbs

The table becomes varied when fresh food is used as a seasoning. parsley, dill And celery. They all get along in one container and can grow not only on the kitchen window, but also in the room. Greenery looks beautiful in any interior.

In an apartment, loggia, or on an insulated balcony, you can grow a lot of greenery using modern patio seeds.

Growing food in urban environments is popular all over the world. So, Britta Riley lives in a tiny apartment in New York. She came up with a hydroponic vertical garden. It takes up little space and brings a good harvest. About her innovation Britta.

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 “nasties”. They were certified, and serious organizations guaranteed their quality. Secondly, organic products are an order of magnitude 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 bioproducts and conventional vegetables and fruits sometimes reaches 1,000%! Therefore, for us, the most eco, bio and organic are products grown with our own hands.

But not everyone has dachas or relatives in the village. What should urban children do, 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 start a mini-vegetable garden at home

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

What you need to grow vegetables and herbs at home

Place. Usually this is a windowsill or balcony. It is 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 shelves can be built for “beds” (the minimum distance between shelves is 50 cm).
Capacities. Beds for a home garden can be clay or plastic pots or wooden boxes. 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 soil mixtures for indoor gardening. As a rule, several layers are made: peat, compost, turf. You can prepare the soil yourself, or you can buy it at 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 forums, read articles on the Internet and find out what seeds to buy.

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

Shelf for plants on the windowsill" data-img-id="363908">

Mobile rack for "beds" data-img-id="363907">

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A solution for those who do not have a window sill" data-img-id="363913">

Vessels for moisture-loving plants" data-img-id="363914">

We have the inventory, now we need to decide what to plant. Lifehacker has already written about some vegetables that grow beautifully on a windowsill.

Today we will tell you about ten more such plants.

Carrot

DenisNata/Depositphotos.com

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

To grow at home, you need to take miniature varieties of carrots. You can plant in boxes, pots or simply cut plastic bottles with holes in the bottom. The soil should be drained.

The seeds are placed in the ground to a depth of about 7 cm. When the carrots sprout and sprout a few centimeters, they need to be thinned out, leaving the strongest sprouts 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 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 into the tops). It is also very useful to loosen the soil from time to time.

Pepper

Pepper grown on the balcony

Varieties : “treasure island”, “dwarf”, “watercolor”, “swallow” and others.
Temperature : from 25 to 27 ºС.
Harvest : after 100–130 days.

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 (in one to two weeks), several small punctures need to be made in the film. After some time, 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. Root the plant 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 in addition to natural light, lamps with a white spectrum are recommended. 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 produce fruit for up to two years.

Cherry tomatoes

Levranii/Depositphotos.com

Varieties : “pygmy”, “bonsai”, “bead” and others.
Temperature : from 23 to 25 ºС.
Harvest : after 90–100 days (depending on the variety).

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: buried to a depth of 1.5 cm, covered with cling film and left in a warm place until the first sprouts. When the tomatoes have risen, they are dived into a larger and deeper bowl.

It is important that the plant receives even lighting. To do this, you can hang fluorescent lamps over the “beds” or regularly turn the containers towards the window.

Water carefully: it’s easy to overwater cherry tomatoes. When the plant grows, it is recommended to loosen the soil from time to time and feed it with mineral fertilizers. If necessary, the tomato trunk 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 : in 35–45 days.

For cucumbers you need fairly large containers, at least 6 liters in volume. The soil should be loose, with peat or compost.

Self-pollinating varieties of cucumbers grow well at home. First you need to prepare the seeds: they are poured into a weak saline solution, those that float 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.

Water homemade cucumbers with warm water every day, but with caution. The leaves can also be sprayed with a spray bottle. Potassium nitrate is recommended as a top dressing.

When the vines of cucumbers form and grow, supports 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 : in ≈40 days.

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

After planting, the soil must be watered and covered with film. When the shoots appear, the “greenhouse” is removed. Radishes, as a rule, are not picked. But sometimes they place it for two or three days at a lower temperature - 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 feeding. Water the radishes generously as they dry. It is also important that the air in the room where it grows is not dry.

Spinach

Homemade spinach

Varieties : “virofle”, “godri”, “gigantic” and others.
Temperature : 15 ºС.
Harvest : in ≈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 soil mixtures. The main thing is that they contain 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 speed up germination, you can cover the containers with film. Spinach sprouts about a week after planting, then it can be picked.

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

The harvest can be harvested when the spinach reaches 7–10 cm in height.

Basil

jamdesign/Depositphotos.com

Varieties : “marquis”, “lemon”, “Baku” and others.
Temperature : from 22 to 24 °C.
Harvest : in 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 a windowsill.

Plant basil immediately in large containers (at least 1.5 liters in volume). First you need to prepare the soil for planting: water it twice with mineral fertilizers at an interval 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.

Green garlic

fotomod/Depositphotos.com

Varieties : “Kharkov”, “anniversary” and others.
Temperature : from 18 to 25 °C.
Harvest : in 15–20 days.

As a rule, 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, dealing with garlic will not be difficult. You need to take winter garlic cloves, preferably with sprouted sprouts. You can use 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, you must water it.

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

Mint

martiapunts/Depositphotos.com

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

Mint has a fairly branched root system, so to plant it you should take a deep and wide container. It is recommended to use peat soil, any variety.

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 them. To create a greenhouse effect, you can use film. Before the emergence of seedlings (after about two weeks), the soil should be sprinkled with water every day. After germination, mint must be planted.

Mint is unpretentious. In summer it should 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 reach a meter in height. As a rule, they have a lot of leaves - there will almost always be mint for tea or homemade mojito.

Strawberry

S.Bachstroem/Shutterstock.com

Varieties : “autumn fun”, “homemade delicacy”, “garland” and others.
Temperature : from 18 to 20 °C.
Harvest : in ≈30 days.

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

Strawberries can be grown from seedlings or seeds. Both are sold in gardening stores.

Seeds are planted in small containers (for example, plastic cups), watered generously 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 or 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 are carried out as the soil dries. Strawberries are easy to pour.

Solutions with a significant iron content are used as fertilizing. During active growth, the strawberry grows tendrils; 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 fun.

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