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 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.

A few years ago I decided to grow greens on the windowsill all year round and I will be happy to share the secrets of how to do this, what results can be obtained and, finally, why I abandoned this idea.

I'll start from the last point. Growing herbs on a windowsill is easy. Parsley, dill, and celery look very elegant and lush, especially on the kitchen windowsill under a solar lamp.

But if these greens are constantly picked and used in cooking, not a trace of beauty remains; the greens grow much slower than they are eaten. It is impossible to prohibit family members and guests from picking greens from the windowsill.

We are used to consuming greens in bunches, without hesitation crumbling them into soups and salads, and generously adding them to meat and fish dishes. I had to give up growing parsley and dill. It’s much easier to go to the store and buy a ready-made bunch of greens, which you can calmly cut without worrying about regrets about the lost beauty.

• The beds are prepared, seeds and fertilizers are poured.
• In due time, the seeds germinate and the young shoots are watered with warm water.
• As soon as the greens have reached marketable size, they are all cut off, tied into bunches and sent to stores.
• The earth is dug up and new seeds are sown. The cycle is complete.

Real technology differs from the ideal that we picture in our imagination when trying to grow greens on the windowsill. It seems to us that a fresh bunch of greenery should grow on the window every day. At the same time, the remaining greenery should look beautiful and elegant, like decorative flower. Alas, this is not at all true.

Secrets of growing greenery on the windowsill all year round

1. Most main secret– use nitrogen fertilizers. Nitrogen causes rapid growth of greenery, parsley, dill, basil grow by leaps and bounds, lush and beautiful. I am very sorry to destroy the myth of “clean greenery on the window without any fertilizer.” Without fertilizers, nothing will work at home, but it is also important not to burn the soil with excess fertilizers.
2. Use a phyto lamp that will illuminate the plants, giving them the missing sunlight. In winter, the lamp does not need to be turned off even at night. Embrace the violet glow that lights up your windows all year round, 24 hours a day.
3. Choose seeds with fast germination and early varieties. Curly parsley, “Gloria”, “Appetizing” grows best. Dill – “Early Miracle”, “Grenadier”, “Aurora”. Grow basil in separate small pots, choose bush varieties. Purple basil looks the most decorative. It looks so beautiful that not everyone understands that it can be eaten.
4. If you decide to grow mint, the easiest way is to root sprouts purchased at the grocery store or market. Use rooting solution "Kornevin". Mint should be kept in a separate pot; standard soil for indoor flowers will do. Fresh leaves will appear in about 2 weeks.

The result of sowing will be in 1.5-2 months.

How to prepare and plant seeds

• To improve germination, it is recommended to warm up, soak and harden the seeds.
• Soak the seeds in warm water for a couple of days and change it daily. Seeds that float despite soaking should be discarded.
• The soaked seeds should be placed in a cloth in the refrigerator for a day to harden.
• Sow the soaked seeds in prepared soil, in holes about 1.5 cm deep. The recommended distance between holes is 5 cm; I sowed more often, and then weeded out and thinned out the excess greenery, trying to maintain relative lushness and decorativeness.
• The temperature on the windowsill should be at least 20 degrees, without drafts. If wind blows through the house, cover the ground with polyethylene or a greenhouse. Expect germination in about one and a half to two weeks.
• To protect against mold, use a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
• With intense light, after about 2-3 weeks, you will be able to harvest your first harvest of fresh herbs.

As you can see, from sowing to harvesting the greens it takes about 40 days or a month and a half. Not everyone has the patience to wait and then not eat the result within a few hours.

Choosing pots for greenery

It is better to grow greens in long rectangular plastic pots. Be sure to take care of the drainage layer by pouring expanded clay or just polystyrene foam with gravel onto the bottom. Place fertile soil on top. A regular floral one will do just fine. You can use coconut filler as drainage.

Is it necessary to install mini greenhouses for growing greenery on the windowsill?

Stores sell mini greenhouses made of plastic, just for growing vegetables, herbs and seedlings. Unfortunately, greenhouses are absolutely useless and even harmful. Germination in them is worse than without greenhouses.

The use of mini greenhouses on the windowsill is justified only if there are drafts in the house or there is strong blowing from the cracks in the windows. In the presence of plastic windows no additional greenhouses are required.

Fertilizers and watering

• Fresh soil does not need to be fertilized. An excess of fertilizers can burn the seedlings.
• Mineral fertilizers should be used in half the dose once a week.
• Do not use organic fertilizers. At home, they may smell unpleasant or have too high biological activity.
• It is advisable to spray the seedlings. Optimally - in the morning, once a day. Set the spray mode to the most extensive watering possible, so as not to damage the delicate sprouts with too much watering.

Growing greenery on a windowsill is quite possible; the seeds germinate, the greenery reaches required sizes in due time. The use of phyto lamps and fertilizers speeds up the process slightly. The only sad thing is that the amount of greenery grown on the windowsill will only last a couple of days for the family. Maximum - for a week.

Growing greens on the windowsill is only justified if you live alone and are able to carefully distribute resources, without neglecting store-bought greens.

Overall, it's a good hobby. Growing parsley and dill is useful for urban children to observe for their overall development. The main thing is to approach cultivation without fanaticism and not turn your house into a farm for growing greens.

In winter, you won’t surprise anyone with jars of bulbs on windowsills in apartments. In a season when there is so little sun, fresh herbs the windows are pleasing to the eye. And finely chopped green onions gives dishes attractiveness and spiciness.

Green onions have been cultivated as an agricultural crop since the fourth millennium BC. During this period, everything was studied possible ways its cultivation. It has been known since school days that it is very easy to get a harvest at home.

On a note! If you act traditional methods, then you can get a harvest of green onions at home either by planting the bulbs in the ground or in a container with water.

Each of these methods has its pros and cons. But the hostess has her own secret for getting better harvest. This has given rise to many unusual new ways.

1. It contains a large amount of vitamins. Contains vitamins A, B, PP. It is especially worth noting the presence of important vitamin C, which enhances the body’s protective functions during the cold period, which helps to effectively fight viral diseases.
2. Green onions also include elements necessary for human life. These include potassium, magnesium, nitrogen, iron, phosphorus, calcium, zinc. Phosphorus and calcium are needed to maintain normal bone tissue and teeth. The heart needs potassium, which helps the normal functioning of the myocardium. Zinc is useful for restoring immunity. It also helps strengthen nails and hair, maintaining their beauty.
3. It also contains the substance quercetin. It prevents the development of tumor diseases and is an antioxidant, that is, it fights the aging process of the body.
4. Finally, onions produce chlorophyll, beneficial features which involve participation in the formation of blood. Another beneficial function of chlorophyll is to counteract harmful bacteria.

Ways to grow on a windowsill

1. Hydroponics- this mysterious term refers to the ordinary and familiar to everyone growing green onions from a bulb in a container of water.
2. An alternative to growing in water is planting bulbs in a container with soil. This method is more complicated, but the yield will be more substantial and with better nutritional properties.
3. A new variation of the previous method, invented by inventive housewives, is the so-called onion cactus. It is a five-liter plastic bottle, in which the bulbs are laid between layers of soil. Feathers of greenery grow from pre-made holes in the sides of the jar.
4. Help turn your windowsill into a conveyor belt for growing green onions hydroponic setup. It helps to accelerate growth, and thereby increase productivity.

Rules for growing green onions in water

To get green onions in winter, it is not at all necessary to prepare pots or boxes of soil. Most often, the simplest approach is to use a simple jar of water as a container for the bulb. Except obvious advantage method, which lies in its simplicity, has another advantage - the absence of dirt on the windowsill.

Preparing the bulbs

To get good green onions, you will need to select bulbs that are not damaged. Heads slightly smaller than the average size are best suited, the diameter of which in cross section will be approximately 4 cm. The tops of the bulbs need to be cut off so that they do not interfere with the emergence of young shoots. Then the heads are placed in heated water or a solution of potassium permanganate. Instead of potassium permanganate, you can use ash. After 20 minutes they are transferred to cool water. Before planting the bulbs, remove the husks from them.

Preparation for planting - trimming the top

Containers for growing in water

The most suitable containers for these purposes are all kinds of jars, cups or bottles. The main requirement is a neck wide enough to hold the bulb. The container is filled to the top with water so that the bottom of the onion is slightly submerged in it (water). It is not recommended to submerge the bulb heavily in water to avoid rotting of the lower part. Until the roots appear, you will have to make sure that the bottom of the head touches the water and, if necessary, top up.

Not only glass containers are suitable for sprouting onions. You can use transparent food containers. They must be covered on top with a piece of cardboard thick enough to support the weight of the bulbs. You will need to make holes in this cardboard for the onion heads. The container is also filled with water, and the bulbs are planted in the cardboard. In this case, the same rule is followed for shallow immersion of the bulb in water as when planting it in a jar.

On a note! In addition, you can adapt a simple plate for forcing onions. Its bottom should be filled with water. The bulbs are placed tightly and vertically so that the neighboring heads serve as support for them. It is advisable not to allow the onion to submerge in water more than 25%.

When growing green onions in this way, almost half a month can pass from planting to obtaining long feathers. To speed up the process, you can add mineral supplements to the water.

Amount of fertilizer per liter of water

1. Two teaspoons of mineral complex.
2. Superphosphate: 2 g, ammonium nitrate: 1.5 g, potassium chloride: 1.5 g.
3. Wood ash: 5 g.

Important! Fertilizer should be added when roots begin to grow and green shoots appear.

To obtain a harvest of green onions from a jar of water, it is recommended to follow simple principles:

• the container in which the arrows will be grown must be treated in advance with a weak composition of potassium permanganate;
• Only the very bottom of the onion head needs to be moistened, avoiding deep immersion in water to avoid rotting;
• until the roots appear, it is advisable to place containers with onions for forcing greens away from heat sources;
• During the same period, the water should be renewed 2 times during the day. After the shoots begin to grow, this action must be performed only once a day. If fertilizing is introduced into the water, then the first should be replaced no more than once in 7 days;
• It is advisable to periodically rinse the roots under running water. The container also needs to be washed when changing moisture;
• You can prevent onions from rotting if you remove them from the water from time to time and leave them in the air for 3 hours;
• In order to always have fresh onion shoots on the table, you need to place new onions for germination on the windowsill every 14 days.

Rules for growing green onions in the ground

To force onions and place planting material in the ground, the following measures are required:

• choosing suitable onion heads;
• preparing containers for growing - all kinds of containers and boxes, the height of which is more than 7 cm;
• planting onion sets in the soil with which the container is filled;
• installing the container on the windowsill.

Landing in the ground

The method of germinating onion feathers in a container with soil differs from the simple method of planting in water.

Lighting and temperature

Green onions love full sun but can't stand heat. Onion seedlings will feel best on well-lit window sills when the windows face south, southeast or southwest.

Important! If it is not possible to place the containers on the sunny side, then it is recommended to install them above them for additional light.

The success of growing green onions also depends on the room temperature. It is not recommended to install seedlings in a hot room where the air is heated above +20°C.

Watering and fertilizing

Running water is suitable for watering bulbs room temperature. The water must first be settled. It is enough to water once every 48 hours, avoiding flooding of the roots. Excess moisture can lead to rotting of the root system. Drying out the soil is also undesirable for the plant.

Onion seedlings do not need fertilizer. But a little feeding can still improve the development of green shoots. To do this, the seedlings are watered with a solution of 5 g of ash per liter of water.

There is no need to rush into collecting the first green shoots. Otherwise, the development of the plant may be slowed down. It is advisable to trim onion feathers for the first time no earlier than after 3 weeks. The arrows in the middle do not need to be touched. They begin to harvest green onions by trimming the side feathers.

Constant collection of green onions throughout the winter will be ensured by planting new batches of seedlings in separate containers every 2 weeks. Onion arrows will grow evenly if you expose each side of the container to light in turn.

Step-by-step instructions for growing “onion cactus”

New original way forcing green onions is an invention of resourceful housewives. It allows you to free up space on the windowsill for other needs, as well as decorate the interior of the kitchen with the help of such “exotics”.

You will need bulbs, a five-liter plastic bottle, a sharp hole-cutting tool, and an all-purpose primer.

Table. Step by step guide upon landing.

Steps, photo	Description of actions
	Take a plastic bottle and a tool for cutting circles (here - a heated screw that needs to be held with pliers).
	3-centimeter round holes are cut into the container.
	The first layer of soil is poured into the container up to the holes. The bulbs are placed so that their tops go into the holes and the roots go deep into the jar.
	A new layer of soil is sprinkled on top. Steps 3 and 4 are repeated until completely filled.
	Several onion seedlings are planted vertically on the surface.

The arrangement of bulbs should be placed on a well-lit windowsill. To ensure that the green shoots grow evenly, it is recommended to periodically expose different sides of the container to the sun. The rules for watering and fertilizing should be the same as for the general case of planting bulbs in the ground. You just need to make sure that the soil does not wash away.

Hydroponic setup

For those who like to enjoy green onions from the garden on the windowsill in winter, special devices have been invented. They operate on the hydroponic principle.

The box is filled with water, and the bulbs are placed in the holes on top so that their lower surface almost does not come into contact with the water. A special compressor forms a suspension of moisture inside the container. This eliminates the possibility of root rotting. It has been noticed that with this method, onion arrows grow much faster.

Video - Growing green onions in a bag

Greens are a source of healthy vitamins, an excellent means of maintaining immunity, and simply delicious seasoning for cold and hot dishes. In summer there is no shortage of it, but in cold weather it is quite expensive.

Therefore there is Alternative option, and also very simple. From this article you will learn how to grow greens at home on any type of windowsill at any time of the year.

You can get almost any spice at home - feather onions, lettuce varieties, lemon balm, mint, dill, mustard.

Greens on the windowsill can be grown from seeds, cuttings, roots, tubers - it all depends on how much you need it and how interesting you are in the process of organizing a mini-garden. But it's better to choose low-growing varieties, bushy and early ripening.

Important! If you want a stable increase in greenery at home, for example, if you plan to sell it, then it is better to use methods with seeds. Such plants will produce crops more abundantly and for a longer period of time.

When to grow?

Planting greenery on the window can be done at any time of the year. Only in the summer will it be enough natural conditions light and warmth. But in the autumn-winter season, when growing some crops, you will have to additionally take care of effective lighting using special lamps and devices to maintain a stable level of temperature and humidity.

What do you need to grow greens at home?

In order for all the effort and time spent to produce results, you need to be puzzled by 2 points:

• the necessary set of tools and devices;
• microclimate conditions.

Important! As for growing technologies, some varieties of greenery can be planted not in the ground, but used hydroponic systems, or for the smallest volumes even ordinary 100-200 ml jars of water.

Equipment for planting greenery:

• Pots or containers of appropriate volume - they should not be very deep and wide;
• High-quality soil for planting - a universal purchased version based on coconut fiber and vermicompost, or soil from your garden flavored with an ash solution and superphosphate, is perfect;
• Pebbles or expanded clay to create a drainage layer;
• PVC bags or caps;
• Spray;
• Phytolamps or fluorescent, LED systems for lighting in winter.

Growing conditions

Each crop has its own specific requirements regarding environmental conditions.

But in general there are several general points for growing greens on a windowsill at home:

1. Lighting. In winter, you will have to use auxiliary lighting sources, and it is better if they are equipped with timers with automatic shutdown. This way you will have to spend less time caring for your mini-garden.
2. The soil. Regardless of whether you plan to use soil from your garden or use purchased soil, it must be disinfected before planting greens. For this you can use the most different ways- calcination in the oven, evaporation on the stove, steaming in the microwave, watering with a solution of potassium permanganate (in this case, take 3-5 g of powder per 10 liters of water).
3. Drainage. Be sure to place a layer of drainage material at the bottom of the containers to prevent soil rotting. Great alternative material for drainage - hydrogel, which will either give off moisture when there is a lack of it, or absorb excess.
4. Watering. If you plan to grow greens in pots in the ground, be sure to follow the watering rules recommended for the crop you have chosen. Otherwise, a lack of moisture, as well as an excess, may not have the best effect on both appearance plants and their taste qualities- they will either be bland or begin to taste bitter.

Since there are quite a lot of options for greens that can easily be grown at home, let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular types.

Bow on feather

Let's start with the simplest and most popular - onions. Even schoolchildren are involved in growing it as a practical task in biology.

Methods:

1. In water. Here they use jars of water, special hydroponic systems, and egg containers. The main thing is that only the very bottom part of the bulb should be in the liquid, ideally the root system.
2. In the ground. They use peat pots, special containers, boxes made from wooden boards, even 5 liter plastic bottles. The planting depth should be minimal, since only the root part of the bulb is located in the ground itself. Place the bulbs as close to each other as possible.

Preparation:

1. All bulbs should be dense, without signs of rot, with shiny husks.
   It's better to choose same size- 2-4 cm in diameter.
2. Before planting, the lower part is cut off a little along the bottom, the bulb is placed in water for a day or two so that it takes root.

Important! The following varieties of green onions performed best when grown at home:

• Timiryazevsky;
• Spassky;
• Pogarsky
• Arzamas;
• Strigunovsky;
• Union.

Planting and care rules:

1. First, you need to place the containers with onions in a cool and dark place - this is necessary for the development of the root system.
2. Next, move the greens to be grown on the windowsill, but make sure that the temperature is within 18-24C.
3. It is not advisable to place containers too close to heating radiators.
4. When grown in water, you can add ash in the amount of 50 g per 10 l or a couple of tablets activated carbon to prevent rotting of water and planting material. Take only settled water and top it up as needed.
5. Water green onions in the ground - once every 2-4 days.
6. The first harvest is not harvested when the initial feathers appear, but after 2-3 weeks.

Important! To ensure a continuous onion harvest, you can plant several greens at home with an interval of 10-12 days.

Chives

Chives have a milder, more delicate flavor than regular greens, making them a great option if you're wondering what kind of greens you can grow on your windowsill at home.

Important! A good selection of varieties - Bohemia, Albion, Chemal. Usually, at home, the harvest from one plant can be obtained twice, after which planting material is depleted.

Planting material will need to be prepared in advance - in the fall. For this:

1. You can dig up several bulbs and immediately place them in boxes with soil, leaving them in a cool place.
2. You can take incisors, which are also then pressed onto the pen.
3. You can plant seeds, but it will take longer to grow greens at home than in the previous 2 options.

Important! Planting and care are similar to growing ordinary green onions in the ground, only shoots usually occur earlier.

Parsley and celery

Parsley and celery are the next most popular crops for growing herbs at home. Important Terms for these plants - good lighting and soil with high fertile properties.

Growing methods and choice of materials:

1. Seeds. In this case, the planting material is first wrapped in clean gauze and kept in a running water, then leave it in this form in a cool place (maybe in the refrigerator) for a day. You can additionally disinfect the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate - a standard proportion of 3-5 g of powder per 10 liters of water is used.
2. Planting root crops. To plant parsley, select roots about 5 cm long and 2 cm in diameter. It is very desirable that the apical bud be formed.

The same requirements apply to celery - the roots should be thick, but not long.

Important! The best varieties parsley for growing at home is:

• Harvest;
• Aster;
• Beads;
• Sugar;
• Vorozheya;
• Emerald lace;
• Fitness;
• Borodinskaya.

Planting seeds:

1. The soil must be used with drainage.
2. When planting seeds, they are buried 0.5 cm.
3. Until the first shoots appear, keep the boxes in a dark place and water them every other day.
4. After the greenery germinates at home, the plants are thinned out, maintaining an interval of 4 cm.
5. The harvest is harvested when the seedlings grow 10-12 cm - usually 1-1.5 months.

Growing parsley and celery from root vegetables:

1. Containers and soil are disinfected with potassium permanganate.
2. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom.
3. The distances between seedlings are 2-3 cm, between rows - 4-5 cm, deepening into the soil is done to such a level that there is still about 2 cm of soil on top.
4. First, place the boxes in a cool and dark place. Water moderately.
   The greens are transferred to the windowsill after the shoots have appeared.
5. The first harvest is harvested after 3-4 weeks.

Care rules:

1. Every day, the containers are turned 180 degrees so that all plants receive sunlight evenly.
2. Temperature: 15-20C.

Salad

Lettuce is demanding on growing conditions, especially with regard to lighting and air humidity. Therefore, when grown in winter time greenery on the windowsill, you will definitely have to think about the placement of additional phytolamps.

Important! The best varieties for growing at home:

• Zorepad;
• Emerald lace;
• Snowflake;
• Vitamin;
• Raspberry and Gold Ball;
• New Year;
• Lollo Rossa and Lollo Bionda.

Landing rules:

1. Choose containers with a depth of at least 20 cm.
2. If you use soil from your garden, dilute it with peat and rotted manure in equal parts. Also add 1 kg of sand, 1 kg of ash, 1 tbsp to each bucket of soil. urea and 1 tbsp. Nitrophoska. Mix everything thoroughly.
3. The seed placement depth is 1 cm, the distance between the grooves is 15 cm.
4. When growing such greenery on a windowsill, it is very important to create a greenhouse effect after planting. To do this, put on the container plastic bag or a special cap.
5. A week after planting, the seedlings are thinned out, maintaining a distance of 1-2 cm.
6. The second time, thinning is necessary after 2-3 leaves are formed on each plant; the distance is increased to 4 cm.

Care:

1. The leaves are sprayed daily with warm, settled water.
2. Once a week, water with a solution of 1 part fermented cow dung and 10 parts water.

Watercress

Watercress is in some ways even more interesting if you are deciding what greens to grow on your windowsill at home. The harvest can be obtained within 2 weeks after germination, and caring for this crop is similar to caring for green onions, that is, extremely simple and unburdensome. Planting is done in the same way as leaf lettuce.

Conditions:

1. Temperature: 15-18C.
2. There is no need to connect special lamps, since the crop is not very demanding on light.
3. Pay attention to hydration Special attention- this is a fundamentally important point.

Sorrel

Sorrel is famous for the fact that it actively releases oxygen, so growing such greens on a windowsill is useful not only as a food product, but also for normalizing the microclimate.

Landing:

1. From seeds. Before planting, the seeds are soaked in water on a plate and left for 2 days in a warm place. Sprouted seeds are planted at a distance of 6-7 cm.
2. From the roots. For this purpose, 3-year-old plants are taken. The roots are shortened by 15 cm, planted in a container, where first there is a layer of drainage, then a layer of sand, then a layer of fertile soil. The distance should be minimal so that the plant develops into the greenery and not into the root system.

The first harvest is harvested within a month.

Care:

1. The first week after planting, they are placed in a cold place with a temperature of about 10C, then they are transferred to a windowsill in a room where 20C is stably maintained.
2. For fertilizer, you can use coffee grounds or a decoction of onion peels.
3. There should be a lot of lighting.

Spinach

Spinach is a very valuable crop, and if you decide to buy it in the store in winter, it will be expensive. But planting and growing such greens on a windowsill is very simple.

How to plant correctly:

1. The boxes should be 15 cm deep.
2. Before planting, the seeds are soaked in water overnight and then treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.
3. The best soil is the one intended for decorative indoor plants.
4. The distance between the grooves is 6 cm, the sowing depth is 1.5-2 cm, the distance between seeds is 4 cm.

The harvest is harvested in 3-4 weeks.

Care:

1. Watering after emergence is abundant and regular.
2. Temperature - from 15 to 18C, a decrease is not critical, but an increase should be avoided.
3. A month after the emergence of seedlings, add another 2-3 cm of soil.

Dill

In terms of popularity, dill is on a par with parsley and onions.

Important! The following varieties are best suited for planting at home:

• Grenadier;
• Gribovsky;
• Armenian-269;
• Kaskelsky;
• Uzbek-243.

Landing rules:

1. The soil is saturated with peat.
2. Before planting, the seeds are soaked for a day, the water is changed every 4-6 hours, and at the end they are disinfected with potassium permanganate.
3. The distance between the grooves is 15 cm, the sowing depth is 1-2 cm.
4. After sowing, the containers are covered with film, which is removed after 1-1.5 weeks.
5. The harvest is obtained in 4-5 weeks.

Care:

1. Temperature - 18C.
2. Every day the pots are turned 180 degrees.
3. Fertilizers - you can apply the “Rainbow” solution once every 2 weeks according to the instructions.

Basil

Basil is a very specific spice that will certainly be appreciated by all lovers of delicacies and unusual tastes.

Growing methods:

1. Seeds. They are soaked in water for 2 days, changing it every 6 hours; after sowing, they are covered with film and immediately placed on the windowsill on the south side. The growing process until the first harvest will be longer.
2. Stems - they are kept in water for 5 days, and after the formation of roots they are planted in the ground. The harvest can be harvested after 2 weeks.

Care:

1. When 5-6 leaves are formed, plants are pinched to increase tillering.
2. Nitrogen fertilizers are used for fertilizing.
3. The buds are cut off immediately.
4. Temperature - 20-25C, not lower.
5. Watering - every morning, you can additionally turn on spraying.
6. Loosening - every 3 days.

Cilantro

Cilantro - unpretentious plant with original and enough strong odor, somewhat reminiscent of parsley.

Important! To grow greens on a windowsill at home, it is better to use the following varieties:

• Change;
• Amber.

Landing rules:

1. The seeds are first germinated by placing them in damp sawdust at a temperature of 17-20C.
2. The sowing depth in the soil is 2 cm, the distance between the seeds is 5-10 cm.
3. After sowing, the container is covered with film and placed in a well-lit place.
4. The film is lifted briefly every day to ensure air flow.
5. The first harvest is harvested a month after germination. In this case, it is better to pinch off the leaves rather than cut the stems.

Care:

1. Daily watering and spraying.
2. Temperature - 10-12C.
3. For feeding, you can use a solution of Flora fertilizer - 3-5 ml diluted in 1 liter of water.

Rosemary

An exquisite plant with a very delicate aroma. Growing such greens on a windowsill is quite difficult, but if you like this spice, then all the effort is worth it.

Important! Of the species, only Fragrant is suitable.

Landing rules:

1. The pots must be spacious so that the roots develop well.
2. The soil is slightly alkaline; there must be an expanded clay cushion underneath.
3. Before planting, seeds are germinated in damp gauze for 2 days.
4. After planting, the container is covered with film, making several punctures in it.
5. Shoots appear only after 2-4 weeks.
6. When the plant grows to 9 cm and produces 3-5 leaves, make a pick.

Care:

1. The light must be intense.
2. Watering is moderate. It is important that there is no excess moisture, a small amount is better.
3. Temperature - 10-15C.

Thyme

Thyme is very good for planting on a windowsill. If you choose this type of greenery, follow these rules:

1. Drainage layer - 2 cm.
2. Soil is the one that is used for planting vegetables.
3. Seed depth is 1.5-2 cm.
4. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle.
5. The location of the pots is bright, but not in direct sunlight.
6. In winter, you can provide additional lighting with special lamps.

Melissa

Melissa is good not only as an edible green, but also as a medicinal plant. To grow it at home:

1. Dig up a bush in the fall and plant it in a pot.
2. Use cuttings or layering for planting in a container.
3. You can also grow such greens on a windowsill from seeds, but this will take quite a long time. Before planting, they are soaked and disinfected. Deepen it to 1.5 cm, cover the container with film.
4. The soil is a mixture of humus and coconut fiber.
5. Watering should be regular; you can additionally spray the leaves.
6. The temperature is not important, nor is the access to light - a shady place is also suitable for growing.

Sage

When planting sage at home on a windowsill, follow these rules:

1. The soil is fertile and loose.
2. The pots are voluminous.
3. Drainage layer - 2 cm.
4. Seed depth is 0.5-1 cm.
5. The place for growing is better shaded.
6. Watering is not frequent, but plentiful.

Oregano

Oregano, also known as oregano, is great for growing on a windowsill at home:

1. The plant is very picky - any soil will do, but it is better to take separate pots.
2. The location is well lit; in winter, additional lighting with special lamps is required.
3. When planting, the seeds are buried 0.5 cm, moistened with a spray bottle, and covered with a film with an air hole.
4. Shoots will appear in 2-3 weeks.

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

What greens can you grow at home?

Greenery on the windowsill all year round is not the best difficult task. Of course, each gardener decides for himself what crops will make up this garden on the window. But you need to take into account the peculiarities of growing this or that 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, everything depends on the culture itself. So, green onions are grown from bulbs. This is actually one of the most common garden crops the kind that grow on windowsills. On the one hand, it is very easy to grow, 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 you grow it in the ground, there will be no smell.

A home garden on the window often involves spinach. This is one of the most common types of greens because it germinates quickly and looks beautiful in a pot or neat box.

You can also grow dill on a windowsill, but only some of its varieties, since it still 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 entire upper bud must be preserved. Dill is grown in fairly high pots or boxes. But most types of salad do not require this. In addition, it is recommended to use peat tablets or cassettes. Experts advise buying several types of lettuce, with leaves different forms and colors. Firstly, the plants will look more decorative, and secondly, there will be greenery on the windowsill all year round, since different types They also differ in terms of ripening. The most unpretentious appearance considered watercress. It does not grow so luxuriantly, but because of the characteristic shape of its small leaves, a pot of greens appears curly.

Theoretically, a garden on a window can include more crops. But not all of them will grow in conditions winter lighting. And for some normal development It is necessary that there is a stable positive temperature outside the window. This applies to crops such as arugula. basil, watercress, marjoram and thyme. To make the seeds of these crops germinate faster, they arrange something like a mini-greenhouse for them, covering the pots with film, under which the temperature and humidity will be comfortable for these species.

General rules for growing greens

Vegetable gardening on the window is not at all difficult, the main thing is to do it 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 must be made in such a way as not to allow water to pass through. It is very important to choose the right parameters for the pots. Optimal length containers for most types of greens - 40-50 cm. The width should be 20-25 cm, and the height - 12-15 cm. A drainage hole must be made at the beginning. A drainage layer must be provided in such a pot or container. To do this, use expanded clay, broken brick, or even just coarse clean sand.

It’s not enough to know how to grow greens at home, you also need to be able to choose 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.

Before planting, be sure to water the soil prepared for forcing. hot water, then crush it and make grooves in it: the seeds are then 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 them in damp gauze. But this mainly applies to crops such as asparagus.

Growing greens at home means making the most of them. comfortable conditions. Thus, most of these crops are harmed by dry heat from radiators. In order not to harm the plants, you can cover the battery with a special shield and use a humidifier. This is also useful for creating a comfortable microclimate in the scrap. If it is not possible to buy such a device separately, you can make an improvised humidifier by simply placing a piece of wet cloth on the battery.

In winter, greenery lacks light. Therefore, many plants grow pale, and they may have fewer vitamins. In such cases, additional illumination using ultraviolet lamps is used. For most crops, the optimal duration daylight hours is 12-16 hours.

However, pale leaves can mean chlorosis, which often occurs due to problems with water acidity. The fact is that tap water is often more alkaline, and therefore whole line 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 herbal mixtures to it.

You can safely supplement your diet with home-grown crops. Firstly, in this case it is known for sure that all this was grown without chemicals. Secondly, greens that are 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. This plant contains ascorbic acid and vitamins A and E, which are antioxidants, and B vitamins, phosphorus, and potassium. Of course, every housewife wants such greenery to always be at hand. Growing parsley is not difficult, but you need to remember that its seeds take much longer to germinate than other green crops, which is due to the high content essential oils. There are two options for growing it: from roots and by accelerating seed germination. When choosing the second option, the seeds must be thoroughly rinsed with water and wrapped in a damp cloth.

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 purchase ready-made soil for such crops, which is sold in garden centers.

There shouldn't be any difficulties with growing parsley. You just need to take a container a little higher than what is usually taken for greens - 20 cm high. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the container, then covered with earth. Once the soil is ready, you can plant the seeds. To do this, make beds with a distance of 10 cm from each other. The 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 ground is watered every other day from a sprayer. After the shoots appear, you can water them with a watering can once every two days.

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

Growing spinach and onions

Spinach can be grown on a windowsill all year round. This crop 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 tender leaves with water when watering.

Spinach is sprouted in boxes or containers at least 10 cm high. Good drainage is very important for it. Expanded clay is usually used for this. Spinach seeds are not planted tightly, but at a distance of 5-10 cm between the rows. Planting depth - 1-2 cm. favorable conditions within 1-1.5 months, greens suitable for consumption will appear. The most delicious greens are those 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 greens will be grown. But you can also plant small shallots. Perfect option- this is to choose several varieties at once with different dormant periods, so that there is greenery on the table all year round.

Theoretically, onions can also be grown from seeds. But in this case, you should clarify whether this or that variety can be grown at home.

Growing lettuce and dill

Salad greens are tasty and healthy. And there shouldn’t be any problems with growing it. However, you need to take into account that this crop has very small seeds, so later, when shoots appear and the feeding area increases, you will need to pick. For these purposes, they use cassettes in which the seedlings need to be planted - choose those that already have 1-2 true leaves with a clod of earth, one in each cell. Over time, the lettuce will grow beautifully.

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

As with any other greens, to grow dill you need to prepare the soil. Garden soil disinfected, and this is the most important moment for obtaining a future harvest. To do this, it is recommended to treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate, and if it is not available, then heat 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 filled. The seeds are pre-soaked in warm water and leave in this state for a day, changing the water every 5-6 hours. Then they are dried with a paper napkin or cloth and planted in a pot.

Dill is sown in beds, the seeds are sown at a shallow depth, and the top is covered with a layer of earth approximately 2 cm thick. This crop requires abundant lighting, so it is usually grown under ultraviolet lamps.

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