Content
In winter, there is a particular lack of fresh food and vitamins. It can be replenished with the help of foreign fruits and vegetables, the cost of which is usually quite high. Do-it-yourself greens on the windowsill can be an alternative to purchased fresh products. The technology for cultivating greens in indoor conditions is quite simple and accessible to every owner. Any greenery can be grown on the windowsill, which will become a decoration and flavor "highlight" of many dishes, a fresh source of vitamins and minerals. Below in the article, we'll talk about how to grow greens on a windowsill in winter without problems and hassle.
What greens are suitable for growing on a windowsill
More often in winter, herbs are grown in the apartment, such as parsley, dill, thyme, basil, cilantro or lemon balm. Also popular in winter are leafy salads, spinach, onion feathers. Each culture differs in its agrotechnical requirements for growing conditions, therefore, having decided to cultivate one or another greens on the windowsill, you need to know and remember the following features:
Parsley
You can grow parsley on a window in winter from the seeds or the root of this plant. For growing from seeds, choose such varieties of parsley as "Astra", "Vorozheya", "Sugar", "Urozhainaya", "Beads". Before sowing, it is recommended to prepare the seeds by soaking. To do this, they are wrapped in a cloth or gauze bag, moistened with warm water, placed in a plastic bag, leaving the bundle under conditions with a temperature of + 23- + 250From for a day. After that, the grains are sown in a container filled with fertile soil to a depth of 5 mm. Before the shoots appear, the container can be placed in a darkened place, but as soon as the first shoots appear, the container with greens is placed on the windowsill.
The process of growing parsley from seeds is quite long: from the day of sowing the seeds to the first tasting of greens, it should take about 1.5 months. By this time, the greens will have a height of 8-10 cm.
To do this, choose rhizomes with a diameter of 2 cm and less than 5 cm in length. Such short and plump roots must necessarily have an apical bud. It is necessary to plant the roots in a deep container with a slope so that a layer of soil of 2-3 cm can be poured over the uppermost part of them.After planting the roots, the container should be installed in a cool place, and when sprouts appear, place it on the windowsill. The optimal temperature for the growth of greenery is the range from +15 to +200FROM.
Dill greens
Dill can be used in many dishes. Such popularity makes dill one of the most popular crops on the windowsill in winter. For growing in room conditions, the varieties "Grenadier", "Gribovsky", "Uzbek-243" and some others are used.
Before sowing, the seeds of greenery are disinfected with a manganese solution and soaked for a day in warm water, changing the liquid every 6 hours. Seeds are sown in a container filled with light nutritious soil. For this, furrows are made at a distance of 10-15 cm.The seeds in the furrows are sprinkled with a layer of soil, 1-2 cm thick.It is necessary to grow dill on the windowsill subject to the temperature regime within + 17- + 200C. In such conditions, dill germinates in a week, and fresh greens, in full, can be eaten in a month.
Thyme greens
Growing thyme on a windowsill in winter is very easy. For this, a deep and spacious container is prepared. A drainage layer is poured at its bottom, on top of which fertile soil is placed. Thyme seeds are embedded in the soil to a depth of 1-2 cm. It is necessary to moisten the soil as it dries. Prior to the emergence of greenery shoots, the containers are placed in a dark and warm corner. After germination of greenery, they are installed on the windowsill. Severely thickened plantings should be gradually thinned out.
Basil greens
Growing basil greens at home from seeds is difficult. This is due to the peculiarities of the culture:
- basil seeds contain a lot of essential oils, which is why they germinate for a very long time;
- the culture is thermophilic and for the successful growth of its greens, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of about +250FROM.
If, given these features, it was nevertheless decided to grow basil from seeds, then it is recommended to soak them in warm water for 2 days before sowing. At the same time, the water needs to be changed regularly. For sowing, seeds are scattered over the surface of the soil and lightly covered with a thin layer of earth on top. The container with the crops is covered with polyethylene or glass and placed on the windowsill on the south side. As soon as the basil overgrowth appears, the covering material is removed. When 5-6 leaves appear, the plants are pinched in order to get more lateral greenery. When buds appear, they are cut off. It is necessary to moisten the soil in which basil grows daily in the morning.
Cilantro greens (coriander)
Cilantro is prized for its deep and vibrant aroma, delicate leaves. Having decided to grow these greens at home, you need to pay attention to the varieties "Luch", "Yantar" and "Smena". It is these varieties that are suitable for growing greens in winter on a windowsill.
Cilantro seeds should be germinated in a damp cloth or sawdust prior to sowing in the ground. The best temperature for seed germination is + 17- + 200C. As soon as sprouts appear on the cilantro grains, they must be sown into moist soil, sprinkled with a layer of earth. It is not recommended to sow the seeds of this greenery too thickly. The optimum distance from one seed to another should be at least 5 cm. After sowing the seeds, the container should be covered with a protective material that will maintain the required moisture level for the plants. Every day, the shelter needs to be removed for a while, so that the crops are aired.
Cilantro grows well at a temperature of + 10- + 120C. In an apartment in winter, such conditions can be found on the insulated balcony. Within a month from the day of sowing the seeds, cilantro will delight you with an abundance of green leaves. They must be pinched off and in no case cut off the stems completely, as this leads to the death of the plant.
Melissa
The fragrant greens of lemon balm can be obtained not only in the summer by growing the plant in the garden, but also in the winter, by growing it on the windowsill. Melissa is very unpretentious, grows at high and low air temperatures, in sunny areas and in partial shade.
Greens can be grown on a windowsill from cuttings, bends, lemon balm seeds. The easiest way to get this plant at home is to dig it out of the garden with the arrival of autumn and plant it in a pot.
Growing fragrant lemon balm from seeds is a laborious and painstaking business. For this, the seeds are pretreated with a solution of potassium permanganate, after which they are sown in a container with fertile soil to a depth of 1 cm. The container must be covered with a film or glass. Young plants from a common pot dive into separate containers. It is important to ensure regular watering and spraying of the leaves for lemon balm, while the soil must have good water permeability. By analogy with lemon balm, sage can be grown on the windowsill at home.
Spinach
Spinach can be successfully grown at home in winter on a windowsill in flower pots or other containers more than 15 cm deep. Before sowing, spinach seeds are soaked in warm water for two days and treated with manganese solution. Sow them into the soil to a depth of 1-2 cm.The distance between adjacent spinach grains during sowing should be at least 4 cm.
Spinach prefers to grow in sunny plots of land at temperatures up to +180C. In conditions of short daylight hours, the growing temperature should be reduced to + 10- + 150C. Greens should be watered and sprayed regularly. 3 weeks after sowing the seeds in the ground, the spinach can be cut for consumption, and the seeds can be sprinkled into the remaining containers for the next cycle of growing greens.
Lettuce leaves
Lettuce is light-loving, so it is recommended to grow it only on south-facing windowsills. Otherwise, you will have to regularly highlight the greenery with fluorescent lamps. However, it is worth remembering that some special varieties of lettuce can successfully grow in partial shade, for example, "Snowflake", "Vitaminny", "Zorepad", "Lollo", "Raspberry Ball". These types of lettuce allow you to get greens in the winter on any windowsill without much hassle.
Growing greens on a windowsill in winter can be done using lettuce seeds. They are sown in previously prepared loose and nutritious soil. At the same time, the container should be deep enough and spacious. After filling the container with soil, you need to make grooves up to 1 cm deep. Lettuce rows should not be placed too close one to one. The optimal distance between them is 10-15 cm. Before sprouting, the salad is covered with foil or glass to obtain a greenhouse effect. When the first shoots appear, the shelter is removed. The salad is thinned out as it grows.
Onion feather
Onion feather is the best greenery on the windowsill in winter for beginner gardeners. If desired, even a schoolboy can raise it.
Grow a green bunch of onions it is possible without soil at all, in water. For this, a small container is filled with liquid. The onion is scalded with boiling water and cut off. The upper part of the plant is to be removed. Only the roots of the onion are dipped into the water, to prevent its decay. The greens of such a bulb can be cut regularly until the quality of the bulb itself deteriorates (it will wrinkle over time).
A more difficult way to grow a bulbous feather on a windowsill is to use soil. For this, a small container is filled with a nutrient substrate and an onion is dropped into it, dipping it by a third. The plant is watered regularly. Additionally, you can preserve moisture in the soil by adding a hydrogel to the soil mixture when planting onions.
Thus, the question "What kind of greenery can be grown at home on the windowsill?" has an unambiguous answer: "Anyone!". The list of possible options is not limited to the plants listed above.If desired, you can grow garlic feathers, watercress, chives, oregano, mustard and other crops on the windowsill. At the same time, it is necessary to choose one or another plant based on existing conditions: temperature, illumination, humidity.
Important rules for growing greens on a windowsill
When deciding to grow greens on the windowsill, it is important to remember some important principles and rules:
- The soil for growing greenery on the windowsill should be light, well-drained. A mixture of vermicompost with coconut fiber is ideal for use. The proportion of the mixture should be 1: 2. It is recommended to disinfect soil from the garden before use.
- To create a drainage layer, you can use expanded clay, broken brick or pebbles. The layer thickness in the container must be at least 2 cm.
- The container must have drainage holes.
- It is better to water the greens at home with a fine spray. Once every 2-3 weeks, liquid complex mineral fertilizers should be added to the water for irrigation.
- For highlighting greenery, only fluorescent lamps are used. Conventional table lamps give off a lot of heat and little light.
- It is recommended to grow undersized, bushy, early plants on the windowsill;
- It is necessary to germinate green seeds in early autumn, when daylight hours differ in duration. The warmth and light will help the seedlings germinate faster.
- Daylight hours for most green plants should be 10-13 hours. To illuminate the lamps above the plants, they are placed at a height of 10-50 cm.
- For uniform growth of the green mass of the plant on the windowsill, it is recommended to rotate 1800 once a day.
- For feeding greens on the windowsill, you can use complexes of mineral fertilizers. Organics in an apartment can become a source of unpleasant odors.
You can get acquainted with some other rules for growing greens on the windowsill in the video:
The video clearly demonstrates the process of growing various greens and allows you to hear valuable comments from an experienced gardener.
Summarize
Growing greenery in winter is, of course, troublesome, but no less pleasant. Indeed, while nature is resting under the cover of snow, wonderful green leaves and twigs grow in a small garden bed in an apartment, which contain many vitamins and minerals. Their use for food is, first of all, a manifestation of care for their relatives and friends. The gardener himself, taking care of green plantings, takes pleasure in recalling warm summer days with nostalgia.
