What you can grow at home: herbs and vegetables on the windowsill

In winter, our body always suffers from a lack of vitamins. Fresh vegetables and herbs can be bought in supermarkets, but vegetable crops grown in your own summer cottage cannot compare with the taste of “store-bought” ones. For growing To grow vegetables, it is not necessary to have a greenhouse; you can create the necessary conditions at home. A vegetable garden on the windowsill will delight you all year round.

Content:

• Greenery on the windowsill
• Cucumbers and tomatoes: growing at home
• Necessary conditions for plants
• Recommendations for cultivation and care
• Vegetable garden on the windowsill: saving space

Greenery on the windowsill

Spicy herbs and greens do not require special care, so they are easy to grow at home. Particularly popular are the following types:

• Dill
• Parsley
• Basil
• Mint
• Green onions
• Sorrel
• Spinach
• Rosemary
• Melissa
• Thyme

The listed plants are quite unpretentious in care and cultivation, so even a novice gardener can cope at home. These herbs are added to prepare various dishes or aromatic tea. In addition, you can collect fresh herbs from the windowsill and eat them in winter, saturating the body with healthy vitamins.

You can grow any greens at home, but they will not reach the same size as when grown in the garden. Typically, the period of seed germination until the first harvest is from 5 to 7 weeks with proper and proper care.

Vegetables: grown at home

You can grow various vegetables on your balcony or windowsill; the main thing is to choose the right seeds and take proper care. The most common vegetable crops grown at home, which will be discussed further, are tomatoes, carrots, peppers, cucumbers and others.

1. Pepper. It is recommended to grow low-growing varieties no more than 50 cm on the windowsill. The best varieties to choose from are: Swallow, Firstborn of Siberia, Watercolor, Dwarf, Gift of Moldova, Treasure Island, etc. From the sharp varieties, you can choose Flame, Elephant Trunk, etc.
2. Carrot. Once they are born, carrots can be eaten. Popular varieties for planting on the windowsill: Granddaughter, Parmex, Round baby, etc.
3. Cucumbers. They can also be easily grown at home. It is recommended to choose self-pollinating hybrids. It’s good if they are shade-tolerant and early ripening. You can plant the following hybrid varieties at home: Masha F1, Seryozha F1, Marinda F1, Connie F1, Claudia F1, etc.
4. Tomatoes. Only dwarf plants should be selected. There is a lot of trouble with tall varieties. For growing at home, you can use varieties such as: Alaska, Japanese indoor, Balcony miracle, Canada News, Pinocchio, Zelenushka F1, etc.

You can grow such vegetables without much effort, the main thing is to follow all the recommendations for caring and planting plants. It is very difficult to grow exotic plants at home: lemon, pineapple, kiwi, tangerines. Before creating a vegetable garden on the balcony, you need to limit yourself to a few types. Gradually, having gained experience, it will be possible to grow other crops.

Necessary conditions for plants

Dill and parsley need fresh air, light and water. It is best to place them on a loggia or balcony.When growing basil, you need to remember that it is sensitive to temperature changes, so it is better to place on the windowsill.

For greens, it is better to use plastic containers or clay pots. It must be remembered that many plants do not get along together and therefore need separate containers. You can plant parsley, celery and dill in one box. For oregano, thyme and marjoram, it is better to take another box.

Cucumbers and tomatoes require good lighting and high humidity. The seedlings will need to be illuminated for 12 hours with special lamps. Lighting is especially necessary in winter. It is important to avoid drafts. Plantings should be placed on the east or south side of the house.

All plants are heat-loving, so the temperature should be maintained at 22-24 degrees. You need to prepare a container for vegetables in advance. It must be deep enough and always have drainage holes so that the plants develop well.

To grow herbs and vegetables, you can buy a soil mixture or prepare it yourself. To do this, the proportions must be strictly observed: soil - 80%, humus and sand 10%. The land needs to be disinfected to get rid of possible pests. For this purpose, pour boiling water over the soil mixture. You can also use another mixture: vermicompost and coconut fiber in a 1:2 ratio.

Planting the seeds can be done in the fall or mid-winter. Seeds should be prepared in advance. They are soaked for several days, changing the water every 12 hours. Immediately before sowing It is advisable to place the seed material in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Greens can be grown from root vegetables. To do this, you should choose thick roots, about 5 cm long.They must have an apical bud. Vegetable crops can be grown as seedlings or seeds can be sown in a prepared container. The optimal size of the dishes should be 3.5-4 liters.

Video on how to grow greens on windowsills all year round:

To pollinate cucumbers and tomatoes, you can lightly tap the flower stalks several times. When growing peppers, it is not recommended to place pots with bitter and sweet varieties next to each other. Possibly cross-pollination and sweet varieties will have a bitter taste.

Recommendations for cultivation and care

After planting the seeds, it is necessary to regularly monitor the soil moisture and loosen the soil around the seedlings. With the appearance of a pair of leaves, you can pick individual crops into different containers. Water for irrigation should be selected at room temperature of 20-25 degrees. It is recommended to water 2 times a week. It is important not to flood the soil and avoid getting water on the leaves.

In winter, plants do not need watering as much as in summer, because there is not enough sunlight and little heat. Plants need to be regularly feed especially during the period of fruit ripening. You can buy universal fertilizer or growth concentrates at a specialty store. Add them according to the instructions.

The number of feedings should not exceed 2 times a month. Fertilizers for vegetables and herbs are different and you cannot use fertilizer for dill or parsley if it is intended for cucumbers. It is recommended to periodically rotate the plants 180 degrees so that all leaves receive enough light.

Many green crops require high humidity. You can place containers of water around the plantings or lay wet towels on the radiators.On cloudy and winter days, when there is not enough light, plants should be supplemented with artificial light. The duration of daylight hours should be 13-15 hours a day.

It is necessary to purchase fluorescent fluorescent lamps. Per square meter you will need 200-300 W. Such lamps do not heat, but provide illumination similar to sunlight. By following these simple recommendations, you can achieve a good harvest all year round.

Vegetable garden on the windowsill: saving space

If space is limited and you can’t accommodate all the plants, then there are a few little tricks. Pots and plastic containers can be positioned using vertical furniture brackets. As a result, the garden will have several levels.

Greens and vegetables should be placed so that tall plants do not shade low ones. Certain species greenery can be planted in hanging flowerpots. This will give the interior an original look and become its decoration. In addition, you can match the design of the pots to the overall interior of the room. This way you can significantly save space and space on your balcony or windowsill.