What to plant on the windowsill in winter. Caring for greenery on the windowsill: the main secrets of getting a good harvest in your home garden

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. Incomplete plastic bottle with water is placed in the freezer or exposed to the cold to freeze.

Planting seeds

Seeds are laid out on the spilled soil in three segments and covered thin layer 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. He needs a lot 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.

IN winter period The body needs a large amount of vitamins more than ever so that it can resist colds, which usually rage at this time. Leafy vegetables and fresh aromatic herbs can come to the rescue, which can be grown on a windowsill in winter without much difficulty.

Although supermarkets do not suffer from a lack of assortment fresh vegetables and greens at this time, but remember that they can be harmful to the body due to large quantity the nitrates they contain. In addition, store-bought cucumbers or tomatoes do not have the taste or smell inherent in vegetables grown in natural conditions.

If you want to prepare vitamin-rich salads from fresh vegetables and herbs in winter without the risk of nitrate poisoning, you can grow them at home by organizing a small garden bed on a windowsill or enclosed heated loggia. In an apartment you can grow cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, sweet and bitter peppers. And growing leafy vegetables and herbs won’t be difficult at all.


A garden bed in an apartment can be arranged using plastic or wooden boxes, pallets, flower pots, or plastic or clay bowls. An important condition is that all these containers have holes for water drainage.

You can also make boxes with your own hands from spruce or pine boards, guided by the dimensions that are optimal for this. The boxes should be 40-50 cm long, 20-30 cm wide, 12-15 cm high. The thickness of the boards should not exceed 1-1.5 cm.

If you are planning to make boxes from unnecessary furniture, it is better to stop this activity, because with high humidity the coating will peel off and they can get into the ground harmful substances, which will then get into the plants.

Basic agricultural techniques


To get a good harvest of leafy vegetables and herbs on the windowsill, you need to follow the following rules:

At the bottom of any container in which you plan to grow vegetables, you must put a layer of drainage, which is necessary to avoid stagnation of water and rotting of the roots. Broken brick, fine gravel or expanded clay can serve as drainage.
For successful cultivation For greenery on the windowsill, you should not use garden soil, which is infested with pests and can ruin all your efforts, destroying the entire harvest. It is best to use a special substrate that you can buy in the store. It is pest free and has everything you need nutritional components for plant growth and development.
Containers with plants should be placed on windows located on the southwest, southeast or south side of the house, because plants need a lot of light. In the middle of winter, additional artificial lighting can be provided. For this, fluorescent lamps are used, which are placed above the beds at a height of 50-60 cm.
Plants need regular watering as the soil dries out. For watering you need to use only settled water. tap water. You should know that soil dries out more slowly in clay dishes than in plastic ones. Plants on southern windows need to be watered more often than on windows of other orientations.
Plants require regular feeding, which should be done once every 1.5 - 2 weeks. You can feed with ordinary universal fertilizer for indoor flowers.
During severe frosts, it is better to take containers in plantings from the windowsill, since the temperature there is much lower than in the room. The optimal temperature for growing vegetables on a windowsill is 18-20 degrees Celsius.
Growing greens on a windowsill
The most picky ones to grow on a windowsill are dill, celery, parsley and green onions. I eat these plants as an additional source of vitamins and microelements, necessary in the winter-spring period, and also as a flavoring additive for various dishes.


Dill is an unpretentious plant that does not require special care. It is sown scattered in boxes, lightly sprinkled with soil on top. Shoots will appear in a couple of weeks, and within a month you will be able to taste the first greens.

Parsley can be dug up from the garden before frost along with a lump of earth and planted in a suitable container. It can also be sown with seeds. Before sowing, the seeds must be placed in several layers of gauze and soaked in water for a day to wash off the essential oils that slow down germination.


Parsley requires a lot of light and moisture. You need to water it often, but try not to over-moisten the soil. After the shoots appear, they need to be thinned out, leaving the strongest shoots at a distance of 3-4 cm between them.

Parsley can also be grown by forcing root crops. To do this, you need to take several small but thick roots with well-developed petioles and plant them in the ground, keeping a distance of 2-3 cm from each other and 4-5 cm row from row, having first moistened the soil well. Plantings should be kept in a cool place, watered moderately until the petioles sprout. When greenery appears on the tops, the containers are transferred to the windowsill. With this growing method, the harvest can be harvested within 25-30 days.

Most suitable varieties Parsleys for growing on a windowsill are “Sugar”, “Urozhaynaya”, “Bordovinskaya”.


Green onions grow easiest on the windowsill. To do this, just place the onion in a glass with clean water, so that only the bottom of the bulb touches the water, otherwise the bulb may rot. To speed up germination, the bulbs can be watered before planting. hot water and leave for 12 hours, then remove the husk, cut off the top tail and place in a container for germination. So that there is no unpleasant odor The water must be changed every 2-3 days.

You can also grow green onions in a box with soil without much difficulty. The bulbs are placed in the ground, without deepening them too much. The dishes with plantings are kept warm until the first greenery appears, and then placed on the windowsill. Since onions and dill are not very demanding of light, they can be placed in slight shade. The first onion feathers that appear cannot be broken off, because the growth of greenery will stop.

Celery can also be grown by forcing roots or sowing seeds. Celery root is widely used as a spice for various dishes and side dishes, and the leaves can be used to decorate dishes. For forcing, strong roots are selected, which must have a diameter of at least 5 cm and have well-developed petioles. If the root crop does not fit into the container, it can be cut off or planted on a slope. To ensure good growth and development of celery, it needs a lot of light and abundant watering.

Growing spices on the windowsill
Among the herbs that feel great on the windowsill are basil, watercress, lemon balm and mint.

Watercress is the fastest growing herb, the shoots of which appear within 4-5 days after sowing. In addition to excellent taste, this herb has a full range of vitamins and microelements necessary to the human body, used in cooking and folk medicine. This plant does not require strong lighting, so it can be grown even on northern or northwestern windows. Sowing is done to a depth of 1 cm and the soil is moistened. The first harvest will appear in 2-3 weeks. The following varieties are best suited for growing on a windowsill: “Pepper”, “Curly”, “Broad-leaved”.

Basil has not only special taste qualities, and also has an antimicrobial effect on the body. Therefore, it is simply necessary in winter on the windowsill. To grow basil on a windowsill, it is best to dig up a ready-made bush in the garden and plant it in a suitable container, because the seeds of this plant have very low germination rate.

Basil is very demanding of light and reacts poorly to changes and drops in temperature, so the plant should be grown in southern windows. Water the plant as the soil dries, avoiding waterlogging, which negatively affects the development of the plant.


Mint and lemon balm have excellent taste. You can brew tea from them, which, in addition to its wonderful aroma, also has a calming effect. Melissa and mint can be grown on the windowsill in two ways. Plants can be transplanted from bushes from the garden or grown from seeds. The seeds are placed in the soil not too deep and watered well. Soon shoots appear, after which the containers with the crops are transferred to the windowsill. Mint and lemon balm are very demanding on watering and lighting, so they need to be placed on south or south-east windows and watered well.

Growing leafy vegetables on a windowsill
Lettuce and Chinese cabbage grow best on the windowsill.

To successfully grow Chinese cabbage, its seeds must be sown to a depth of 0.5-1 cm, keeping a distance between seeds of at least 3-4 cm. The crops are watered abundantly and placed in a warm place. When the first shoots appear, the containers can be moved to the windowsill. Chinese cabbage is a plant short day, therefore it does not suffer from light shading at all and does not require additional lighting. Watering the plants should be moderate, after the soil has completely dried. Early ripening varieties of Chinese cabbage, which ripen 25-30 days after germination, are suitable for growing on windowsills.


Leaf lettuce is a cold-resistant crop, so it can be successfully grown on insulated loggias or balconies. The best varieties for winter growing are “Odessky”, “Lollo Biond”, “Red Credo”.

Leaf lettuce is sown in prepared moist soil to a depth of 0.5 cm. Shoots will appear in 3-5 days. Depending on the variety, the first harvest will appear in 4-5 weeks. Lettuce is very demanding in terms of lighting and watering, so in the winter months the crops must be illuminated with fluorescent lamps.

As you can see, growing on a green windowsill in winter or in early spring It is not particularly difficult and even a novice amateur gardener can do it. Certainly, big harvest You won’t get it in an apartment because you don’t have enough space and suitable conditions. But, by making every effort and adhering to the recommendations set out in this article, you will be able to provide yourself and your family with vitamins in the winter, when the body needs them so much.

Children really like to design a vegetable garden on the windowsill.

We all love fresh greens, because they can not only enrich our food with vitamins, but also give it a very special taste and aroma.

But few people think that it is not necessary to buy fresh herbs and even some vegetables anew every time. Because you can easily grow them at home without much work and hassle!

1. Garlic
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.
When garlic begins to sprout shoots, it loses its pungency. This head of garlic belongs in a bowl of water, where in a couple of weeks it will produce new shoots that will be an excellent addition to salads and potatoes.

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.

Garlic germinates well and can continue to grow in a glass of water. Garlic sprouts have a very delicate taste and can be easily added to salads and sauces.

If you prefer to grow in the ground, then 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.

2. Romaine lettuce, lettuce and watercress
Super-fast greens grow from lettuce cuttings that we usually cut and throw away. After cutting off the leaves, place the cutting in water - greenery will appear the next day. Cut off the leaves, and the cuttings will continue to produce greenery.

Romaine lettuce will come back to life if you keep it in water for several days so that the water covers half the plant. After this, new leaves will immediately appear, and the plant can be planted in the ground again.

Lettuce in water grows from the center of the head, so it needs the lower part to grow. About 3 days after planting, new shoots will be visible, and after 2 weeks it will be possible to harvest.

Watercress is one of the best crops for home gardens.

• Firstly, it - like onions - is extremely unpretentious. Those who do not have the opportunity or desire to spend time on labor-intensive care for the “beds” on the windowsill will certainly appreciate this, I think.
• Secondly, it is very early ripening: already 2-3 weeks after the emergence of shoots (and they won’t keep you waiting either) you will be pleased with young vitamin greens.
• Thirdly, nature has endowed watercress with many useful properties: Regular consumption of this crop helps normalize blood pressure, improve digestion and sleep. It was used as a remedy for scurvy, and the juice was used to treat anemia and vitamin deficiencies.

Watercress grows successfully on windowsills in winter - it is very cold-resistant (the ideal temperature for it is considered to be from +15 to +18 degrees) and is not demanding of light. The only thing he needs is regular moisturizing soil and air, since this plant does not like drought. In order to always have greens on the table, it is recommended to sow another portion of watercress every 7-10 days.

3. Bok choy - Chinese cabbage
Chinese kale is considered a unique source of vitamins C and A.
You can regularly replenish their supply by placing the lower part of the stem in water and remembering to change it periodically.

In a well-lit room, place the plant root in water. Keep it there for 1-2 weeks, after which you can transplant the cabbage into a pot. There it will grow into a full cabbage.

A window sill and a container of water can give a second life and Chinese cabbage. It grows from the center, so to grow it you will need the lower part of the head of cabbage.

4. Coriander (cilantro)
Coriander grows well in water. Try to plant it, and the fragrant sprout will immediately delight you with a riot of greenery.

5. Green onions
According to the unanimous opinion of everyone who has ever tried to grow greens on a windowsill, the safest option is onions, especially in winter, when there is little light. It equally easily adapts to any container - jars of water or any plastic container with soil.

This plant also feels quite comfortable without soil.
Green onions will grow back if you leave them in a small glass with the roots in the water. The room where it will grow should be well lit.

As planting material, you can use both onion sets (large fraction - selections) and ordinary onion. I've tried both options; Of course, the harvest from sets (or small turnips) is smaller - the bulb is depleted faster. But the feather - for my taste - is softer and more delicate.
In addition, a small onion takes less space upon landing. A large bulb produces more greenery, its feathers are usually larger, and it takes longer to harvest from it.

The onion needs to be peeled, cut off the top and bottom (very carefully to preserve the growing points) and inserted into the hole of a jar of water with the bottom down.

Jars, glasses and cups are not convenient only because the bulbs in them often rot. This is easy to avoid. Insert the onion into a clean but no longer needed sock, fill the jar a third with water and lower the sock into the water. The water will rise up the sock and moisten the bulb and then its roots.

If there is no free glassware in the house, you can use any containers for forcing onions, for example, plastic boxes in which salads are laid out in supermarkets. According to the size of each box, you need to take a sheet of thick cardboard and cut holes in it according to the diameter of the onion. Then pour water into the container, cover with cardboard, and insert the onions into the holes so that they barely touch the water.

In addition, you can grow green onions in a regular plate. Pour a small amount of settled water into a plate room temperature and lay the bulbs tightly together, trying to keep them vertical. The water should cover the bulbs by no more than a quarter.

Also remember a few simple rules growing onions for greens in water:

• It is better to pre-disinfect the container for forcing green onions, be it a jar or a plate, with a pink solution of potassium permanganate.
• The water should just lightly touch the bottom of the bulb.
• Do not immerse the bulbs entirely in water; it will rot.
• Until the roots grow, keep the container with the bulbs in a cool place.
• Until the roots appear, the water in the containers must be changed twice a day - morning and evening. When the greens begin to grow, change the water every 24 hours. If you feed onions by dissolving fertilizers in water, change the liquid once a week.
• From time to time, rinse the roots of the bulbs and dishes under running water.
• To prevent the bulbs from rotting, periodically remove them from containers with water and leave them “in the wild” for three to four hours.
• Place each batch of onions for forcing two weeks after the previous one, and then fresh herbs will be on your table continuously.

So, you can plant onions for forcing in small containers with water/nutrient solution or in the ground. I personally like the second option better: bulbs in water often begin to rot, emitting a specific aroma; I’ve never had this kind of incident happen to me with unpaved ones.

Growing onions for greens in the soil:

It is recommended to add a hydrogel soaked in Gumi solution to the soil for planting (this biological product strengthens the plants, additionally nourishes them, and increases resistance to disease). In room conditions, the soil substrate dries out quickly, and the hydrogel prevents the bulbs from suffering from moisture deficiency.

To always have a harvest, it is best to plant onions regularly - every 10-14 days. Then, by the time the harvest from the first “bed” is fully harvested, the greens on the next one will ripen - and so on until spring.

I use small plastic boxes for planting. I pour expanded clay on the bottom (there are no holes for draining excess moisture in the boxes, so drainage is necessary), and on top - soil with hydrogel up to about half of the box. Having slightly compacted the mixture, I plant the bulbs in it close to each other, without burying them in the soil. I water it generously and that’s it :))

Since I usually plant already sprouted bulbs, I don’t have to wait long for the harvest.

6. Leeks
The green part of this plant is undeservedly given less attention. Meanwhile, it can be used in soups, pies and a number of other dishes, which is what many famous chefs do.

You won't be short of fresh shoots if you immerse the lower, white part of the stem in water.

7. Carrots
The root crop of this plant cannot be grown in a vase with water, but greens are a completely doable task. Simply place the cut top of the carrot in a bowl of water. Greens can be used in salads, baked goods, pesto and other dishes.

Carrot tops grow back within a week from cut carrot butts. Just put them in water and place them on a bright windowsill. Change the water every 3-4 days, it should not rot.
If you have sand, place your butts on wet sand, it will be ideal. Make sure the sand is always damp.

Carrot tops are tasty and healthy. It contains no less carotene and potassium than the root, and it is also pure fiber. It can be added to salads and borscht, in fresh may be a little bitter, but no more so than arugula.

8. Beet tops from scraps
Beet tops can be grown in the same way as carrot tops - by placing them in water or on damp sand. Cutting the stems as they grow, leaving cuttings, they will grow again and again.

Beet tops, to my taste, are much tastier than any green salad. It also contains a lot of iodine, a whole range of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Eat it in salads, sandwiches, cook botvinya and borscht. I recommend!

9. Basil
Basil is one of the most fragrant and favorite herbs among housewives. At the same time, it is quite unpretentious and grows well on a windowsill.
Basil takes root very easily - place freshly cut small basil shoots 3-4 cm long in a glass of water in direct sunlight, after five days the roots will appear and you can plant.

Basil loves sun, so place it in a south-facing window. When five or six leaves appear, cut off the top of the basil to encourage it to grow wider and bushier.
When the sprouts double in size, you can plant the plant in the soil. The basil will be lush and healthy again.

Any soil from the store will be suitable as soil; buy nitrogen fertilizer for it. If the basil has buds, they must be cut off, otherwise it will produce flowers rather than leaves.

10. Celery

We don’t need the whole bunch of celery to force greens at home. Only its lowest root part is needed, which is usually thrown away after breaking off the edible juicy petioles.

So, cut off the base of the celery bunch, stepping back about 5 cm from the bottom of the bunch. - we get a kind of “rosette”.
You just need to put it in a glass or any other low container and pour in a little water so that it covers no more than half of the “socket”. It is advisable to place the container with the plant on a bright windowsill.

Now all that remains is to wait and add water to the glass from time to time. In a couple of days, the first green leaves will begin to emerge from the center of the celery “rosette,” and after a week, whole sprigs of fresh greenery will appear.
It can be used both fresh and dry, making it an aromatic seasoning for dishes. The water should be changed every 2-3 days.
Roots will begin to grow from the base of the bunch, so if you have a free flower pot and soil soil You can transplant celery from water to soil. But not necessarily.

A celery head (root) planted in the ground will also begin to grow green in a couple of weeks, without requiring any special care.

11. Fennel
Fennel is grown in the same way as celery.

It is necessary to leave about 5 cm at the bottom of the bulb and place it in a container filled with water.

12. Spinach
Spinach grows quite quickly, but loves cool weather, so the optimal temperature for growing it is no higher than +18 degrees. Boxes or pots with a height of 15 cm and southern windows are suitable for it - spinach needs a lot of light. If there is little light, then the temperature should be lower, up to +16 degrees.

You can use ready-made soil mixtures intended for decorative house plants.
Before sowing, soak the seeds for two days, then place them in the furrows to a depth of 1.5-2 cm. The distance between the seeds is 4 cm, between the furrows - 6 cm. Spinach should be watered generously, you can even spray it. It is better not to feed the soil - it is believed that spinach easily accumulates nitrates.

13. Ginger
To grow ginger at home, you will need a piece of fresh and smooth ginger root with a couple of live buds. If the root is too dry, you can keep it in a little warm water.

Ginger should be planted in a pot or box with soil with the buds facing up. Ideal conditions for this plant - a warm, moist, bright place, but without direct sun rays. In addition to the fact that ginger is tasty and healthy, it is also beautiful (somewhat reminiscent of reeds), so it can even be grown for decorative purposes

14. Lemongrass
This lemon grass is quite unpretentious and can even grow in a glass of water.

Cut 4 cm of plants from the bottom and put them in water - now you will always have one of the essential ingredients of tom yum soup on hand.

Before the weather warms up, you can grow whatever you want at home. But don’t expect the greenery on the windowsill to reach the same size as in the garden: this won’t happen at home. In the end, the process itself is important to us! And the harvest will not take long to arrive.
Based on materials from econet.ru, steaklovers.menu

I wish you success and great harvests!

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 Not proper 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, you need to have drainage holes. 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 with preparation 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 abundance essential oils. Soak the grains for a day in a saucer of water, and then sow. You can plant rhizomes in the ground with good apical bud, place long roots at an angle.
• 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 in the summer open balcony. If you build deep drawers, you can sow other crops: carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes. In summer, caring for plantings in boxes differs little from cultivating herbs in open ground, the only difference is that the soil dries out quickly and watering must 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, which will withstand short-lived cold snaps. 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 the garden if the weather forecast is unfavorable. warm room. 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 northern regions In winter, the 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, cut off the flower stalks and the greenery will be more luxuriant and tender.

For good development Plants need adequate 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 ​​the apartment allows, growing greenery at home on the windowsill can be a good addition to 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 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 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 summer, your dacha or balcony will provide you with vitamins, and in winter you can grow spices in a heated greenhouse, on glass 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.

When planning to master growing herbs on a windowsill in winter, autumn and spring, lovers of indoor garden beds consider three undisputed leaders: dill, parsley and green onions.

These plants are suitable as seasonings for many dishes. They gained their popularity due to their ease of care, versatility and taste. How to grow popular and not so popular herbs in the kitchen with your own hands, what to pay attention to so that the harvest is pleasing to the eye and taste?

You can grow almost any greenery on the windowsill in your apartment. The main thing is to choose the right variety and comply with the plant’s requirements for soil composition, air humidity, watering, and temperature conditions.

Important:

• Choose unpretentious varieties, or better yet, hybrids specially bred for room conditions. This will simplify care and increase the chances of a harvest. If you are not confident in your abilities and want to get quick results, buy not seeds, but ready-made seedlings in pots.
• Practical pots for herbs on the windowsill should have rectangular shape. Take wide and shallow dishes. Quite suitable plastic containers, they are light and easy to care for. Ideal for reusable use. Read more about choosing containers.
• Buy light, well-drained soil for your greens. You can prepare a mixture of vermicompost and coconut fiber. The proportion should be 1:2. Be sure to add a layer of small stones, expanded clay, crushed polystyrene foam, or other drainage to the bottom of the pot.
• If the window is cool or drafty, use plastic covers to create mini-greenhouses. You can buy ready-made ones or make them from a bag yourself.
• The optimal daylight hours for green pets are 10-13 hours. In winter there is not enough light, especially on the north side. To illuminate the greenery on the windowsill, install lamps; it is better to buy fluorescent or special phytolamps. Ordinary lamps will not work.

• Don’t neglect feeding, choose complexes mineral fertilizers for watering once every 2-3 weeks. But make the solution less concentrated than for open ground.
• Every other day or more often, spray green pets with a fine spray, especially if the air in the apartment is dry.
• Do not be lazy to turn the pots on different sides towards the light so that the plant develops evenly.
• To grow greenery, it is better to allocate a window sill in the kitchen to the apartment. Not the best in the bedroom the best place For frequent watering, spraying and application of fertilizers. In the bathroom, herbs will look ridiculous; for its landscaping, they are more appropriate.

If you don't want to limit yourself to just greens, then check out our organization and design tips and find out what else you can grow in your city apartment all year round. However, for beginners it is best start with herbs And . Plants that are difficult to cultivate can disappoint with the results and discourage the process.

Requirements of different greens

Before you go to the store for seeds or seedlings, learn how to grow different types of greens on a windowsill, and choose the simplest and most affordable option for you.

How to grow parsley on a window

To grow parsley in pots, you need a mixture of one part peat, the same amount of humus and twice the volume of garden soil, disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. But it’s easier to buy ready-made universal primer.

When choosing seeds, give preference to early, quickly ripening varieties. This information is indicated on the packaging. Low-grade species and curly parsley look beautiful. It is important that the selected variety is easily tolerated frequent pruning, because you will constantly pick leaves to decorate dishes.

Optimal varieties for indoor conditions:

• Appetizing;
• Vorozheya;
• Aster;
• Gloria;
• Nastenka;
• Station wagon;
• Russian feast.

To increase the germination of parsley, experienced gardeners advise keeping the seeds warm in a damp cloth for two or three days. Then you need to squeeze out the excess water, place the cloth with the seeds in a bag and put it in the refrigerator for several days.

Basic rules for growing parsley on a windowsill:

1. Choose containers for planting with a height of at least 15 cm.
2. When planting, be sure to maintain a distance between holes of at least 5 cm.
3. Bury the seeds to a depth of 0.7-1.4 mm.
4. Immediately after sowing, cover the pot with film or a special plastic greenhouse and place it on a lighted windowsill.
5. Provide a temperature of 17-21 degrees.
6. Moisten the crops, but not too much, otherwise mold will form. Remove the film every day, allowing air access.
7. With proper care, parsley shoots will appear in one and a half to two weeks. The film can be removed.
8. Water your greens two to three times a week. Provide additional food once a month.
9. Optimal temperature regime for indoor parsley – 15-18 °C during the day and 10-12 °C at night.
10. Make sure that the greens are not attacked by pests. Spider mites often spread from other plants to parsley.

When harvesting, try not to tear off the tops, but thin out the rows. This will improve the conditions for further growth.

Features of growing dill in an apartment

When choosing what greens you can grow on the windowsill in winter, pay attention to dill - the second most popular spice in the kitchen.

To enjoy the summer aroma within a month, buy varieties with rapid maturation: Gribovsky, Carousel, Early Miracle, Aurora, Grenadier. You can plant varieties with different ripening periods on the same windowsill, so that you can use the early ones first, and then switch to the late ones, which just have time to grow.

1. For selection good seeds, soak them in warm water for two days, changing the water to fresh water every 12 hours. Throw away everything that floats mercilessly, and use the rest of the material for planting.
2. Moisten the soil in the pots and make holes 1-1.5 cm deep, leaving gaps of about 4 cm.
3. Fill the top with soil, sprinkle with water and cover with plastic, as described above for parsley.
4. Place in a warm place (from 18 to 20 degrees) and protected from sunlight for a week.
5. When the shoots appear, remove the film and place the pot of herbs on the windowsill. If there seem to be a lot of sprouts, thin out, leaving about 3 cm of space around each sprout.
6. Water as the soil dries out. It is better to use a spray bottle as an assistant so as not to damage the young shoots.
7. Turn the pot with different sides to the sun so that the dill grows evenly.
8. Fertilize once every 30-45 days.

Fragrant basil on the window

Basil is another popular choice for growing fresh herbs on a windowsill in a city apartment. There are many varieties of basil in nature, but only a few dozen are suitable for human consumption. The leaves of the plant are used in cooking; they are ideal for salads and for meat dishes, and for marinades.

The best varieties for the room are:

• Marquis – distinguished by its compactness and beautiful ball shape;
• Dwarf is a low bush, there are species with greenery with a purple tint;
• Clove - attracts pleasant aroma and highly decorative.
• Lemon – delicate lemon aroma and crown with beautiful light green leaves.
• Purple is a bright bush with large leaves.

Basil seeds are different long germination. To speed up the process, keep the seed in a warm place for 10-14 days, then soak in warm water for a day. Discard any floating specimens.

1. Make holes in the soil and plant the seeds about 3 cm apart. There is no need to make large gaps, since not all crops will sprout.
2. To speed up germination, make a polyethylene greenhouse. The plant loves light and warmth - provide a temperature of 25 ° C.
3. Moisten the mini-bed as it dries.
4. Once the basil has sprouted, thin out the excess so that there is 5cm of space around each plant.
5. Place on a well-lit windowsill and regularly care for the plantings - water, turn, fertilize, loosen the soil. Heat water for irrigation to 30 °C.
6. Basil loves light, so be sure to install a lamp on the windowsill for illumination and provide at least 15 hours of daylight.

For culinary purposes pick leaves from the tops of the bush. This will prevent flowering, which makes the grass unedible.

The ideal lettuce variety for growing at home

When planning to plant greens on the windowsill for the first time, pay attention to watercress. This is one of the most unpretentious and fastest-germinating plants. Watercress seeds do not require long soaking, and the seedlings are resistant to temperature fluctuations and light. The best varieties: Pepper, Common, Broadleaf, Curly.

1. To get a bountiful harvest, soak watercress seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for a couple of hours.
2. Do good drainage at the bottom of the pot and fill it with flower soil from a bag or a mixture of two parts coconut fiber and one vermicompost.
3. Prepare holes 5-10 mm deep, sow basil and fill the holes with soil. Moisten and cover with film.
4. The first micro-greens on the windowsill will appear in a week. Keep the pot at a temperature of 17-20 degrees.
5. The higher the temperature, the more abundant the watering should be.

Watercress is one of the most unpretentious plants; it can be grown without any soil at all. Some people do it right in the water, while others do it on foam rubber. But greenery looks more attractive in a pot on the kitchen windowsill.

How to quickly get onion greens in winter

To grow onion greens at home on a windowsill, you can use two options - in soil in a pot and in water. The second method is fast and familiar to everyone since childhood. You just need to fill the glasses with water and place the bulbs in them. It is better to take those that have already begun to germinate.

The nuances of growing l uka in the water:

1. The water should be warm - about 40 degrees.
2. If the bulb has not yet begun to sprout, it is recommended to cut off the top by 1.5 cm.
3. Only the roots should be in the water; the bulb should not be immersed more than one-third.

By the way, you can grow it at home in the same way and get a beautiful tree.

Instead of cans, it is convenient to use egg cartons or special pots for growing onions at home. This is a container with holes for the bulbs. It looks neat and beautiful on the windowsill.

Growing green onions in the ground takes longer and is more difficult. Use bulbs for planting, since you may not get a harvest from the seeds at all.

Watch the video for the process of planting bulbs on greens in a bottle.

Fragrant mint in the home kitchen

An excellent choice for the home is mint with a wonderful aroma. Mint – perennial plant, which is easy to grow on a windowsill using root cuttings or seeds. The second method will take more time, but will bring more pleasure.

Peat or loose humus soil with an acidity of no more than 5-6 pH is suitable for growing mint. Feel free to buy universal primer in the store and don’t worry. The ideal temperature is 18-25 degrees. To the plant good lighting required.

1. You need to divide the bush in the fall after the growing season has ended. Carefully divide the rhizomes so that each portion contains shoots with dormant buds.
2. Fill the pots two-thirds full with nutrient soil.
3. Carefully distribute the seedlings and sprinkle them with soil.
4. Pour warm water over it.

The first leaves should appear in about two weeks.

If you bought a bunch of fresh mint, then try to get planting material method cuttings. Just place a few branches in water, dipping them in a root stimulator (root formation). The roots will appear in 8-14 days. All that remains is to plant the seedlings in pots.

1. It is better to sow mint seeds for growing on a windowsill in mid-spring.
2. Fill the pot with soil, prepare holes 0.5 cm deep and moisten the soil.
3. Sow the seeds and sprinkle a small amount of the same soil on top.
4. Cover with a film greenhouse.
5. At a temperature of 19-25 degrees, seedlings will appear a couple of weeks after sowing.
6. Control the moisture of the soil, do not allow drying out and excessive humidity. Water by spraying to avoid washing away the crops.

When growing mint in winter, do not overwater. Let the soil dry out slightly. Avoid drafts. In summer, water more deeply, but protect fresh greens from excess direct sunlight. If conditions permit, use mint to create a fragrant atmosphere in your home.

What else can you grow on a windowsill in an apartment?

When planning to grow herbs on a windowsill in winter, you can choose almost any type of fast-growing spicy herb. herbaceous plants. Oregano and sage perform well in apartments; they are not demanding of light and can withstand partial shade.

The unpretentious one causes little trouble fragrant lemon balm. Melissa seeds just need to be sown in the soil to a depth of 0.5 cm without pre-soaking, watered and moistened regularly. The greens will hatch within a few days. Melissa loves light; its lack reduces the production of essential oils that give the leaves their aroma.

Requires care, but looks very original on the window celery. The easiest way to get celery greens is in water. Simply trim the root part from the stem and leave it in a container of water in a sunny place. In a few days, new shoots and roots will appear. You can transplant the plant into soil or leave it in water. Trim green leaves as needed and care for your pet if replanted.

Green seeds cost pennies. Try and experiment with different types and landing options. Create your own spicy mini-vegetable garden to the delight of yourself and the envy of passers-by looking in the windows. And for greater effect decorate pots with your own hands, using . This way you can save a lot on purchasing containers.

By making growing herbs on your windowsill at home your hobby, you will have fun, decorate your kitchen, and always have herbs on hand for salads and soups. This hobby is ideal for spending time together with children and husband. Have a good harvest all year round!