Growing vegetables at home. Garden all year round: vegetables and herbs on the windowsill
Vegetables are a valuable low-calorie dietary food product, the regular consumption of which has a beneficial effect on human health. In this article we will tell you how to grow vegetables in a city apartment, we will deal with the features of agricultural technology for growing cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers.
Vegetables are the main source of essential vitamins for humans. Eating various vegetable salads stimulates the body's defenses and protects us from adverse effects. environment. This is especially important in winter and in early spring when the body so needs protection from flu and respiratory infections.
In winter, you can grow the amount of vegetables necessary for a family on window sills and insulated heated balconies. To do this, it is necessary to observe specially developed methods of agricultural technology for indoor cultivation. Let's see what they are.
We organize the beds correctly
You can grow cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers in an apartment all year round. It is not at all difficult to build beds on the windowsill. If your window sill is narrow, then first you need to expand it. This can be done in two ways.
You can use a sheet of plywood with a thickness of 7-10 mm, a width of 20 cm and a length equal to the window sill. You just need to slip the plywood on one side under the frame and fix it - now the area for the beds will be quite sufficient.
You can increase the area by using stools. To do this, we put two stools near the window near the battery and put a board 20 centimeters wide on them. Wherein top part containers should be at the level of the windowsill. In this case, vegetable plants will be both warm and light.
Any containers for growing can be used, the main thing is that the plants in them are spacious. We will talk about this in more detail a little later. It all depends on your financial capabilities. You can use expensive ceramic pots, or you can adapt 5-6 for these purposes. liter bottle from under the water. For growing vegetables, you can independently make boxes from pine or spruce boards, again adhering to the required volume for each individual plant. We talked in more detail about the containers and drainage in them in the article “Garden on the windowsill. We grow greens, leafy vegetables and herbs.
You can prepare the soil for growing vegetables on the windowsill yourself, or you can buy a ready-made substrate. If you use garden soil, then the following proportions must be observed: 80% soil from the garden, 10% humus, 10% sand. It is advisable to disinfect garden soil before planting seeds by pouring boiling water over it. A high-quality substrate can be prepared from biohumus and coconut fiber. To do this, they are mixed in proportion: biohumus - 1 part, coconut fiber - 2 parts. These ingredients can be purchased from specialized stores.
A few basic rules
For successful cultivation vegetables on the windowsill, you must strictly follow the recommendations below:
- Plays an important role right choice seeds. For growing in a city apartment, self-pollinated, early, undersized or bush hybrids are suitable. To date, special varieties have also been bred for home cultivation, in which case there will be a mark on the seed bags - “suitable for growing in an apartment.”
- In order for a beautiful lush fruit-bearing bush to grow from a seed, the plant needs to provide a suitable temperature and required amount Sveta. Vegetable beds should be located on the south or southeast windows. On short winter days, additional lighting with fluorescent lamps is mandatory.
- It is necessary to water the plants with warm settled water, at a temperature of 20-25 degrees.
- Vegetables on the windowsill need to be fed regularly, especially during the fruiting period. For these purposes, you can use universal fertilizer for indoor flowers or specialized growth concentrates.
- Pots with seedlings and adult bushes must be rotated 180 degrees once a day. This is necessary so that the bushes are even, as plants tend to bend towards the light.
Basic rules for additional illumination of vegetable beds on the windowsill
On cloudy short winter days grow lush bushes in an apartment without additional lighting is simply impossible. As you know, light is the main component of such an important process for a plant as photosynthesis, without which normal growth and development of a culture does not occur.
It is recommended to organize supplementary lighting using fluorescent lamps white and daylight. Such lamps give a light similar to sunlight and at the same time do not emit heat. Therefore, they can be placed close enough to plants. Today, in specialized stores, you can also purchase fitolamps adapted specifically for indoor growing vegetables.
Fluorescent lamps are suspended at a height of: 10 cm - for light-loving plants and 40-50 cm for shade-loving. For 1 sq. m window sill requires lighting of 200-300 watts. You can organize additional illumination using the following formula:
- lamp power = 200/300 W * window sill area
The length of the lamp is best chosen equal to the length of the window sill.
Fluorescent lamps are very convenient to connect using a special timer. In this case, the illumination will turn on by itself, exactly at the time interval that you set, for example, from 7-00 to 10-00 in the morning and from 15-00 to 21-00 in the evening. The lamps with a timer will also turn off on their own.
Features of growing cucumbers on the windowsill
For growing cucumbers in a city apartment, the main thing is to choose the right seeds. For these purposes, specially bred self-pollinated greenhouse varieties. It is most convenient to grow bush species of this crop on the windowsill. If you want to grow bee-pollinated cucumbers on the windowsill, then pollination will need to be done manually.
Cucumber is a light-loving and thermophilic culture, so the beds must be located on the southern or southeastern windows. This plant is extremely resistant to drafts. The window, near which the containers with cucumbers are located, must be well insulated, and the window should be covered with polyethylene to prevent cold air from entering during ventilation. Get good harvest it is possible only if you illuminate the beds in winter time using fluorescent lamps.
Before planting, to accelerate the emergence of seedlings, it is best to pre-germinate the seeds. To do this, they must be placed in several layers. toilet paper and put in a flat container, pour over warm water. Next, we keep the seeds at a temperature of 28-30 degrees and high humidity within 2-3 days. If the paper dries out, it must be moistened periodically. The appearance of seedlings of 2-3 mm means that the seeds are ready for planting in the soil.
Germinated seeds can be planted in small plastic cups for seedlings, or you can place immediately on permanent place into the container. It should be borne in mind that one adult plant will need a volume of 3-3.5 liters for full development.
After planting germinated seeds in the ground, the containers are covered plastic wrap and put in a warm place. After the seedlings have appeared, the pots are moved to the south window and, with a short daylight hours, provide additional lighting. If you grew seedlings in small cups, you can transplant them to a permanent place when the plant has two or three leaves.
After the cucumber grows by 5-6 leaves and starts to let out a mustache, you need to tie it to a peg or stretched twine. Pinch cucumbers grown on the windowsill over 11-12 leaves. The faster you do this, the faster cucumber will begin to bear fruit. Appeared side shoots also needs to be removed.
If you prefer to grow bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers in your apartment, pollination can be done manually. To do this, tear off bright yellow male flower and touch them with women's (they, as a rule, do not have a bright color). Pollination can also be carried out using a cotton wool wound around a match. It is best to pollinate cucumbers in the morning. If you create a plant optimal conditions, from one bush you can get 12-15 medium-sized cucumbers.
Features of growing tomatoes on the windowsill
Tomato is a light-loving and thermophilic culture, so the beds must be placed on the southern or southeastern windows. Unlike cucumber, this plant has a positive attitude to drafts, so the air temperature can be regulated by airing the premises. Optimum temperature for growing tomatoes is 28 degrees during the day and 15 degrees at night.
It should be noted that undersized, early-ripening, small-fruited tomato varieties are best suited for apartment growing.
You can grow tomatoes on the windowsill, like cucumbers, or seedling way, or planting the seeds immediately in a large container. The optimal volume for each adult plant is 3.5-4 liters. After planting the seeds, the containers must be placed in a warm place (25 degrees) and covered with a film. After germination, remove the film and place the plants on the windowsill. In winter, when daylight is short, tomato beds need to be provided with additional illumination.
The main problem when growing tomatoes on a windowsill is their predisposition to fungal diseases, which, in most cases, occur with high soil and air humidity. Therefore, it is necessary to water the tomato beds on the windowsill very carefully, avoiding waterlogging. It is necessary to water adult plants 1-2 times a week with warm settled water. If the room is observed high humidity, in order to avoid the development of fungi, you can spray the plants with a Bordeaux mixture. For its preparation in glassware pour a liter of water, dissolve 10 grams in it blue vitriol. Then 20 grams of slaked lime is diluted in 100 grams of water - this is milk of lime pour in a thin stream into a solution of copper sulphate and mix well. This mixture can be stored throughout the day.
Tomatoes do not need artificial pollination, but for better fruit set, you can lightly tap the flower brushes several times a week. After the formation of the main part of the fruit, the top of the plant and flowering brushes must be removed. If this is not done, the formed fruits will not be able to fully ripen.
Features of growing pepper on the windowsill
Pepper is one of those crops that are much easier to grow in an apartment than cucumber and tomato. This is especially true for bitter varieties. For growing peppers on the windowsill, any variety of your choice is suitable. Most importantly, do not put sweet and bitter peppers side by side to avoid cross-pollination.
If you have a dacha or a garden where you grow pepper bushes during the season, several well-preserved bushes can be dug up for the winter and transplanted into a pot. Pepper is originally a perennial crop, so it can grow in a room for several years. With regular top dressing (2 times a month), an adult plant needs a volume of 3.5-4 liters, and even less for bitter varieties - 1.5-2 liters.
You can also grow peppers on a windowsill by planting seeds in the ground. For best germination, they must be soaked in warm water at a temperature of 25 degrees for 3-4 days. To do this, the seeds are placed in a piece of cotton fabric, placed in a flat container and moistened with warm water as it dries.
Swollen seeds are planted in permanent pots, covered with foil and placed in a warm place. After the emergence of seedlings, the containers are moved to the window, in winter they organize additional lighting. The first shoots appear after 2-2.5 weeks. When the plants have 5-6 leaves, we leave one seedling per 4 liters of soil volume, the rest can be transplanted.
The main care for pepper consists in regular watering with warm water as the soil dries, loosening and top dressing. When growing pepper, it should be remembered that this culture loves light and does not react well to sudden changes in temperature and drafts. Almost all varieties of pepper need pollination, so during flowering it is necessary to shake the branches with flowers.
As you can see, growing vegetables on the windowsill is not difficult. Vegetable beds in the apartment will not only provide your family with the necessary vitamins, but will decorate the home, giving it a stylish and unique look.
In the cold season, you want so much that spring and summer come as soon as possible. I want to bright colors, greenery and flowers. But you can also arrange a small green garden at home, which not only decorates the room, but also brings benefits. Now we will talk about what can be grown in an apartment.
At home, you can grow all sorts of flowers, and useful greens rich in vitamins and minerals. What can we say, in an apartment you can grow not only onions and dill, but also tomatoes and peppers.
If you are still a beginner home gardener, we advise you to plant greens and herbs first, as growing them will not be difficult. AT winter period they will spread their pleasant aromas, they can be added to a variety of dishes and teas. And most importantly, they will be completely natural, not doused with any chemicals and not stuffed with nitrates.
Greens and herbs that can be grown on the windowsill:
1. Parsley
2. Dill
3. Green onions
4. Green garlic
5. Celery
6. Cilantro
7. Sorrel
8. Green salad different varieties(watercress - lettuce, arugula, corn)
9. Mint
10. Basil
11. Thyme
12. Spinach
13. Asparagus
14. Melissa
15. Tarragon
Many varieties can be grown on the windowsill herbs and salads, so experiment with your favorite plants.
In addition to greenery on the windowsill or on the balcony, you can grow vegetables. On the Internet, you can find enough photos of balcony gardens, where people show off their grown specimens. And what people do not grow at home, even potatoes! If you're ready for long-term care of your plantations, then you should try to grow some vegetables to your taste.
Vegetables grown at home:
1. Tomatoes
2. Cucumbers
3. Sweet and spicy pepper
4. Zucchini
5. Eggplant
6. Radish
7. Mushrooms
8. Onion and garlic
9. Peas and beans
Some home gardeners do not stop at growing banal tomatoes and cucumbers, give them something more exotic. Fruit trees, berry bushes and even olives manage to breed at home, our citizens.
1. Tangerines
2. Lemons
3. Pineapples
4. Figs
5. Berries (lingonberries, blueberries, strawberries)
6. Kiwi
7. Pomegranate
It is very interesting and informative to grow herbs, vegetables and fruits at home. This is a kind of entertainment that brings joy and benefit, and how children will enjoy doing home gardening!
Many residents of city apartments are very interested in how to create a small vegetable garden at home. various vegetables. Is it possible to grow vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, greens and much more on a regular windowsill. Of course you can, but only if you follow certain rules for growing and caring. Strictly adhering to these rules, you can achieve a positive result.
Selecting and planting seeds
Not all seeds are suitable for growing plants indoors. There are some that will germinate and develop well only in open field. Therefore, on the packaging of which it is indicated that they are suitable for growing in an apartment.
Proper lighting
Houseplants should receive the amount of light in required volume. Natural lighting in the room, of course, is not enough. This shortcoming will have to be filled. You can use phyto-lamps or fluorescent lamps and highlight the plants for an additional 10-12 hours every day.
Most often, problems with the growth and development of plants arise due to lack of lighting.
Fertilizers and soil selection
For cultivation vegetable crops in the apartment, ordinary leafy earth with peat is suitable. When choosing in retail chains, opt for the "Universal" mixture.
Vegetable plants need to be fed regularly. It's up to you to choose - it's better, of course, organic fertilizers, but you can use mineral.
Watering and humidity
So that the roots of the plants do not rot, it is better to water them through the pan. Water at room temperature should be regularly added to each pan.
Dry indoor air negatively affects the development of plants. Salvation in this situation will be regular spraying of vegetable crops.
The most undemanding plants home cultivation are various greens and. Dill, parsley and lettuce do not require special care. To grow them, you will need any container and the usual garden soil. The only thing to consider is that plants need a sufficient amount of light and daily watering (and with dry air in the apartment - spraying).
more demanding cultures. Raising them is not as easy as green onion. As needed good lighting, then the place for growing can only be on the windowsill, where there is more light. But before planting, make sure that the window is thoroughly insulated and there is not a single draft. His cucumbers will not survive.
It is very important to properly water cucumbers. In hot and sunny weather, each plant needs up to 8 liters of water per day. Waterlogging the soil is harmful to plants. To prevent water from stagnating in the ground, lay a drainage layer on the bottom of the tank before planting.
And more about lighting. Cucumbers will need artificial illumination (about 12 hours a day), since there is not enough light in the room for this vegetable crop.
Having chosen which dressings to use (), spend them regularly, about 3 times a month. And for cucumbers and tomatoes, they are vital.
A prerequisite for growing cucumbers and tomatoes is the presence of support and garters, as well as the systematic rotation of pots with seedlings one hundred and eighty degrees. By following these rules, the vegetable crop will be stable and even.
Be patient, it may not work on the first try. But how nice it will be to treat your loved ones with an environmentally friendly product grown by yourself.
The spring garden at home is a million in one: eco-style praised by the Scandinavians, saving on vitamins and entertainment for the whole family. They checked what can be easily grown on the windowsill, and what will have to be very confused; where to get by with improvised means, and where it is better not to save; which plants should be grown from seeds, and which ones should be grown from leftovers not included in the salad.
Devices
You can grow fresh herbs at home without any special tools at all, planting seeds in packing trays from under vegetables and herbs, yogurt cups or containers from Doshik. However, for beauty and style, it is better to purchase special pots or boxes - wide, but not deep. It is convenient if they are equipped with special lids to create a greenhouse effect, although this can be achieved by simply covering the pot with plastic wrap or packing it in a transparent bag from the nearest Magnit.
The same principle applies to tools - you can dig in the ground with improvised means, but why, if Fix Price asks only 50 rubles for a decent mini-shovel and rake? You will also need a spray gun or a watering can with a “rain” nozzle and a bottle for settling water - watering young greens with tap water is too cruel.
The most stylish pots and watering cans this spring were seen in, although their prices are not the most affordable (the Bittergurka watering can made of white eco-ceramics is 799 rubles, and this is already with a seasonal discount). Quite fashionable ones can also go broke on garden gadgets - hydroponic beds, aqua farms and mini-greenhouses - you can check the possibilities of technology, for example, at the link.
For soil it is better to go to the store. Dig up on the nearest lawn or grandmother's dacha is not an option, because the street land is full of not only weeds, but also insect larvae that have no place in the kitchen. It is ideal to buy special soil for homemade vegetables (30-50 rubles for a five-liter package), but if there is no such soil in the nearest store, soil for indoor plants is also suitable. You can also spend money on drainage - expanded clay or special pebbles, or you can use crushed polystyrene foam or chopped corks from eight-March wine bottles.
Training
Having stocked up with everything you need, we choose a place for a garden. Experts recommend a kitchen window sill - it is more humid and warm there than in rooms. However, before trusting expert opinion, decide on a list of plants: some (basil, oregano, spinach) really love light and warmth, while others (marjoram, watercress) need shade and coolness. These can be planted on a glazed loggia.
We plant each type of greenery in its own pot - not only because of differences in care and climate, but also because most plants cannot stand close proximity to others. If there is not enough space, but you want to plant a lot, it is better to use hanging planters or shelving.
We fill the bottom of the pots with drainage, and then lay out the soil. Its thickness depends on what we plant. Seeds can be soaked for several hours in a small amount of water - usually they are wrapped in cheesecloth and laid out in a saucer of water. The optimal moment for planting is when sprouts begin to hatch from the seeds.
Before planting, the soil is loosened, moistened, the seeds are planted to the desired depth, after which the soil is slightly tamped and watered again. Close with a lid or polyethylene until sprouts appear.
So that the plant does not grow crookedly, leaning towards the window, the “bed” must be rotated 180 degrees daily. An alternative for the lazy is to attach foil to the pot to reflect sunlight.
To use fertilizers or not, each gardener decides for himself. From effective and at the same time safe - ash, crushed banana peel, eggshell or yeast.
Starter level
Even a kindergartner can grow green onions, watercress or parsley on the windowsill. Planting watercress does not even require land: the seeds are placed in moistened cotton wool or paper towels. You can also do without a pot - a plate or a tray is enough. It is necessary to sow densely so that the plants support each other. Press the seeds into a damp substrate and place on a lighted windowsill. It is important to maintain humidity, but not flood. The salad does not like heat - the top temperature for it is 18 degrees. Harvest should be expected in 2-3 weeks. To renew seedlings, you can either plant new seeds every 3-4 days, or sow a new pallet every two weeks (this rule works for almost all plants that are grown from seeds).
Green onions can also be grown without soil. The bulb is placed in a glass of water so that only the root part is in the water. Change the water daily to avoid rotting. You can also transplant into the ground - after the roots appear. It is not necessary to deepen the bulbs entirely, you can plant them tightly - one to one. Also - through the roots and water - grow celery. They take as a basis not the root (which would seem logical), but the stump from the leaf. After the roots appear in the water, it is transplanted into a pot and wait a couple of weeks until new leaves appear.
Mint is grown directly from twigs bought in a store: they are placed in water, and after the roots appear, they are planted in a flower pot. Only regular watering is important.
Parsley can be grown from both roots and seeds. For the first method, we are looking for greens in a pot in supermarkets, cut off the leaves, and place the root in moist soil. The first shoots should appear in a few days. To grow not one bush, but a whole garden, we buy seeds. We plant them in peat cups or directly into the ground. The first harvest will appear only in a month and a half, but it will be updated throughout the whole year. Parsley loves light and water, but it is picky about temperature - it grows equally well on the kitchen windowsill and on an unheated balcony.
It is difficult to spoil the bed with dill. Seeds can not even be soaked - immediately planted in moist soil. The main requirement is to ensure frequent watering. best grade for growing at home - "Gribovsky".
Marjoram is also unpretentious - it survives on loggias even in winter and germinates well from seeds. It easily tolerates not only cold, but also a lack of light, but you still have to water it.
Level Explorer
Having dispersed "simple" plants, you can move on to more capricious ones. You don’t have to do anything supernatural - just follow certain conditions.
Basil seeds are planted at a distance of 5-6 centimeters from each other, because otherwise the bushes that appear will be crowded, and the pots are placed in the warmest place in the kitchen, creating familiar conditions for the “Italian”. You can also grow it from cuttings by putting the branches bought in the store into the water and subsequently transplanting them into the ground. Spinach and arugula seeds are not planted deep - otherwise there is a risk of not waiting for the harvest at all. These plants need both sun and abundant watering. For a long time - 3-4 weeks - oregano also sprouts. But here the abundance of water is only to the detriment: even a slight stagnation of liquid can lead to the death of the crop.
Leaf lettuce will be good only in moist air - in a dry and hot room, its leaves will become rough and bitter. Watering should be plentiful, but if poured, the roots will rot. But the plant tolerates the cold calmly - it will grow on a glazed balcony until late autumn. For home conditions, it is better to take the Lollo Rossa, Lollo Bionda, Red Credo, Odessa, Vitamin and New Year varieties. They can be grown from seeds, stalks or rhizomes left in pots from the supermarket.
Many vegetables can be successfully grown indoors as well as flower and ornamental crops. Vegetables at home are not only additional vitamins to your table, but also an interior decoration. Bright red tomato fruits, colorful lettuce leaves, bright green or light leaves bulbous and spicy-flavoring plants create a unique flavor in the house. You will enjoy their splendor throughout the year.
For growing vegetables in an apartment, you can use not only windows. Depending on the requirements for light, a number vegetable plants can be kept for a certain time and driven out in semi-dark rooms, in basements, in corridors or dark closets. During spring, especially its second half, and in autumn, we recommend using glazed balconies, loggias, verandas for vegetables, as well as using additional shelters from the film and, if necessary, artificially highlight.
It is possible to grow in the rooms different kinds vegetables. You can harvest a good crop from the windowsill only if the gardener knows which crops are best grown at home, the requirements of these plants for environmental conditions, optimal timing crops, planting and care for them, selection and purchase of indoor plants.
All houseplants, including vegetables, should be purchased in early spring or early summer. At this time, healthy, well-rooted plants most often arrive at stores. Before buying plants, you should consider where they will be placed in the apartment. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the size of the purchased plants and the speed of their growth.
When growing any plants in apartments, there is a rule: the more, the higher and brighter room, the easier the plants endure all the hardships of indoor spaces, especially in winter. For example, in bright, cool rooms, in a corridor, a slightly heated loggia, or in winter garden, where the temperature does not rise above 10-15 ° C, subtropical plants grow best - all types of citrus fruits, tea, olive, Japanese medlar and others. Some vegetable, especially green, crops can also grow here. If your room has northern windows and in winter the temperature in it does not exceed 10-12 ° C, then noble laurel, pomegranate, which sheds leaves for the winter, will be the most suitable for it, sorrel, celery, parsley and green onions. Very little light is required for forcing chicory salad and growing cauliflower.
All plants should be purchased only in specialized stores, as well as in farms that produce planting material, or in greenhouses. Only here will help you choose essential plants and will give qualified advice on how to grow them, and often a reminder on how to care for them. In specialized stores and farms, as a rule, completely healthy plants with washed leaves go on sale.
We do not recommend buying plants in cases where the roots break through the drainage holes, the pots show green growth or mold, the plant is poorly formed, it has few shoots and leaves, or if the size of the pots does not match the size of the plants. In addition, we do not recommend buying freshly planted plants. They can be identified by drooping leaves. In this case, they will have to create special transitional conditions for them to adapt in the apartment.
Another tip: when purchasing plants, try to choose young specimens, as they adapt better and faster to room conditions. When buying, it is advisable to check the degree of rooting. To do this, you need to remove the plant with a clod of earth from the pot. If the roots began to braid a lump, such a plant can be bought.
Attention! When buying, you should carefully inspect the plants to prevent pests and diseases from entering the apartment. Aphids often settle on the tops of the shoots of many plants, and scale insects and their larvae often settle on the underside of the leaves. Sometimes it is not the pests themselves that are visible on the plants, but the damage caused by them (sticky and with a blackish coating of leaves - a sign of the presence of a scale insect and soot fungus, speckled or spotted leaves - viral blotch).
Annual vegetable crops can be bought at the market. Here are on sale good varieties tomatoes suitable for growing on windows, cucumbers, peppers (sweet and bitter), onions for forcing on a feather, cauliflower. When buying vegetable crops on the market, you should also follow the rules outlined above - carefully inspect the plants and discard the sick and underdeveloped. It is recommended to buy plants only in peat or plastic pots, best of all in the morning.
Most vegetables and some subtropical fruit crops(tea, laurel, coffee, laurel cherry) are propagated by seeds. Purchased seeds must be clean, free of debris and plant residues. Seeds should be purchased best in autumn (September-October). If you have the opportunity, you need to check them for germination.
Purchased plants are recommended to be carefully packaged. This is especially important in the winter and early spring periods, as if the plants are poorly packed, they can freeze or dry out. Within 2-3 weeks they should go through an adaptation period in the apartment. At this time, they should be protected from drafts, low temperatures and from direct sunlight. We advise you to keep the newly acquired plants at a moderate temperature for the first time, do not water them abundantly, and only after 1-2 weeks they can be put in a permanent place.
Be healthy!