Secrets of growing delicious greens at home
Not everyone has a summer residence, but every family needs fresh parsley, dill, and green onion feathers. The solution is simple: growing greenery on the balcony or on the windowsill will allow you to have vitamin seasonings all year round. Some housewives tried this method and refused, because the herbs turned out to be tasteless and not aromatic. The reason is improper care: in winter there is little light in the apartment, the air is too dry and other unfavorable conditions that must be taken into account when growing vegetables at home.
What can be grown at home?
Many spicy herbs can grow in a small amount of land, so they can be grown in containers, boxes and pots on a windowsill.
Suitable for growing at home:
You can start creating your home garden with green onions. It does not need soil - take a jar with a narrow neck, fill it with water and set the bulb so that its edges rest on the sides of the container, and the roots are immersed in the liquid. You only need to change the water from time to time and cut the green shoots for food. When the bulb shrivels and becomes soft, the growth of the shoots is over, replace it with a fresh one.
It is 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, turn towards the light so that the plantings are evenly lit. In small pots and containers, you can grow each species and variety separately, in good weather, take them out to the balcony, and if there is a threat of frost, bring them indoors. For proper moistening, it is necessary that there are drainage holes in the bottom. It is easy to select a pallet for a compact container, and excess liquid will not create puddles on the windowsill.
Advice
When you have little space or containers, you have to grow different types of greens in the same container. Group plants according to their thermophilicity: dill, watercress, celery and parsley in one container; in the other - thyme, marjoram, basil.
Don't forget to allocate at least one container for the children. Let them decide for themselves what herbs will grow there, sow seeds with you, take care of their plantings on their own. Even a first grader can do such work. Explain that the plants are alive, they can die of thirst, and the child will have responsibility for their pets.
Kitchen garden on the windowsill
You need to start work with the preparation of the 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 provide the roots with moisture if you forget to water the plantings in time. Put small pebbles on a pallet and regularly moisten the stones, then the plants will not suffer from dryness at home.
Each crop requires a different approach when planting and growing.
- Green onions can be grown both in water and in land. Take a set or small onion bulbs and plant them in the ground 2 cm apart, burying them halfway into the ground.
- For a feather, you can plant perennial onions in boxes. Dig it up in your garden, cut off the green feathers and plant in a container.
- Parsley seeds germinate slowly due to the abundance of essential oils. Soak the grains for a day in a saucer of water, and then sow.You can plant rhizomes with a good apical bud in the ground, place long roots obliquely.
- Sow watercress in rows at 10 cm intervals.
- Lettuce seeds must be sown in separate cavities so that the distance between the plants is about 5 cm. You can sprinkle a few grains in each hole, and then leave the strongest specimens.
Advice
At home, vegetables are usually grown, for which the aerial part is used for food. To help the shoots and leaves develop well, sow herbs when the moon is growing. If you need good rhizomes, start sowing when the night star is in a waning phase.
Pour expanded clay at the bottom of the container, then the nutrient mixture. It can be purchased at the store or made from the same amount of peat, sawdust and sand. After sowing, sprinkle the seeds with a layer of soil 0.5 cm thick, cover the container with foil and keep in a warm, dark place until shoots appear. To keep the green conveyor constantly supplying you with fresh seasoning, plant a new plant every 2 weeks.
How to properly grow greenery on the balcony
Those who do not have a summer cottage can grow greens on an open balcony in the summer. If you build deep boxes, you can sow other crops: radish, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes. In summer, caring for plantings in boxes differs little from cultivating herbs in the open field, the only difference is that the earth dries out quickly, and watering should be more frequent. Frost-resistant species can be sown as soon as warm days come, and basil, rosemary and other southern crops are kept at home on the windowsill and taken out into the street only when the spring frosts end.
In winter, greens can be grown on glazed and well-insulated loggias. Try to plant unpretentious species that can withstand a short cold snap. Don't forget about lighting, equip your balcony with comfortable fluorescent lamps. If stationary boxes are used for planting, which cannot be brought into the room during severe frosts, keep heaters ready.
Residents of the southern regions can grow on glazed loggias and heat-loving crops: basil, rosemary... You need to plant greens only in small containers, which, if the weather forecast is unfavorable, can be easily brought into a warm room. It is desirable that all bindings are with 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 the plants enjoy the sun and fresh air.
Caring for greens at home
In the northern regions in winter, plantings do not have enough light, so often the greenery on the windowsill grows 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 give your pets a day of at least 12 hours. To fully utilize the brightness of the light, surround the containers with mirrors or foil.
The next problem is tightness. Each bush should have enough room to grow. If, when sowing, you poured seeds too thickly, destroy the excess copies. When plants are spacious, they will produce more tasty succulent shoots and leaves. If you notice that buds appear on the plantings, cut the peduncles, and the greens will be lush and softer.
Plants need sufficient watering for good development. In very dry apartments, be sure to add hydrogel to the soil, and cover the soil surface between the plants with small pebbles. Water at least every other day and spray the herbs with a spray bottle. If the soil starts to crust over, loosen it. Every 2 weeks, feed your vegetable garden on the windowsill with a solution of complex fertilizer.
Greens for sale
If the area of the apartment allows, cultivating greenery at home on the windowsill can be a good addition to the family budget.There are many techniques for organizing your herb business. If you wish, you can build racks in several tiers or purchase a hydroponic plant. There are entrepreneurs who have earned their start-up capital from parsley and dill. To be able to promote your business, you need commercial ability, and an ordinary housewife can simply sell surplus greenery.
It is not necessary to stand in the market, you can get to know the seller of herbs and give them away for sale. Another option is to offer your products to a small cafe or diner. The owners of small establishments are already tired of imported herbs, which are expensive, look good, but cannot boast of any taste. They will gladly acquire spicy bunches from you, which grew half an hour ago in the fertile soil on your windowsill and absorbed the aromas familiar from childhood.
The easiest way is to post a notice on your front door. In an apartment building, neighbors will instantly buy up all the surplus from you and will be registered in the queue for the next harvest. If you are on maternity leave, freelance, or for some other reason do not have a steady income, the containers on the windowsill will help replenish your budget.
Output
Fresh herbs can be grown at home all year round. In summer, a summer cottage or balcony will supply you with vitamins, and in winter, you can grow herbs in a heated greenhouse, on a glassed-in loggia or right in a room on a windowsill. You will get a double benefit: a harvest of juicy leaves, and a natural humidifier of dry air in the apartment.
It is advisable to grow each species in a separate container. If there are few containers, group the plants so that there are herbs in the same box 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 without interruption. Remember that the rhizomes planted for distillation are quickly depleted, after about 2 harvests they will have to be replaced with new ones.
In order for greens to gain taste and aroma at home, it needs a lot of light. Install energy-saving lamps and reflective screens and keep the stems from pulling out. Water and loosen the soil in time, don't forget to feed your pets, and you will never have to stop at the stalls of withered parsley and dill, which looks more like a camel thorn.
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