Every mistress dreams of always having fresh greens on hand. And this dream is quite simple to implement, even if you do not own a garden plot. Greens and simple garden crops can be grown in a typical city apartment, having a separate place for this purpose, for example, a window sill. However, if you want to create your own vegetable garden on the windowsill, you first need to learn a few important nuances that today will share the "House of Dreams".
Vegetable garden on the windowsill
Preparatory work for
To make the greens happy with healthy and juicy shoots, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for its cultivation:
- firstly, the plants do not like drafts and sudden temperature changes, so all window slits should be well sealed;
- secondly, systematic growth of greenery is impossible without natural illumination. The garden on the windowsill in winter is best placed in the south or south-west of the apartment. However, in winter, in conditions of a short light day, additional light sources may be required. Optimum, if for this purpose an LED lamp is used, which should be set above the garden level;
- is third, since under the windowsill there are often batteries that heat can damage the plants, their surface should preferably be covered with a shield or screened in any other way.
How to grow greens in the winter on the windowsill
Create a garden on the windowsill
To equip the home garden on the windowsill, first of all you need to choose the capacity for growing greenery and think over the scheme of their location. If you plan to grow the most common types of greens - onions, parsley and dill, choose low and elongated containers. If you want to grow more complex garden crops, for example, beans, peppers, cross-lettuce, cherry tomatoes or even cucumbers, you will need high and spacious containers for planting.
The greens on the windowsill in winter photo
The greens at home on the windowsill
The vegetable garden in the winter on the windowsill
Parsley on the windowsill Photo
Starting to create my mini-kitchen garden on the windowsill, many housewives face the problem of space shortage. Indeed, in a confined space it is difficult to implement all of their garden ideas, but this problem can easily be solved with the help of small tricks.
For example, for the placement of pots and containers, vertical furniture brackets can be used, thanks to which your garden will have several levels. Only in this case it is important to consider the planting scheme in such a way that high plants do not cover the light low.
Container for growing greenery on the windowsill and balcony
Large wooden container for greenery
You can get additional space for growing plants by expanding the window sill. The easiest way to do this is with the help of hinged containers, which are attached to the edges of the windowsill.
Also some kinds of greenery can be grown not in standard containers, but in hinged pots, which, in addition, will become a bright decoration of the interior.
In addition to pots, additional levels for the winter garden on the windowsill can be created with the help of suspended shelves. Attaching two or three small shelves in the opening of the window, you will get an additional place to install pots with plants. Thinking about the location of the shelves, calculate so that the distance between them is at least 50cm.
Home garden on the windowsill photo
As the garden grown on the windowsill becomes a part of the interior, pay close attention to the selection of plant containers. Ideally, the design of pots and containers should be in harmony with the interior of the room. For example, wooden boxes and containers will fit well into the interior in the loft or chalet style, bright ceramic pots will decorate any modern style, and decorative metal containers will become a harmonious addition to the high-tech style.
Growing green on the windowsill in winter
What can be grown on the windowsill
Experienced gardeners say that on the windowsill you can grow almost any greens. However, if you are a beginner in this business, start your agrarian accomplishments with growing green onions, dill, parsley, basil and lettuce.
Winter garden on the windowsill Photo
Green onion
For example, to grow a green onion on a windowsill, it is enough to place a young bulb in a container of water. After a while, the bulb will take roots and when they start to absorb water, young shoots of green will cut through. But, so that the bulb does not start to rot, the water in the container should always be fresh.
You can also grow green onions on the windowsill in the ground. It is best to use for this sprouted bulbs. Planting bulbs should not be close to each other, but at a distance of about 2-3 centimeters, and do not bury them completely - part of the bulb should remain outside.
To care for onions at home is quite simple - you need to protect it from the cold, provide enough light and regularly water with warm water.
How to grow onion on the windowsill
Green onion from seeds on the windowsill
Special container for growing green onions
Parsley
For growing parsley on the windowsill in winter, you should choose a small but spacious container, ideally a container. There are no special requirements to the soil: parsley can be grown both in ordinary soil and in a special mixture bought in the store. However, it is recommended to put a drain on the bottom of the container, which will absorb excess water. Evenly sifting parsley seeds on a moist soil, sprinkle them with a thin layer of earth, and then once again pour and compact the top layer of the soil.
Before the first shoots, the container with parsley should be covered with a plastic wrap and put in a warm and dark place. As soon as the first shoots appear on the soil, the film can be removed and the container transferred to the window sill.
Further care for parsley is only in regular watering. For irrigation it is better to use a sprayer rather than a watering can.
How to grow parsley on the windowsill photo
Growing parsley in pots on the windowsill
Dill
Growing dill on the windowsill is practically the same as growing parsley. Only before planting, the seeds of dill are recommended for several hours to put in wet gauze.
Dill on a window sill in a pot in the winter photo
Salad
Winter garden on a window sill can be supplemented with fresh salad, especially since it is very easy to grow this garden culture. Seeds of salad is enough to sow evenly on the surface of a moist soil, without covering them with earth. And after about a week, the greens will give the first shoots.
Growing salad on the windowsill
Basil
You can also grow a spicy and fragrant basil on the windowsill. This kind of greenery at home is grown both by planting seeds, and with the help of cuttings.
If you have shoots of fresh basil, put them in a container of water and wait for the roots to appear. After this shoots can be planted in the ground. For systematic growth, the basil needs fertile soil, a thick layer of drainage, regular watering and a sufficient amount of light.
Basil grows very quickly: approximately two weeks after planting from the bush, you can cut the first greens.
If you plant basil with seeds, the first greens will appear about a month later, but the bush grown in this way will last a little longer. The fact is that basil can not be eaten after the first flowering, and a bush grown from seeds will bloom later than a bush grown from shoots.
Basil on the windowsill in winter
Following these simple recommendations, you can easily create your garden on the windowsill, thanks to which in your home will always be fresh greens. In addition to the benefits of the greenery, the original mini-garden will become a wonderful decoration of the interior, and will give you and your family a new hobby.
