How to organize a garden on the windowsill with your own hands?

Many people mistakenly believe that growing fresh vegetables can only be done on a private plot in the summer. In fact, this is not the case. Some types of vegetables and herbs can be grown all year round by building a mini vegetable garden on the windowsill.

What can be grown on a windowsill?

Naturally, you won't be able to grow potatoes, squash, pumpkins and other large vegetables at home. Root crops do not have enough space, zucchini themselves are too large.

But for the New Year's table you can get a harvest:

• a tomato
  ;
• cucumbersthat do not require insect pollination;
• various greens (dill, cilantro, parsley);
• green onions;
• bell pepper or hot pepper;
• medium-sized Chinese cabbage;
• spices of different varieties (basil, coriander, mint, thyme and others);
• small carrots.

We build a garden on the windowsill with our own hands

In order to grow fresh vegetables and herbs on your windowsill, you must:

• build mini-beds from boxes or flower pots;
• think over what crops to plant;
• purchase the tools necessary for care and planting;
• buy soil and fertilizers;
• take care about additional lighting and temperature conditions.

Before the start of planting work, we develop a project for a vegetable garden on the windowsill. In this matter, you can completely rely on your imagination. To obtain additional space in a limited space, it is advisable to equip containers with expected landings in several levels. This can be done using special or furniture brackets, which are commercially available and inexpensive.

For additional lighting, a special spectrum LED lamp is perfect (read about the choice of lamps here

), which is located above all levels of the mini garden. In autumn and winter, depending on weather conditions and natural illumination of the window sill, plants additionally need 120 - 300 W for each m2 of surface. It is necessary to turn on the lighting every day. The average daily lamp life is 4 to 7 hours.

In severe frosts, when the outside air temperature drops below 20 ° C, the garden on the windowsill must be insulated. This can be done simply by closing the window, from which curtains or blinds blow cold. In severe frosts, plants can be temporarily covered with a covering material or loose fabric.

Additional moisture can be obtained by placing saucers with fresh water between the plants or using a purchased air humidifier. If there are animals in the apartment, then this method of obtaining moisture will not work. In this case, the plants are sprayed from a room sprayer.

Making a garden on the windowsill with your own hands is not difficult, but growing crops requires some skills.

Preparation for sowing plants

Before you start sowing seeds, you need to prepare boxes of soil. To do this, a layer of expanded clay or other drainage material with a thickness of at least 1 cm is poured onto the bottom of the boxes purchased or made independently.

Earth is poured onto the drainage layer. The easiest way to buy ready-made potting mix in a specialty store, but you can cook and yourself.

To do this, mix in equal proportions:

• garden land;
• field land;
• sod layer;
• peat;
• humus;
• loosening materials such as perlite or coarse sand.

Recommendations for obtaining an ideal soil are conditional. It should be remembered that for each plant, the selection of land must be made individually.

Before sowing, the seeds, for better and faster germination, must be soaked in water for a day or wrapped in damp gauze.

The planting depth of the seeds of various plants, as well as the basic recommendations for growing, are indicated on the back of each package. Experienced experts recommend strictly adhering to these rules.

Plants requiring pre-growing seedlings can be planted in two ways:

1. plant seeds in a seedling box and after sprouting, dive the plants immediately to a permanent place;
2. plant seeds in their place, skipping the stage of germinating seeds in the common box.

The result is the same in both cases. The only disadvantage of planting a plant in a permanent place without prior germination is the poor germination of seed material.

Caring for the garden on the windowsill

The garden on the windowsill in winter requires a lot of attention. You need to watch out for:

• soil moisture. It should not dry out and be excessively moist. At an early stage of plant development, it is more advisable to use a sprayer for watering;
• additional illumination of plants;
• compliance with the required temperature regime;
• soil compaction. From time to time, as in a regular garden, the land requires loosening and weeding;
• timely feeding of plants. The land in the garden on the windowsill is gradually depleting. The longer it is supposed to grow a vegetable crop in one place, the more fertilizing should be carried out, which can be carried out both with universal fertilizers and intended for a specific type of plant.

With proper care, the garden on the windowsill (photo) will delight the owners with a high-quality and bountiful harvest.

Little dreamers can arrange houses in the garden for their friends. Thus, they will be trained to take care not only of toys, but also of living things - plants. In addition, a beautiful small garden on the windowsill will give a certain charm and additional unique interior to the room. And of course, fresh herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers, grown in late autumn and winter.

Video: we grow cucumbers and tomatoes on the windowsill