Growing herbs on the windowsill

Many housewives prefer to grow herbs on the windowsill. This solution reduces costs, it is convenient and gives constant access to vitamins, which is especially important in winter. Seeds of plants or sprouts in pots can be bought in special stores, markets or ask friends. Or you can transplant plants from your garden before the onset of frost. For the first planting, it is better to prefer early varieties, so that you can appreciate the results faster, such as thyme or basil.

Growing conditions for herbs

Growing tank

The beauty of growing herbs is the freedom of creativity and the possibility of creating a kingdom of fragrant herbs on the kitchen windowsill. You can slightly deviate from the prescribed rules, there will be no harm, there are no strict regulations. For example, for growing herbs, you can choose any containers, experiment with shapes and designs.

This can be an old cup, a teapot, a package from under the products.

But there are also their own preferences for different types of greens. For growing green onions, a container is best, so that only the rhizome is covered with water. You can also use a narrow glass jar. Other plants, such as thyme, dill, coriander, prefer wide low containers.

Arrangements for drainage

For many herbs, such as parsley, dill, thyme, lettuce, and many others, a five-liter plastic bottle will work well. You can get a different size bottle as well. On one side of the bottle in rows cut small holes for the plants. Then a layer of drainage should be poured on the bottom of the container, so that it does not reach about 1 or 2 cm to the first row of holes. For drainage usually use expanded clay or gravel, making sure that the thickness of the layer does not exceed 3-4 cm.

Then a layer of soil is poured on the drainage up to the first holes and plant bulbs are placed in them (holes), so that the point of growth protrudes a little. Then repeat the procedure until the rows are finished and the bottle is completely filled. But the drainage is placed only at the bottom of the bottle.

When using soil, remember the importance of drainage, it helps to form a healthy root system. At the bottom of the container an even layer of fine pebbles, claydite or just a layer of coarse sand. Under the soil, it is obligatory to have either drainage holes or a drainage layer. Although they can be combined.

Choosing the Seeds

The process of selecting and planting seeds is a little more complicated, it requires at least minimal experience. The bottle is prepared in the same way, but the seeds are planted immediately into the holes after filling the bottle. This method is for herbs that do not require a lot of light during the germination period, such as white mustard, dill, thyme, leaf lettuce, parsley. Before sprouting, the holes should be covered with something to keep them warm and moist.

And also in stores they sell special pots and cartridges for growing herbs, they are already equipped with everything you need, you only need to water.

Pots or other containers should be placed on a stand to protect the rhizomes from drafts.

How to choose and fertilize the soil

Most grasses require loose soil with good permeability. The roots will need plenty of moisture and air. It is best to buy soil from a store. Ordinary soil from the vegetable garden or lawn can contain pathogens, lack the right set of minerals, and is usually too dense or acidic.

If you can find suitable soft and loose natural soil and cannot buy ready-made potting soil, it is recommended to bake the soil in an oven to get rid of pest larvae, pathogenic bacteria and pathogenic microflora.

Planting plants is very easy. The main thing is not to bury the seeds deeply, just cover them lightly with soil. Before sprouting, you need to make sure that the top layer of soil is moist, especially if it is thyme.

How to keep the soil sterilized?

To sterilize the soil, you need to take a three-liter glass jar and fill it with the prepared soil. It is not necessary to tamp it in the container, it should have access to air. Then the jar should be placed in any container with water suitable for a long stay in the oven.

Then the whole construction should be placed in an oven heated to 180 degrees for an hour and a half. Experienced gardeners recommend watering the soil with any liquid fertilizer after the procedure, to consolidate success and increase the amount of minerals and nutrients.

Substitute

Some plants, such as leaf mustard, watercress or onions, do not require soil to grow. A moist environment is best for them. To do this, place a piece of cloth, a layer of absorbent cotton or even a paper towel in a shallow container, and place the watercress and leaf mustard seeds on top. The main thing is to keep the base constantly moist.

Growing green onions is even easier. To do this, you need to put the bulbs in a wide shallow dish and fill them to a third of the height with water. The water must be changed regularly to prevent stagnation or the beginning of rotting processes.

For some plants, you can use hydrogel instead of soil. It absorbs excess moisture and gives it back to the roots of the plant at the right time. It can also be placed in the soil, for the same purpose. For planting on pure hydrogel, leaf mustard, thyme, watercress, valerianella lettuce will do.

Types of plants and their care

There are a number of plants that hostesses prefer to plant on the windowsill in the first place. When choosing seeds or sprouts, it is better to pay attention to early varieties, especially if they are dill, thyme, parsley.

Green onions are very easy to grow, the main thing is to pick the same size onions and remove the excess husk from them. If you cut off the top before planting, the shoots will appear much faster. You can add a nitrogen-rich fertilizer to it, but it is not necessary.

Cress lettuce is very easy to grow, it is absolutely not demanding to the presence of light, the place of planting and other things. Harvesting can be carried out already when it reaches a height of 5 cm. It should be sown tightly together.

Leaf mustard can be planted in the same container with garden cress, they get along well and do not require special care.

Leaf lettuce requires bright light and heat, without additional lighting it will not grow.

Dill does not require special care, but it is better to choose early varieties, they give a harvest in only three weeks, otherwise you will have to wait about 1.5 months for the first sprouts.

Parsley requires plenty of light, daily moderate watering and a warm environment. It is difficult to grow it at home from seed, but you can try to kick it out of the rhizome. Soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours before planting.

Basil requires a temperature of 25 to 28 degrees. It is better to buy it in seedling form. It requires constant control over the level of moisture.

Thyme is a perennial plant. Water thyme in moderation.

Coriander or cilantro is especially demanding of drainage and constant watering.

But rosemary is very difficult to grow yourself. It is better to buy ready-made seedlings in the store, and enjoy the exuberant growth of a perennial plant.

Watering and fertilizing herbs on the windowsill

All herbs on the windowsill, except parsley, should be watered once a week. All plants except cress, parsley, sorrel and leaf mustard require good light and humidity, for additional lighting use special phytolamps. Humidifiers will help to increase the humidity level, which is especially important during the heating season.

Fertilizer for spicy herbs is suitable for any, but it is better to use mineral, make fertilizer every two months according to the instructions. Be sure to ventilate the room regularly, some plants, for example, thyme in winter can be placed on an insulated balcony. When flowering, the inflorescences should always be cut off.