Regardless of the season outside the window, in the conditions of the apartment it is nice to enjoy living plants, grown with love. In addition to indoor flowers, you can grow fresh vitamins in a pot on the windowsill: greens, vegetables with fruits and berries – cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, radishes, peppers, lemons, strawberries … And all this – at home, without chemicals and at any time year, even in summer, even in winter!
- Vegetable and berry seedlings need space, so choose a larger pot, up to 40 cm in diameter and 20 cm high. The material of the vase can be any – plastic, clay, the main thing is that there are holes at the bottom for the drainage of excess moisture. If the pot is not new, and you have grown something in it before, it should be washed well, poured with boiling water and treated with a solution of potassium permanganate to protect the seedling from pests.
- What kind of soil to plant a home garden in? It is better to buy soil mixture for potted plants, there are all the necessary substances for growth and development, as well as a minimized risk of infection by pests. You can prepare a mixture at home with your own hands from turf, peat and compost. If you have a plot of land fertilized with organic matter, then you can take the soil from there. Good drainage in the container for planting is important – expanded clay, pebbles. Its presence will allow the root system to breathe and protect it from rotting due to waterlogged soil.
- It is necessary to choose special varieties of vegetables, the root system of which will be comfortable in a limited space.
- An important condition is the ability of plants to self-pollinate – specially bred hybrids have such properties, and we choose them.
- Take care of a sufficient amount of moisture and nutrition. It is best to water with settled warm water. Feed with liquid fertilizer once a week, as soon as the first four leaves appear. Biohumus is used as an organic fertilizer.
- Good lighting is a necessary condition for the good development and fruiting of your garden: even the slightest shadow from a neighboring pot endangers the future harvest. If the lighting is not enough, you can illuminate artificially: LED lamps or LED strips with different spectrums (red, blue, white) are suitable.
- Otherwise, the same rules as for street or greenhouse relatives: to speed up the pricking process, cover the pot with a film, not forgetting to moisten and warm the soil, regularly check the grown-up plant for the presence of diseases and pests, if necessary, disinfect it with special means.
If, due to lack of time, you want to simplify your task or stand out with an original and useful present, give a canned plant as a gift. Despite the prosaic name, such miracle pots will allow you to create a real mini garden and vegetable garden on the windowsill, grow cucumbers, tomatoes, arugula, rosemary, spinach, basil, daisies, forget-me-nots and other crops, and the bright design will lift your mood every time.