Mini-garden in the apartment: how to grow vegetables, herbs, and even strawberries at home
Do It Yourself / / December 19, 2019
Growing food in a popular city in the world. So, Britta Riley (Britta Riley) lives in a tiny apartment in New York. She came up with a vertical garden on hydroponics. It occupies little space and brings a good harvest. On his innovations Britta He spoke at the TED.
In the West, if the product is worth labeling eco, bio or organic, it means two things. Firstly, these products are grown, harvested and processed in accordance with the environmental standards, ie without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, growth stimulants and other "filth." They have been certified, and serious institutions guarantee their quality. Secondly, organic products are much more expensive than usual.
The Russian market is "clean eating" is in its infancy. More biosertifikatsionnaya not formed and the control system. And the difference in prices between bioproducts and conventional fruits and vegetables sometimes reach 1000%! Therefore, the most eco for us, bio and organic - are products grown with their own hands.
But the cottages and relatives in the village is not at all. What do children Urbana, accustomed to see the washed potatoes in a grid, and green - vacuum-packed? Grow vegetables and fruits directly on a balcony or windowsill.
6 reasons to arrange a home mini-garden
- You can pamper yourself to fresh, full of vitamins vegetables and herbs all year round.
- Saving. Vegetables and fruits are expensive, especially in winter. With a home vegetable garden is no longer necessary to adapt to the season (tomatoes eat enough only in July, and apples - in September).
- You yourself with your hands from a tiny seed can grow a plant, you can collect the fruits. This creative activity, which is charged with positive energy.
- You can improve your knowledge of biology, gain useful skills and gain a fascinating hobby.
- Your children will see how to grow tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables, and realize that they do not magically materialize in the refrigerator, their cultivation - serious work.
- You can impress your friends and acquaintances. Imagine how you will brag about the harvest, showing the window "beds". ;)
What you need to grow vegetables and herbs at home
- A place. Usually it is the window-sill or balcony. It is better if they are located on the sunny side. If not, it will require a lamp for illumination. If necessary, the sill can be extended or erect racks for "beds" (the minimum distance between the shelves - 50 cm).
- containers. The beds for the home garden can serve as a clay or plastic pots, wooden boxes. The main thing that was in the bottom of the hole to drain the water. Capacity is recommended to put on pallets.
- Priming. There are many soil mixtures for indoor gardens. They tend to make several layers of peat, compost, turf. You can prepare your own soil, and can be purchased at a specialty store.
- seed. Some varieties of tomatoes or cucumbers grow well at home, while others are not even germinate. Therefore, before taking up the indoor gardening, you need to sit on the forums, read articles on the Internet and find out what seeds to buy.
In addition, you may need fertilizers, feeding, thermometer and settling vessel for water (domestic plants are watered with water at room temperature, separated from chlorine).
Inventory is, now you need to decide what to plant. Layfhaker already wrote about some of the vegetables growing well on a windowsill.
16 products that can be grown at home
Today will tell more about ten such plants.
Carrot
grade"Amsterdam".
Temperature: 15 to 25 ° C.
harvest: Through ≈70 days.
For cultivation at home need to take the miniature varieties of carrots. You can put in boxes, pots or simply cut plastic bottles with holes in the bottom. Soil drainage should be taken.
Seeds are placed in the ground to a depth of about 7 cm. When the carrot and sprout rises a few centimeters, it is necessary to thin out, leaving the strongest shoots at a distance of about 2 cm from each other. It is not recommended to keep the beds under direct sunlight.
Watering carrots in the home often need, but we must make sure that the water was not too much, otherwise the root zagniot. From time to time it is possible to feed fertilizer with low nitrogen content (if it is a lot, all growth will go into the tops). Very useful sometimes loosen the soil.
Pepper
Sorts"Treasure Island", "dwarf", "watercolor", "swallow" and others.
Temperature: From 25 to 27 ° C.
harvest: After 100-130 days.
For the cultivation of pepper in the apartment it is recommended to use a special soil, enriched with micronutrients. It is sold in stores for farmers. The soil can be supplemented with hydrogels for greater looseness.
Seeds are first planted in small pots that cover with cling film and put in a warm place. When the first shoots appear (one to two weeks), in the film you need to make a few small punctures. Yet after a while Peppers will get stronger, then it can be transplanted into larger pots or buckets. It should be done carefully so as not to damage the spine. Perpetuate a third plant, then poured with warm (30 ° C) water.
In the future, pepper can be watered every day. This plant loves light, so in addition to the natural lighting is recommended bulb with white spectrum. Necessary to protect home-grown peppers from drafts and direct sunlight.
Fertilize with nitrogen fertilizers can be, but the potassium salt and potassium chloride will destroy the roots of the plants. With proper care, peppers on a windowsill can delight the fruits of up to two years.
Cherry tomatoes
Sorts"Pygmy", "bonsai", "bead" and others.
Temperature: From 23 to 25 ° C.
harvest: 90-100 days (depending on variety).
Ground, as in the case of pepper, it is more convenient to buy ready-made. Capacity is recommended to take a cylindrical: it is better filled by the root system.
First, the seeds are germinated in small pots: buried to a depth of 1.5 cm, are covered with cling film and left in a warm place until the first sprouts. When tomatoes ascended, they dive into a large and deep bowl.
It is important that the plant was getting even illumination. To do this on the "beds" can hang fluorescent lights or regularly turning the containers to the window.
Watering should be carefully: Cherry is easy to pour. When the plant razrastotsya, the soil is recommended from time to time to loosen and to feed fertilizers. If necessary, the barrel can tomato tie to the support (wooden skewer or pencil). It is also important to make sure that tomatoes did not appear on the pests.
By the way, in home gardens grow well not only cherry, but also ordinary tomatoes.
cucumbers
Sorts"Rytova room", the "miracle on the window sill", "ant" and others.
Temperature: From 21 to 24 ° C.
harvest: 35-45 days.
For cucumbers need a fairly large capacity, volume of not less than 6 liters. The soil should be loose, with peat or compost.
At home, well grow cucumbers self-pollinating varieties. First, to prepare seeds: they are poured in a weak brine solution, those that have surfaced discarded. Then fit the seeds are soaked for 20 minutes in the potassium permanganate solution and then washed with a wet gauze and planted in soil (under the tape). When the seedlings will rise and grow up, it is possible to sit in large containers.
Watered homemade cucumber with warm water every day, but with caution. Leaves can also be sprayed with a spray gun. As recommended fertilizing potassium nitrate.
When the whip cucumber will form and will grow for them should be to build a backup, so that the plant could trudge.
Radish
Sorts"Carmen," "White Fang," "the F1 Celeste" and others.
Temperature: From 18 to 20 ° C.
harvest: Through ≈40 days.
Radish is recommended to put in wood or clay containers, but you can use the usual plastic cups. Need a loose, well-drained soil. The seeds before planting, you can check on the emergence, as cucumbers. After that they should be buried to a depth of 1-3 cm.
After planting, the soil need to pour and cover with foil. When will the shoots, "greenhouse" clean. Radish, as a rule, do not dive. But sometimes it is placed on two or three days in a lower temperature range - about 15 ° C. This hardens the plant and contributes to a better harvest.
Five days after the first shoots carry the organic fertilizer, and two weeks later - mineral. Radishes watered profusely as drying. It is also important that the air in the room where it grows, was not dry.
Spinach
Sorts"Viroflay", "Gaudry," "gigantic" and others.
Temperature: 15 ° C.
harvest: Through ≈40 days.
Spinach belongs to the green vegetables and is considered very useful. To grow it at home, we need containers height of 15-20 cm. You can use ready-made soil mix. The main thing that they comprised peat.
Seeds before planting is recommended to soak in water for a day. Seeding is carried out to a depth of 1-2 cm. To accelerate the germination capacity can be coated film. Spinach rises approximately one week after planting, then it can dive.
In winter, when the apartment is heated and when the short daylight hours, it is recommended to highlight a plant bulbs and spray from the sprinkler (in addition to watering).
Crop can be harvested when the spinach reaches 7-10 cm in height.
Basil
Sorts"Marquis", "lemon", "Baku" and others.
Temperature: From 22 to 24 ° C.
harvest: After 50-55 days.
Basil - one of the most fragrant spices and favorite mistresses. In this case, it is quite unpretentious and grows well on a windowsill.
Basil planted directly into large containers (volume of at least 1.5 L). First you need to prepare the soil for planting: double-pour mineral fertilizers with an interval of five days. Seeds deepen 1-1.5 cm. As long as the plant does not ascend, it needs to be watered every two days. Further watering is done every day, preferably in the morning.
Basil loves the sun. Therefore, it is recommended to extend the period of insolation 15-17 hours per day using fluorescent lamps. Also, every two weeks, you can loosen the soil to enrich it with oxygen.
green garlic
Sorts"Kharkiv", "anniversary" and others.
Temperature: From 18 to 25 ° C.
harvest: 15-20 days.
As a rule, garlic bulbs are used in cooking. But the green shoots (arrows) are also suitable for gastronomy: they are suitable for the preparation of marinades and sauces.
Garlic varieties are divided into two groups: winter and spring. The latter usually do not give a shooter, so are not suitable for cultivation in the home.
Those who have ever grow onions on the windowsill, it would be easy to cope with the garlic. We need to take garlic cloves winter varieties, it is desirable that they were with germinated sprouts. Potting soil can take any. Each clove planted at a depth of 2-3 cm and at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other. Planting, it is necessary to pour.
Container of garlic should be kept at the lighted window in the house. Watering as the soil dries. From time to time it is possible to feed the nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
Mint
Temperature: From 20 to 25 ° C.
harvest: Through ≈60 days.
In mint rather branched root system, so it should be fit to take a deep and wide container. The soil is recommended to use peat, grade - any.
There are two ways of planting mint: seeds and cuttings. Last shown in the video below.
To grow from the seeds of mint, it is necessary to put them into the soil to a depth of about 5 mm and pour. To create a greenhouse effect, you can use the tape. Pre-emergence (about two weeks), the ground need every day sprinkle water. After germination mint need to sit down.
Mint unpretentious. In the summer it should be protected from direct sunlight, and in the winter from lack of light and excessive watering. From time to time the plant can podkarmilivat organic compounds.
Mature plants can reach a meter in height. As a rule, they have a lot of leaves - mint tea or homemade mojito is almost always.
Strawberry
Sorts"Autumn fun", "homemade delicacies", "garland" and others.
Temperature: From 18 to 20 ° C.
harvest: Through ≈30 days.
For the home garden suitable ampelnye remontant varieties of strawberries. They bear fruit all year round and not too demanding to light. Planting strawberries can be in any zemlesmes. But above the bottom should fill drainage (expanded clay, small pebbles), to protect the strawberries from the stagnant water.
Strawberries can be grown from seed or seedling. Both are sold in stores for farmers.
Seeds are planted in small containers (eg, plastic cups), abundantly watered and cover with cling film. After the first shoots film is removed and put the seedlings in well-lighted place. When formed three to four leaf, strawberries dive into containers more.
This plant loves light. When the days are shorter than nights, use artificial lighting. Watering and spraying carried out as the soil dries. Strawberries is easy to fill.
As used fertilizing solutions with a significant iron content. During the active growing strawberries overgrown mustache, they need to be tied to supports.
As you can see, growing vegetables, herbs and berries, even in a city apartment is not difficult, and even fun.
If you have experience in home gardening, tell us about it. Write in the comments, what and how you happen to grow in their on the windowsill.