How to water salad at home. How to grow lettuce at home

The salad contains a huge amount of useful substances. Therefore, many lovers of this greenery want to grow it not only in their summer cottage, but also at home. Is it possible to grow lettuce from seeds on a windowsill at home? This will be discussed further.

Lettuce can easily be grown at home. Both in winter and in summer. But this plant at home requires a lot of attention.

For his growth needs a lot of sunlight. On short winter days it needs additional lighting. If there is not enough light, it begins to bloom early. Does not tolerate drought or heat. At the same time, the leaves become bitter. Beginners should not attempt to grow cabbage forms in an apartment. They are very capricious.

The best lettuce varieties to grow at home

Batavia is the most suitable variety of salad for an apartment

The most suitable variety for an apartment is considered Batavia. This is what they most often sell in grocery stores.

It grows even without additional lighting. Can withstand short-term drought and high air temperatures.

The most famous varieties for cultivation on the windowsill:

Lollo Rossa

Lolla Rossa is distinguished by a brown head of cabbage and curly light green leaves. Counts the most vitamin. Has a delicate taste.

Lolla biond - the most beautiful. The leaves are wavy. Yellow-green color. The taste is pleasant, bitter with a nutty aftertaste.

They also grow in the apartment watercress. This is a moisture-loving plant. The best varieties for the windowsill:

curly;
peppery;
broadleaf;
ordinary.

Selecting a container for sowing and preparing the soil

Lettuce roots do not go deep into the soil. Large containers are not needed for its growth. It is better to choose a plastic pot. The capacity must be volume 1–2 liters. Depth – 10 – 35 cm. Depending on the variety. There should be holes at the bottom of the container.

Soil can be purchased at the store or you can use garden soil. Acidic soil is not suitable for planting. Better option - a mixture of turf soil, humus, sand. Another option is garden soil, coconut fiber, vermicompost. The ratio of the last two is 2:1.

For sowing, it is necessary to use drainage: pebbles, expanded clay, broken bricks, small pebbles.

When using garden soil, the soil should be disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The soil is filled into the pot, not reaching 2.5 - 3 cm to the edges.

Some varieties can be grown without soil. One of them is watercress. For cultivation, improvised materials such as sponge, cotton wool, and paper are used.

Some varieties of lettuce can be grown without soil - on paper or cotton wool

Sowing seeds

Before sowing, seeds are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate. Time – 2-3 hours.
A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the pot.
The drainage is covered with earth. Watered.
They make a groove. Depth - 5 mm. Distance between rows – 10 cm.
Seeds are placed in the groove. Cover with a small amount of earth. Lightly compact.
Cover the container with a bag - create a greenhouse effect.
Place in a dark place.
When the first shoots appear, the bag is removed. Transfer to the windowsill.

The first shoots can be seen in 4 – 5 days. You need to protect it from direct sunlight. On bright sunny days it is necessary to shade it - the leaves can get burned.

Salad loves warmth. For its good growth, a temperature of 17–21 degrees is required. During a strong drop in outside temperatures, the container with plants should be removed from the windowsill.

Culture needs thinning. This is done 2 times:

After 1 week, when the first shoots appear; It is necessary to leave a distance between them of 1–2 cm.
When 2 true leaves are formed; Distance – 4–5 cm.

If the lettuce grows thickly, you will not be able to get a good harvest.

Watering

Watering should be abundant. If the soil moisture is insufficient, arrowheads begin to form earlier than usual. Water with settled water once every 1-2 days.

If the container is on the south side - more often. In winter - less often. Do not over-moisten the soil - the roots and lower leaves will begin to rot. The air in the room should be humidified. The leaves are sprayed with water from a spray bottle.

Top dressing

They feed Once every 1.5–2 weeks. Fertilizers are suitable for indoor plants. This is a fast growing crop. If fertile soil has been chosen for planting, it will grow well without them.

Do not apply large amounts of nitrogen fertilizers - lettuce can accumulate nitrates. If you use potassium iodide-based fertilizer, you can get a plant with a large amount of iodine in its composition.

Lighting

Light-loving plant. In winter, on short autumn - spring days, you need to use additional lighting- fluorescent lamps. They need to be turned on for 2 – 5 hours. Hang at a height of 50 - 60 cm above the plant.

In total, daylight hours should last 12–14 hours. You cannot illuminate it during the day. The greens need to rest.

If it is not possible to provide additional light to the plant, it is best to plant it at the end of winter.

Loosening

Lettuce has very fragile, shallow roots. Loosen the ground under the seedlings it is forbidden.

Harvesting

Greenery grows quickly. It can be collected over several weeks. Uproot or tear off outer leaves. After 3 - 5 weeks, arrows form. The plant is removed. Other seeds are sown in its place.

Experienced gardeners plant lettuce once every 10 days. From one plant you get 40–50 grams of greens. But it all depends on the variety.

Leaf lettuce can be grown both in open ground and at home. But when planting it in an apartment, you need to remember that it requires daily care.

This is a moisture-loving plant. The soil should always be slightly moist. But excess moisture can kill it.
The best place is a window sill on the south, south-east side. It is impossible to grow it at home without sufficient light.

Grows quickly. Doesn't take up much space. But you need to choose the right variety for the pot.

In the era of proper nutrition and health care, more and more people are trying to grow their own vegetables in order to avoid chemical impurities in the finished product and not expose their body to danger. In this article you will read about lettuce - a true friend of any self-care person.

Benefit or harm

Lettuce grown in a pot will bring exceptional benefits to the body. Which one?

Due to its low calorie content (12 kcal per 100 g), salad grown in a pot will not increase weight; it can be safely eaten in large quantities. Many nutritionists recommend consuming juicy leaves in combination with other products. After all, salad in its pure form does not make you feel full.

The rich vitamin and mineral composition of the salad cannot be ignored. It contains vitamins B and C, as well as potassium, calcium, sulfur, iodine, and phosphorus.

Also useful properties of the product include:

improved digestion;
normalization of intestinal function;
cleansing the body of toxins;
lowering cholesterol levels;
improving the condition of hair and nails;
improvement of skin, memory, vision;
prevention of Alzheimer's disease.

How to plant lettuce correctly

To plant leaf lettuce in a pot, choose plastic containers. Be sure to place a drainage layer of gravel or expanded clay at the bottom. It will help the water not to stagnate and protect the roots from rotting.

Use a special store-bought mixture. It is pest-free and enriched with nutrients necessary for lettuce to grow.

Garden soil can be infested with pests.

Sowing rules

Lettuce in a pot is planted in compliance with certain rules:

The distance between rows is at least 10 cm.
Sowing depth is no more than 0.5 centimeters.
The soil must be thoroughly moistened before sowing.
There should be a distance of 2-3 cm between the seeds.
The pot is placed in a dark place and covered with glass or film to create a greenhouse effect.
When shoots appear, the pot is exposed to light.

Care

Growing lettuce in a pot is easy. It does not require special care. However, it is important to keep a few things in mind to ensure a bountiful and healthy harvest.

Salad on foam rubber

If you don’t want to tinker with the soil, there is an option to grow watercress. This species can be grown on foam rubber.

You will need deep trays, no lower than 5 cm. A 3 cm sheet of foam rubber is laid on the bottom, and paper towels are placed on top. Be sure to soak all contents with water. Seeds are poured into paper. The salad in a pot is ready and will grow no worse than in an earthen substrate.

After harvesting, the paper is removed, the foam is washed, and you can use it again and again.

The main condition: to grow lettuce in a pot in this way, the entire contents of the tray must be constantly moistened.

Top dressing

The lifespan of lettuce is short enough to not require the application of mineral fertilizers. Organic methods of feeding in an apartment are not the best solution due to the characteristic smell. The maximum you can add is humate when watering. It does not have an unpleasant odor and does not contain chemicals.

Harvest

It would seem that it would be easier than picking a ready-made salad? But if collected correctly, the bush will last a long time.

The salad is ready to eat a month after planting. Reaches 10 cm at home.

The lettuce is constantly growing, and to get as many leaves as possible, follow these simple rules:

Collect leaves early in the morning, when the plant is saturated with moisture. This way the bush will grow healthy, and the collected leaves will remain strong and fresh longer.
Don't cut off the middle. Harvest only the outer leaves of the lettuce in the pot. This way the lettuce will continue to grow and produce new leaves for several months.
Collect once every 2 weeks to give the plant time to recover.

Lettuce leaves are stored well in the refrigerator for 5-8 days, maintaining their beneficial properties. Frozen food loses its taste when defrosted. This storage method is not recommended.

By sowing seeds every 1-2 weeks, you can provide the whole family with greens. Easy to care for and very healthy, salad in a pot deserves its place on the windowsill in your apartment.

And if you consider that, in addition to its undoubted nutritional benefits, lettuce is also beautiful, there is no doubt about the “to plant or not to plant” plan.

Growing an organically pure product, as can be seen from the article, is not at all fraught with difficulties. And it can grow all year round. Salad in a pot is an excellent solution for people who do not have a homestead, but want to eat healthy food.

In recent years, the demand for greens at any time of the year has sharply increased, primarily due to healthy lifestyle trends and the struggle for one’s body. Moreover, growing greens on a window when snow is flying outside and there is frost is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. One of these plants can be lettuce, which will give you the necessary vitamins and minerals during the winter. Belonging to the aster family, the vegetable is distributed in all corners of the planet, having many varieties and varieties. How to grow lettuce at home? We will talk about this in our article.

Deciding on lighting and temperature

The place where lettuce will be grown should be well lit, but should not be exposed to direct sunlight. If the lighting seems insufficient, then it is best to organize lighting with fluorescent lamps. Their lifting height should be at least 50-60 centimeters from the container with plants.

If this happens in the off-season, then you need to move the salad to the loggia, where there is a lot of fresh air. Plantings can easily tolerate temperatures of 8-10 degrees above zero.

The optimal temperature for growing lettuce is 18-20 degrees; if it is higher, the plant will begin to recede, so in the hot summer months it should be shaded.

Container for growing lettuce

The best container for planting at home will be a box with a depth of at least 12 centimeters, and the dimensions should be more than half a meter.

Such a container will not allow the soil to dry out quickly. The plant loves moisture very much, if there is a lack of it, then the salad becomes lethargic and produces very little greenery, flower stalks grow, and the leaves become bitter and become hard.

It is best to line the bottom of the box with landscape fabric to better retain moisture when watering. The container must be supplemented with high-quality drainage. To do this, the bottom is lined with small pebbles or shards from a broken clay pot. If there are several large boxes, it is recommended to place a tray under them so that the moisture does not drain away too quickly. The best material for a planting container at home would be a plastic product, due to the fact that terracotta loses moisture too quickly after watering and the plant begins to dry out.

Soil and fertilizer for the plant

When planting lettuce at home, a number of rules must be followed. One of them: the soil must be nutritious and thoroughly mixed. This mixture is usually prepared from sand, peat and humus. The first two components are taken in single proportions, and there should be twice as much humus. You can purchase specially adapted soils, for example “Biogrunt” or “Universal”.

To ensure an uninterrupted harvest, it is best to sow the plant at intervals of 10-14 days. After removing all the greens, the plant is simply pulled out, loosened and the soil is watered in order to grow the next batch of green salad.

Typically, growing lettuce is not additionally fertilized. But after harvesting the first crop and planting the next one, you need to feed the soil with ammonium nitrate. You can also use mineral fertilizers, the main thing is that the root system does not get burned.

Seed selection

This plant can only be grown from seeds. You can purchase them at specialized kiosks or through an online store. An important condition will be to choose the right variety for planting.

Often, novice gardeners are unable to cultivate plants because of the wrong variety. The best option for growing at home would be quickly maturing leaf varieties. For example, you can buy salad “Amanda”, “Noran”, “Quick”, “Yellow”. These varieties are not too picky about light, watering, and soil. They grow quickly and produce lush greenery that can be eaten three weeks after planting in the ground. But head lettuce, on the contrary, is very picky about light, temperature and distance between plantings. If he doesn’t like something, he may not get involved at all.

Watercress is often used for planting. It is unpretentious and grows in almost any soil; it can be grown in minimal light. Its most optimal varieties are “Curly” and “Pepper”.

In order to sow seeds, it is necessary to water the soil abundantly, tamp it down and plant it at a short distance from each other. It is also possible to plant in rows; it is enough to make a distance between them of 12-15 centimeters (watercress), a little less for leaf lettuce - 6-8 centimeters.

After sowing, the seeds are covered with a minimum layer of soil (about a centimeter) and sprayed with a spray bottle of warm, but not hot, water. Plantings are watered on average every three days. And when the first shoots sprout, the boxes are placed under lamps for better lighting.

After this, the salad does not require careful care. You just need to loosen the soil after watering and water it so that the soil does not dry out. Do not expose the room temperature to changes; the plant does not like this. It should be noted that, despite all its love for moisture, lettuce does not tolerate waterlogging; in such conditions, the root system rots. Typically, plants are watered once every two to three days; if it is not hot outside, then this is quite enough. If it is more than 30 degrees outside, the plant must be sprayed every day and the room must be ventilated frequently.

When the plant produces two leaves, it needs to be thinned out so that the distance between them varies from eight to ten centimeters.

On average, lettuce can increase its green mass in two to three weeks. The ready-to-eat lettuce leaves are then cut and used to add to salads, appetizers and sandwiches.

After the green mass has fully matured, old seedlings are uprooted and new ones are sown in their place.
The salad is usually harvested after about eight leaves appear, otherwise the late greens become coarse and tough and lose their taste.

It is best to pick the green mass when there is a minimum of humidity in the air, otherwise it quickly begins to rot. If it is stored outdoors for no more than 24 hours, and in the refrigerator for no more than half a month. It is important to remember that you need to rinse it before doing this. Only wash the leaves without touching the roots, otherwise the roots will rot. It is not necessary to tear off the entire plant; you can simply cut off the green mass. In this case, new leaves grow in place of old leaves and the salad produces fresh leaves longer.

Salad and its types

Leaf lettuce. The taste of this salad is bland; the plant has curly leaves that quickly wither and have delicate juicy greens. Usually used fresh in cooking.
Head lettuce. Visually similar to lettuce, and by the veil they are collected into heads. Greens have a delicate texture, so it is better not to tear them and place them whole on a dish when serving
Ice salad. Visually similar to cabbage heads, its leaves are light green in color. Crisps well. The taste is bland, ideally requires addition of herbs in salads. The name comes from American farmers. They sprinkled it with ice to keep it from becoming limp along the way.

A spring vegetable garden at home is a million in one: eco-style praised by the Scandinavians, saving on vitamins and entertainment for the whole family. We checked what you can easily grow on a windowsill, and what you’ll have to worry about a lot; where to make do with improvised means, and where it is better not to save; which plants should be grown from seeds, and which ones should be grown from leftovers not included in the salad.

Devices

You can grow fresh herbs at home without any special equipment at all, by planting seeds in packaging trays for vegetables and herbs, yogurt cups or containers from Doshik. However, for beauty and style, it is better to purchase special pots or boxes - wide, but not deep. It is convenient if they are equipped with special lids to create a greenhouse effect, although this can be achieved by simply covering the pot with plastic wrap or packing it in a transparent bag from the nearest “Magnet”.

The same principle applies to tools - you can dig in the ground with improvised means, but why, if for a decent mini-shovel and rake at Fix Price they only ask for 50 rubles? You will also need a spray bottle or watering can with a nozzle for “rain” and a bottle for settling the water - watering young greenery with tap water is too cruel.

The most stylish pots and watering cans this spring were seen in, although their prices are not the most affordable (the “Bittergurka” watering can made of white eco-ceramics is 799 rubles, and this is already with a seasonal discount). The very fashionable can also splurge on garden gadgets - hydroponic beds, aqua farms and mini-greenhouses - you can check the capabilities of the technology, for example, by following the link.

It’s better to go to the store for soil. Digging on the nearest lawn or grandma's dacha is not an option, since the street soil is full of not only weeds, but also insect larvae that have no place in the kitchen. Ideally, buy special soil for home vegetables (30-50 rubles for a five-liter package), but if your nearest store doesn’t have one, soil for indoor plants will also work. You can also spend money on drainage - expanded clay or special pebbles, or you can use crumbled polystyrene foam or cut corks from bottles of eight-martov wine.

Preparation

Having stocked up with everything we need, we choose a place for the garden. Experts recommend a kitchen window sill - it is more humid and warm there than in rooms. However, before you trust expert opinion, decide on a list of plants: some (basil, oregano, spinach) really love light and warmth, while others (marjoram, watercress) need shade and coolness. These can be planted on a glassed-in loggia.

We plant each type of greenery in its own pot - not only because of differences in care and climate, but also because most plants cannot stand close proximity to others. If there is little space, but you want to plant a lot, it is better to use hanging pots or racks.

We fill the bottom of the pots with drainage and then lay out the soil. Its thickness depends on what we plant. The seeds can be soaked in a small amount of water for several hours - usually they are wrapped in gauze and placed in a saucer with water. The optimal moment for planting is when sprouts begin to hatch from the seeds.

Before planting, the soil is loosened, moistened, seeds are planted at the required depth, after which the soil is slightly compacted and watered again. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap until sprouts appear.

To prevent the plant from growing crookedly, leaning towards the window, the “bed” must be rotated 180 degrees daily. An alternative for the lazy is to attach foil to the pot, which will reflect sunlight.

Each gardener decides for himself whether to use fertilizers or not. Effective and at the same time safe options include ash, crushed banana peels, eggshells or yeast.

Starter level

Even a kindergartener can grow green onions, watercress or parsley on the windowsill. To plant watercress, you don’t even need soil: the seeds are placed in moistened cotton wool or paper towels. You can also do without a pot - a plate or tray will suffice. You need to sow densely so that the plants support each other. Press the seeds into a moist substrate and place on a lighted windowsill. It is important to maintain humidity, but not to flood. Salad does not like heat - the top temperature for it is 18 degrees. The harvest should be expected in 2-3 weeks. To renew the seedlings, you can either plant new seeds every 3-4 days, or sow a new tray every two weeks (this rule works for almost all plants grown from seeds).

Green onions can also be grown without soil. The bulb is placed in a glass of water so that only the root part is in the water. The water needs to be changed daily to avoid rotting. You can also transplant it into the ground - after the roots appear. There is no need to bury the bulbs entirely; you can plant them tightly - one to one. Celery is also grown through roots and water. The basis is not the root (which would seem logical), but the stalk from the leaf. After the roots appear in the water, it is transplanted into a pot and wait a couple of weeks until new leaves appear.

Mint is grown directly from sprigs bought in a store: they are placed in water, and after the roots appear, they are planted in a pot. Only regular watering is important.

Parsley can be grown from both rhizomes and seeds. For the first method, we look for greens in a pot in supermarkets, cut off the leaves, and place the root in moist soil. The first shoots should appear within a few days. To grow not just one bush, but a whole bed, we buy seeds. We plant them in peat cups or directly into the ground. The first harvest will appear only in a month and a half, but will be renewed throughout the whole year. Parsley loves light and water, but is not picky about temperature - it grows equally well on a kitchen windowsill and on an unheated balcony.

It is difficult to spoil a bed of dill. The seeds don’t even need to be soaked - they are immediately planted in moist soil. The main requirement is to ensure frequent watering. The best variety for growing at home is “Gribovsky”.

Marjoram is also unpretentious - it survives on loggias even in winter and germinates well from seeds. It can easily tolerate not only cold, but also lack of light, but you still have to water it.

Explorer level

Once you get the hang of “simple” plants, you can move on to more capricious ones. You don’t have to do anything supernatural - just follow certain conditions.

Basil seeds are planted at a distance of 5-6 centimeters from each other, because otherwise the emerging bushes will be cramped, and the pots are placed in the warmest place in the kitchen, creating familiar conditions for the “Italian”. You can also grow it from cuttings by placing store-bought twigs in water and subsequently replanting them in the ground. Spinach and arugula seeds are not planted deep - otherwise there is a risk of not getting a harvest at all. These plants need both sun and abundant watering. It takes a long time - 3-4 weeks - for oregano to germinate. But here the abundance of water is only detrimental: even a slight stagnation of liquid can lead to the death of the crop.

Leaf lettuce will only be good in humid air - in a dry and hot room its leaves will become coarse and bitter. You need to water it abundantly, but if you overwater it, the roots will rot. But the plant tolerates the cold calmly - it will grow on a glazed balcony until late autumn. For home use, it is better to take the varieties “Lollo Rossa”, “Lollo Bionda”, “Red Credo”, “Odessky”, “Vitamin” and “New Year”. They can be grown from seeds, stalks or rhizomes left in pots from the supermarket.

Is it possible to grow lettuce on a windowsill?

Lettuce can easily be grown at home. Both in winter and in summer. But this plant at home requires a lot of attention.

This is an early ripening crop. To constantly have greens at home, you need to plant them once every 10 to 14 days.

The best lettuce varieties to grow at home

Batavia is the most suitable variety of salad for an apartment

The most suitable variety for an apartment is considered Batavia. This is what they most often sell in grocery stores.

It grows even without additional lighting. Can withstand short-term drought and high air temperatures.

The most famous varieties for cultivation on the windowsill:

Lollo Rossa
Emerald lace
New Year
Lollo biond
Vitamin

Lolla Rossa is distinguished by a brown head of cabbage and curly light green leaves. Counts the most vitamin. Has a delicate taste.

Lolla biond - the most beautiful. The leaves are wavy. Yellow-green color. The taste is pleasant, bitter with a nutty aftertaste.

They also grow in the apartment watercress. This is a moisture-loving plant. The best varieties for the windowsill:

curly;
peppery;
broadleaf;
ordinary.

Broadleaf Cress

Selecting a container for sowing and preparing the soil

For sowing, it is necessary to use drainage: pebbles, expanded clay, broken bricks, small pebbles.

When using garden soil, the soil should be disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The soil is filled into the pot, not reaching 2.5 - 3 cm to the edges.

Some varieties can be grown without soil. One of them is watercress. For cultivation, improvised materials such as sponge, cotton wool, and paper are used.

Some varieties of lettuce can be grown without soil - on paper or cotton wool

Sowing seeds

Before sowing, seeds are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate. Time – 2-3 hours.
A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the pot.
The drainage is covered with earth. Watered.
They make a groove. Depth - 5 mm. Distance between rows – 10 cm.
Seeds are placed in the groove. Cover with a small amount of earth. Lightly compact.
Cover the container with a bag - create a greenhouse effect.
Place in a dark place.
When the first shoots appear, the bag is removed. Transfer to the windowsill.

The first shoots can be seen in 4 – 5 days. You need to protect it from direct sunlight. On bright sunny days it is necessary to shade it - the leaves can get burned.

Salad loves warmth. For its good growth, a temperature of 17–21 degrees is required. During a strong drop in outside temperatures, the container with plants should be removed from the windowsill.

Culture needs thinning. This is done 2 times:

After 1 week, when the first shoots appear; It is necessary to leave a distance between them of 1–2 cm.
When 2 true leaves are formed; Distance – 4–5 cm.

If the lettuce grows thickly, you will not be able to get a good harvest.

The salad needs to be thinned twice

Watering

Watering should be abundant. If the soil moisture is insufficient, arrowheads begin to form earlier than usual. Water with settled water once every 1-2 days.

Top dressing

They feed Once every 1.5–2 weeks. Fertilizers are suitable for indoor plants. This is a fast growing crop. If fertile soil has been chosen for planting, it will grow well without them.

Lighting

Daylight hours when growing lettuce should last 12-14 hours

In total, daylight hours should last 12–14 hours. You cannot illuminate it during the day. The greens need to rest.

If it is not possible to provide additional light to the plant, it is best to plant it at the end of winter.

Loosening

Lettuce has very fragile, shallow roots. Loosen the ground under the seedlings it is forbidden.

Harvesting

Greenery grows quickly. It can be collected over several weeks. Uproot or tear off outer leaves. After 3 - 5 weeks, arrows form. The plant is removed. Other seeds are sown in its place.

Experienced gardeners plant lettuce once every 10 days. From one plant you get 40–50 grams of greens. But it all depends on the variety.

Leaf lettuce can be grown both in open ground and at home. But when planting it in an apartment, you need to remember that it requires daily care.

This is a moisture-loving plant. The soil should always be slightly moist. But excess moisture can kill it.
The best place is a window sill on the south, south-east side. It is impossible to grow it at home without sufficient light.

Grows quickly. Doesn't take up much space. But you need to choose the right variety for the pot.

In winter, you need to think about your health, in particular, about proper nutrition. Greens will help enrich your diet with healthy vitamins and microelements. Growing lettuce on a windowsill in winter is not difficult - this crop is quite accessible to grow at home. To get a good harvest of lettuce, you need to know the rules for planting and caring for the plant.

Leaf lettuce has a number of beneficial properties. It contains vitamins and microelements that have a beneficial effect on the body. When consuming the product, the functioning of the heart and nervous system is normalized, blood pressure is reduced, and the immune system is strengthened. It is recommended for people on a diet, children and pregnant women. Being low in calories, the salad contains beneficial substances – the feeling of fullness lasts for a long time.

Greens are used in cosmetology for skin rejuvenation and regeneration. It is used to produce preparations for healthy hair and nails. A salad mask is an excellent tonic and prevents age-related changes in facial skin.

What varieties can be grown on a windowsill?

Before choosing which lettuce to grow at home, you should familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the different varieties. There are several popular varieties that are easy to plant and care for:

Varieties for growing on a windowsill are characterized by unpretentiousness, rapid germination and high yield.

Photo: Lettuce varieties

Requirements for growing lettuce at home

To get a good harvest of greenery in your apartment in winter, you should adhere to the general cultivation requirements:

Before planting plants from seeds, the grains need to be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate for 3 hours.
The substrate for greenery should consist of vermicompost and coconut fiber in proportions of 1:2.
The soil must have drainage from brick chips, pebbles or expanded clay
Additional lighting with phytolamps is required for 2-5 hours.
For growing lettuce, containers of 1-2 liters are selected.
It is better to moisten the plant with a spray bottle with water at room temperature.
Liquid fertilizer should be applied every week while the crop is actively growing.

By following simple rules, you can enjoy tasty and healthy greens in winter.

Features of planting indoor lettuce

Before planting lettuce, you need to prepare everything - planting material, pot, soil, drainage. Stages of planting:

An indoor garden bed is being prepared. To do this, select a suitable container made of wood, clay, or you can choose old dishes.
Drainage is in progress. Experienced breeders recommend using not only pebbles, but also placing padding polyester on the bottom. It absorbs moisture well, and when the soil dries out, it gives it back.
The soil mixture is poured. You can buy it ready-made in the store or take it from the garden and mix it with sand. Street soil should be disinfected before planting seeds - heated in the microwave or watered with a solution of potassium permanganate.
Sowing grains. The seeds are deepened by 0.5 cm, at a distance of 10 cm. Then they are covered with soil and watered.
Next, to create a greenhouse effect, the container is covered with glass and placed in a warm place. After the appearance of the first shoots. Reveals.

Further care of young shoots involves watering, fertilizing and providing additional lighting.

Feedback from gardeners regarding growing lettuce is only positive. Cultivating greens on your windowsill in winter is an excellent option that will allow you to enjoy a healthy product all winter. The culture does not require special care. There are no difficulties in landing. The whole growing process is a pleasure.

If your home is cool in winter and the temperature on the windowsills is below +20 degrees, then the number of options for what kind of greens to grow in pots is sharply reduced. But, for example, lettuce on a windowsill in winter feels great even at low temperatures with a plus sign, so it is not afraid of drafts from old frames, or even life on a glassed-in loggia.

Growing lettuce on a windowsill: where to start

Start by choosing a variety. It is best to grow leafy types of lettuce - they are less demanding, have rapid germination, and will soon produce their first harvest. It is best to take early varieties so as not to delay the appearance of the first full leaves. It makes no sense to give names here - every year new varieties of lettuce are developed, proprietary seeds and hybrids appear, so just carefully read the information on the packaging. It’s good if the plant is resistant to various diseases and pests.

Next, select a container for the seedlings. This could be a pot, or several pots, or a box selected to fit the size of the window sill. Holes should be made in its bottom for water drainage, and the box itself should be placed on a pallet. By the way, know-how: if you have wooden vegetable boxes (with large gaps) or plastic ones with a large cell, you can use them too. To do this, insert a bag of the same size into the box and pour soil into it. The walls of the bag will act as a barrier to soil that could spill into cracks and holes. Just make holes in the bag so that excess water can escape.

We pour soil into the box (purchased is best), and don’t forget to put drainage (stones, expanded clay) at the bottom of the box. It is better to pour soil not to the very top - leave a margin of 5-7 cm.

How to grow lettuce on a windowsill in an apartment: a step-by-step guide

Lettuce seeds do not require pre-soaking. They can be sown immediately in shallow grooves made in the ground. Pre-moisten the soil with water from a watering can. Remember to leave enough space between the furrows (minimum 15 cm), otherwise the mature plants will be too crowded and will not produce lush greenery.

Having spread the seeds along the grooves, sprinkle them with damp soil and press the soil down a little so that the soil completely covers the seeds. To prevent the surface of the bed from drying out, making it difficult for seeds to germinate, cover the box with film. Remember how we left some space between the surface of the bed and the edges of the box? This is necessary just so that the seedlings are not blocked. You will need to remove the film after the first shoots appear. You can expect them in 3-5 days.

Video on how to plant lettuce on a windowsill

Seed salad on the windowsill: caring for the seedlings

With the appearance of the first leaves, the salad will need to be watered frequently (but not too much - the water should not stagnate, turning the box into a swamp). You will also have to organize additional lighting using a fluorescent lamp. Otherwise, in winter conditions, the salad will be stunted and will not please you with lush tops.

If the seeds sprouted thickly, be sure to thin them out. This needs to be done twice, two weeks apart. The first time - a week after germination. The distance between neighboring plants should be 7-10 cm. If it’s a shame to tear out plants, replant them in pots or another box. And you will get a double harvest.

When watering, which needs to be done 2-3 times a week, spray the leaves themselves - the salad loves it.

Lettuce should be fed only if the soil is initially not nutritious enough. For fertilizing, complex water-soluble fertilizers are used.

Watercress: growing on a windowsill

This plant is even more unpretentious and produces a harvest a couple of weeks after germination. True, watercress does not live long, so it is worth having three boxes and sowing new portions of seeds there every couple of weeks. This way you will have greens on your table all winter.

The plant is also good because it does not require high temperatures (which do not happen on the windowsill in winter) or a lot of light (which is also usually a problem in the cold season). All it needs is timely watering and sufficient moisture in the air.

Seeds germinate at temperatures from plus seven to plus fifteen degrees. If it’s hotter, the salad will feel bad, so it’s better to take it out to the covered balcony and cover it with film.

Greens that reach 10 cm in height can be safely cut and eaten. Watercress is very rich in a variety of vitamins, which makes it a godsend in the winter season.

Video on how to grow watercress on a windowsill

In winter, there is such a shortage of fresh herbs and vegetables from the garden. What can you grow on your windowsill to enjoy natural products? The list of crops suitable for apartment conditions is quite wide - from parsley and lettuce to tomatoes and cucumbers.

You can grow greens on a windowsill in winter or summer in the same way as in the garden. But keep in mind that some plants are quite demanding. In this article we will look at easy-to-care crops.

If you are a beginner gardener, and therefore do not know what you can grow on the windowsill, then it is better to start with green onions, watercress, and parsley. And herbs - basil and rosemary - will not only come in handy in the kitchen, but will also spread their aroma throughout the apartment. More experienced amateurs can immediately start by growing cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers.

Children will also enjoy the winter garden. Even a toddler can grow green onions on the windowsill. Caring for plants will not only captivate the child and give him a new useful experience, but also provide him with vitamins.

Preparation

After you have decided what to grow on the windowsill, you need to prepare pots, soil, and seeds. The set is the same for most cultures. Experienced summer residents who know how to grow seedlings on a windowsill already have almost everything they need.

To set up a vegetable garden on a windowsill, you will need deep boxes or wide flower pots for planting plants. They can be equipped with plastic covers to create a greenhouse effect. For these purposes, you can also use ordinary plastic bags.

The pots need to be filled with soil from a flower shop or a self-prepared substrate. It is better to avoid using soil from the garden or vegetable garden, as insect larvae and weed seeds may remain in it. If the soil from the street is not prepared and calcined, then there is a high probability that you can grow one weed on the windowsill.

You also need to prepare a container for settling water - tender young plants should not be watered directly from the tap. You will also need a spray bottle or a small watering can.

Foil placed behind plants to reflect sunlight will also be useful. If foil is not used, then boxes and pots with plants must be turned 180 degrees daily, otherwise they will tilt towards the window and grow crookedly.

If the plants are grown in spring and summer (planting in February-March), then they will have enough sunlight from the street. But a winter garden planted in the fall will require additional lighting. Fluorescent lamps are suitable for this.

You should understand that you can only grow undemanding herbs on a windowsill in winter without lighting, but you won’t be able to get a good harvest of tomatoes without using phytolamps. In winter, on sunny days, additional lighting will be needed in the evening, but in cloudy weather, the lamp will have to be turned on for the whole day.

Green onions

Children are shown how to grow onions on a windowsill in kindergarten. This is the easiest crop to grow at home, it does not require special care, grows quickly and is very useful.

To force feathers, you can use both large onion sets (selections) and ordinary onion turnips. Feathers from a small bulb are more delicate, but the small head wears out quickly. A larger bulb produces abundant greens for a longer period of time.

Not only self-grown onions are suitable, you can also use those purchased at a supermarket or a store for summer residents. The easiest way to plant onions for forcing is in water. To do this, you need to take a small glass and fill it with plain water or a nutrient solution. The bulb must be installed so that only its tip touches the surface of the liquid. You need to change the water every day.

When planted in water, the bulb may begin to rot and emit an unpleasant odor. This can be avoided, since you can grow onions on a windowsill by planting them in the ground. The substrate should be poured into a shallow plastic box. If there are no drainage holes at the bottom of the container, then to prevent rotting of the roots, it is reasonable to pour a small drainage layer of expanded clay, pebbles, broken bricks, etc.

There is no need to bury the heads; plant them tightly; the bulbs are not afraid of close proximity. Plantings must be watered frequently, preventing the soil from drying out. Do not use all the seed material at once, it is better to break it into several portions and plant it 2-3 weeks apart, then there will be enough fresh onions for the whole winter.

Green onions can be grown not only in boxes. Onions for forcing can be planted vertically. To do this, you can purchase a special flowerpot at a store for summer residents or make holes yourself in a plastic bottle filled with soil.

Watercress

What can a beginner grow on a windowsill? Another simplest crop to grow on a windowsill is watercress. It is known for its beneficial properties, and its unpretentiousness makes it one of the most common salads to grow at home. Watercress is ready for consumption within 2-3 weeks after planting. Seeds can be purchased at a gardening store.

To grow lettuce, you don’t need a deep container; a regular tray will do. As a substrate, you can use a thin (about 3 cm) layer of clay or peat soil, fabric folded several times, cotton wool or paper towels.

Watercress should be planted densely so that the young plants support each other. Press the seeds a little into the moist substrate. The plant does not require additional lighting; just place it on the windowsill.

How to grow lettuce on a windowsill? The main thing is not to let the soil dry out, although you shouldn’t overwater the salad either. The plant does not like heat. The optimal temperature is no higher than 18 degrees Celsius. To avoid overheating in winter, just move the container with the salad closer to the window.

In order for green watercress to be constantly present on the table, you need to plant it according to a scheme that is convenient for you. You can sow a new container every week or two or add a small amount of seeds every 3-4 days.

Leaf salad

Growing leaf lettuce is already somewhat more difficult. To know how to grow lettuce on a windowsill, you need to take into account the variety of the plant being grown. The varieties Lollo Rossa, Lollo Bionda, Odessky, Vitaminny, New Year, and Red Credo perform best in apartment conditions.

In autumn and winter, leaf lettuce will need additional lighting. If the room is hot and dry, the plant does not receive enough moisture, then the leaves will become bitter, become coarse, and flower stalks will quickly form. Leaf lettuce loves moisture and coolness and feels good on a glassed-in balcony until late autumn.

Leaf lettuce is planted in the ground quite densely, at a distance of 1-2 cm. Before the first shoots, the container is covered to create a greenhouse effect. Over time, thinning to a distance of 4-5 cm will be necessary. The plant needs watering and good lighting.

After the bushes begin to produce arrows, they become unsuitable for consumption. They can be removed and new seeds planted in their place.

Parsley

Many housewives are wondering how to grow parsley on a windowsill. After all, you often only need a few leaves of this plant, and you don’t want to buy a whole package in the store. In spring and summer, parsley can be grown from seeds. The plant is light-loving, so in winter it will need additional lighting. The seeds germinate rather slowly, but the bush will last a long time. Parsley is not picky about temperature; it grows well on a windowsill or balcony. The plant is moisture-loving and is watered abundantly. In winter, parsley needs to be watered less often.

It will be possible to cut the first greenery only after a month and a half, but it will be possible to do this for a whole year. Before planting, it is better to soak the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate. You can plant parsley in small containers, in peat cups or directly in flowerpots.

How to grow parsley on a windowsill in autumn and winter, because growing from seeds at this time is too long and labor-intensive? There is another way - forcing it from the rhizome. This method is somewhat simpler and better suited for the autumn-winter period. Planting material can be prepared independently in a personal plot or purchased at a regular grocery store.

The rhizome must be healthy, without signs of wilting, and the apical bud must be intact. The root crop should be placed in a pot and sprinkled with damp soil. Roots that are too long can be planted at an angle.

The first green shoots will appear within a few days after planting, and the leaves can be cut off in a couple of weeks. Greens will appear on the rhizome within six months.

Basil

What can you grow on a windowsill besides regular onions, parsley, and lettuce? Something more exotic like basil or rosemary.

The type of basil does not matter; green or purple will do. Basil can be propagated either from seeds or from cuttings. The plant is thermophilic - the optimal temperature is 20-25 degrees, and moisture-loving - good drainage and abundant watering are required.

Cuttings are a quick way to grow basil. You can simply buy a few branches in the store, put them in water and after one or two weeks move the seedling with roots into a pot. The young shoots will be ready for cutting in a couple of weeks. It is better to cut off the side shoots.

Basil planted from cuttings grows quickly, but also blooms quickly. As you know, after the start of flowering the plant is unsuitable for food. To have fresh basil on your table all the time, you need to replant the plantings every 3-4 months.

Planting basil from seeds will require more effort. But such a bush will not bloom for about a year. The seeds need to be soaked, covered, and the sprouts transplanted into pots. It is better to grow basil using seeds in the spring, since additional lighting will be needed in winter.

Rosemary

Rosemary in a clay pot on the windowsill will not only decorate the kitchen, but will also come in handy when cooking. This plant can be grown in the summer in the country, and in winter it will feel great at home.

You will need a wide pot with a thick drainage layer. Rosemary is demanding of light and air. It prefers the south side, and in summer the pot with the plant must be planted in open ground, taken out to the balcony or placed outside the window, otherwise the leaves will not accumulate a sufficient amount of essential oils.

Both seeds and cuttings are suitable for planting rosemary. The seeds of the plant have poor germination. They need to be soaked for 2 days, then placed on the ground without sprinkling on top, covered with film and sprayed every day with a spray bottle. If seedlings do not appear after 4 weeks, new seeds are planted. When the seedlings produce three or more leaves, they are planted in spacious pots.

It is easier to grow rosemary using cuttings. For this you need a woody shoot of the plant. It is placed in a container with water or wet sand, and after rooting it is transplanted into a pot.

Rosemary loves frequent but moderate watering. It is better to dry out the soil than to flood it. If there is a lack of moisture, the lower leaves of the plant will begin to turn yellow, and if there is an excess, the roots will rot, which will lead to the death of the plant.

If you provide the plant with a low temperature (up to 5 degrees) in winter, then rosemary will bloom in the spring. An adult plant needs to be constantly trimmed to form a bush.

cucumbers

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter is a rather tempting prospect. This can be done not only by an experienced gardener, but also by a beginner. Cucumbers grow quite quickly; you can get the first harvest in just a month and a half.

Not every variety of cucumber is suitable for growing on a windowsill. Firstly, it must be self-pollinating. During flowering, the bush must be shaken daily for pollination to occur. Secondly, it will be much more convenient if the plant is a bush plant. Thirdly, an early variety is better suited for home growing. Finally, a shade-loving plant is ideal. You can grow cucumbers on the windowsill in winter of the varieties Connie, Masha, Legend, Debut, Polet, Babylon. Knowing the necessary parameters, you can choose another variety.

Growing cucumbers at home has its own subtleties. After all, providing all the necessary conditions can be difficult. Cucumbers are light-loving, so windows on the south and east sides are suitable for growing them. If there is still not enough light, then additional illumination will be required using fluorescent lamps.

The room temperature should not be below 20 degrees, so you should not move flowerpots too close to a cold window. Cucumbers love moisture very much, so you need to make sure that the soil does not dry out. The flowerpot with the plant can be placed in a bowl of water. The leaves need to be sprayed with a spray bottle twice a day.

Tomatoes

Many people think that growing tomatoes on a windowsill is a very difficult task and inaccessible to a beginner. But this is not true at all! Moreover, there are special varieties for indoor cultivation.

When visiting a gardening store, note that some seed packages say “Recommended for pot growing”, “Window harvest”, “Home garden”. And the names of the varieties themselves are telling - Room Surprise, Balcony Miracle, Japanese Room. There are also hanging varieties that will look great in flowerpots - Peruvian Homemade, Cherry, Talisman.

Even if you don’t find special indoor varieties, regular ones will do. Please note that these tomatoes must be determinate (short, or better yet dwarf), self-pollinating (for pollination, the bushes are shaken during flowering) and small-fruited. For example, Alaska, Bonsai, Bonsai micro, Pearl (red and yellow), Canada News, Minibel, Pinocchio, etc.

Tomatoes can be planted immediately in large pots or picked, choosing the strongest sprouts. During the period of flowering and fruit set, tomatoes need to be watered generously and the leaves should be sprayed.

The room where tomatoes grow needs to be regularly ventilated - plants do not like stagnant air. In winter they need additional lighting. The plant must be fed periodically. The first fruits can be obtained in 3-4 months.

Tomato is a perennial plant. At home, with good care, it will bear fruit for several years. After a period of active fruiting, the bush needs to be transplanted into a larger pot and updated by pruning the branches. In addition, tomato can be propagated by cuttings. A plant grown from a cutting will begin to bloom within a few weeks.

Sweet pepper

How to grow peppers on a windowsill? Doing this is no more difficult than growing tomatoes. True, you will have to wait longer for the harvest - 5-6 months. But pepper is a perennial plant; with good care, annual replanting and pruning, it will bear fruit for several years. The plant can be propagated not only by seeds, but also by cuttings. Caring for peppers is also similar to caring for tomatoes, but with one significant difference - while the tomato does not tolerate stagnant air, the pepper is afraid of drafts, so it is better not to place them on the same window.

Self-pollinating early-ripening varieties are best suited for growing in an apartment - Californian Miracle, Oda, Jupiter, Patio-Ivo.

Pepper needs good light, warmth, and loose soil (it is necessary to loosen the soil regularly). This plant is not capricious, and will delight you with its fruits for a long time. You can also grow hot peppers at home, but these plants should not be in the same room, otherwise cross-pollination will occur.

All about car tuning

How to water salad at home. How to grow lettuce at home

The best lettuce varieties to grow at home

Selecting a container for sowing and preparing the soil

Sowing seeds

Watering

Top dressing

Lighting

Loosening

Harvesting

Benefit or harm

How to plant lettuce correctly

Sowing rules

Care

Salad on foam rubber

Top dressing

Harvest

Deciding on lighting and temperature

Container for growing lettuce

Soil and fertilizer for the plant

Seed selection

Salad and its types

Devices

Preparation

Starter level

Explorer level

Is it possible to grow lettuce on a windowsill?

The best lettuce varieties to grow at home

Selecting a container for sowing and preparing the soil

Sowing seeds

Watering

Top dressing

Lighting

Loosening

Harvesting

What varieties can be grown on a windowsill?

Requirements for growing lettuce at home

Features of planting indoor lettuce

Growing lettuce on a windowsill: where to start

How to grow lettuce on a windowsill in an apartment: a step-by-step guide

Seed salad on the windowsill: caring for the seedlings

Watercress: growing on a windowsill

Preparation

Green onions

Watercress

Leaf salad

Parsley

Basil

Rosemary

cucumbers

Tomatoes

Sweet pepper