How to survive the “expensive” winter: the Russians were offered to grow vegetables on the windowsills

We’ll have to adapt to the plants: carrots love the “breeze”, and dill – the night coolness

This fall, experts predict a rise in prices for fruits and vegetables. Like, the harvest is over, the seasonal factor is no longer valid, there are problems with the logistics. Owners of backyard gardens have probably already made their own stocks for the winter, but what if you don’t have a dacha, but you don’t want to depend on store prices? Interviewed by “MK” “urban gardeners” are advised to break the beds at home on the windowsill.

Onion and garlic

These bulbs grow beautifully in an ordinary glass of water – just remember the school lessons of natural history from our childhood. You cover the glass with a thick sheet of paper, make a round hole in it and insert the bulb there so that the roots are immersed in water (later it should be changed regularly). Now it remains only to wait for the green “feathers” to appear.

Carrot

Carrot tops also germinate well in a regular container of water. Carrots of small varieties can be grown in ordinary flower pots with soil. The main thing is that the container is deep enough for the growth of a long root crop.

“The height of the pot or container should be at least 20 centimeters, and the width should be at least 10 cm,” notes Elena Pronina, an experienced “apartment agronomist”. – When planting in the soil, it is advisable to add a vegetable fertilizer containing some nitrogen. Just in case, it is better to put 2-3 seeds in the pits – so that carrots are guaranteed to grow in each (extra sprouts can then be removed).

As Elena clarifies, carrots love light and breeze, so in autumn and winter it is necessary to turn on a special lamp above the pots for at least six hours a day, and also blow it from the fan.

“At the same time, it is important that the soil does not dry out, it is always moist,” notes the gardener, “However, it is also not necessary to overmoisten it, otherwise the carrot will rot.

Cherry tomatoes

“There are many varieties of tomatoes designed specifically for growing in a city apartment,” says Tatyana Palkina, a lover of apartment tomatoes. – You can buy seeds in any store for summer residents. I usually sow seeds for seedlings in boxes at a distance of 2-3 centimeters from each other, in two rows. While the sprouts are very small, I water them through a strainer so as not to damage them. As they grow up, I transplant. Large shrubs can be grown either in deep pots or in tubs. The box will not work – it is too low, and the tomatoes have a large root system.

If the tomatoes have enough light and nutrition, they will bring the harvest more than one winter, and all year round. It will be especially plentiful in the summer, when a lot of sun hits the windowsill.

“But this will only work if you feed the tomatoes with fertilizers – otherwise they will degenerate,” adds Tatyana. And don’t forget that tomatoes love light and water. The better the lighting and the more regular watering, the larger and sweeter the fruits.

Greens and herbs for tea

In winter, you can grow greens and herbs in the apartment. Knowledgeable people assure that dill, basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, lemon balm, tarragon can coexist perfectly on the same windowsill or heated balcony. All these plants can be brought from the garden plot (digging up with roots, along with the ground) or bought in a supermarket for further cultivation at home. In the second case, the green branches must be lowered into the water and wait until they take root.

But Mikhail Gavrilyuk, a lover of apartment greenery, shares that he always grows dill only from seeds.

“I choose undersized or medium-sized varieties, they are always very thick, bushy,” he explains. – Sowing is carried out in the same way as in summer cottages. There are three secrets to this. First, the seeds must first be held for a couple of hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect. The second – when growing dill, it is advisable to regularly spray the greens with water, and at night the temperature in the room with the “garden” is reduced to 18 degrees. To do this, just sleep with the window ajar – at the same time the body will harden. The third tip is to use a special lamp for additional lighting.

– And greens, and mint, and lemon balm, of course, love the light, but if your windows face south, you can do without a special lamp, – says Elena Pronina. – True, the aroma of mint and lemon balm in this case will be weak. But on the other hand, all his own – from the “bed”.