How to Grow Herbs on a Windowsill: Universal Methods That Work for Everyone

Many have heard about the usefulness of greens, but that’s just because the season is not long, and at other times it is difficult to find, and the price is not happy. There is a very simple way out of this situation – to grow herbs yourself. This solution will provide the family with vitamins all year round.

What greens grow quickly on the windowsill

You always want to get quick results without much effort, so for the house choose not only fast-growing varieties but also fast-growing crops – lettuce, basil, onions, dill, parsley, spinach, and arugula.

These plants grow well in the apartment on the balcony, and the most important thing for them is light and watering.

For example, leaf lettuce grows from 35 to 45 days, basil – up to 55 days, arugula – up to 25 days, dill – up to 45 days, radish – up to 21 days, and green onions can be picked already in 10 days.

How to properly grow greens at home

Each type of green has its own peculiarities of care, but the general algorithm of cultivation is the same.

What you need to grow greens:

  1. Determine the place where the greens will grow. The best place is a window sill or a glazed balcony so that there is enough light and the temperature is kept at least 16 degrees.
  2. In the container for growing, pour a drainage layer – crushed stone, pebbles, charcoal, bark, and on top of it the soil.
  3. Prepared soil should be watered with warm water, and then you can proceed to plant the seeds. It is better to place them at a distance of about 2 centimeters from each other.
  4. On top of the seeds, it is necessary to pour about 0.5-1 centimeters of soil.
  5. A container with future greens is better to cover the film to create a greenhouse effect.
  6. The resulting greenhouse is better to leave in a warm place and air every two days.
  7. After the seeds have germinated, you can remove the foil and leave the container with the greens in a well-lit place.

You can plant in the ground already germinated seeds. To do this, put them on a cotton cloth, sprinkle well with water, cover them with the same pre-moistened cloth, and put them in a greenhouse. In this case, the seeds should not be allowed to dry out completely, and it is necessary to ventilate periodically.

How to grow greens on a windowsill without soil

Not everyone likes to mess with soil, but fortunately, it is possible to grow greens at home without soil. The easiest and most common way is hydroponics. And installations for hydroponics can be different – tiered racks, groubox – a tent specially designed for growing plants), and pots.

It is worth noting that it is hydroponics is ideal for growing microgreens – legume sprouts, all kinds of cereals, as well as salads and herbs.

What you need to grow greens without soil:

  • containers for greens;
  • substrate – sand, moss, paper towels, coconut, pine bark, expanded clay, perlite, absorbent cotton, gauze;
  • seeds;
  • nutrient solutions. They can be found in stores for gardeners;
  • photo lamps.

The basic principle of cultivation:

  1. In a container, place a substrate about 2 centimeters thick;
  2. Pour the seeds on the damp substrate;
  3. Pour water so that it slightly covers the seeds;
  4. Cover the container with food film and put it on the window.

It is worth remembering that each type of green has its own peculiarities in care. Some greens are more fastidious and some less so. For example, to grow green onions, the onion can simply be placed in a glass with water so that the roots are in the water. All that’s left to do is to keep the water level.

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Written by Emma Miller

I am a registered dietitian nutritionist and own a private nutrition practice, where I provide one-on-one nutritional counseling to patients. I specialize in chronic disease prevention/ management, vegan/ vegetarian nutrition, pre-natal/ postpartum nutrition, wellness coaching, medical nutrition therapy, and weight management.

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