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What salads can be planted at home in winter. Seed preparation before planting. Tank selection and soil preparation

In recent years, the demand for greens at any time of the year has increased dramatically, primarily due to healthy lifestyle trends and the struggle for your body. Moreover, growing greens on the window when snow is flying outside and frosts are not so difficult as it seems at first glance. One such plant can be lettuce, which will give you the necessary vitamins and minerals in the winter. Belonging to the aster family, a vegetable is common 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.

Decide on lighting and temperature

The place where lettuce will be grown should be well lit, but not in direct sunlight. If the lighting seems insufficient, then it is best to organize the backlight 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 it is necessary to transfer the salad to the loggia, where there is a lot of fresh air. Landings can easily endure temperatures of 8-10 degrees above zero.

The optimal temperature for growing lettuce is 18-20 degrees, if it is higher, the plant will start to go "into the arrow", so it should be shaded in the hot summer months.

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 its deficiency begins, then the salad becomes lethargic and gives very little greenery, flower stalks grow, and the leaves become bitter and become stiff.

The bottom of the box is best lined with landscape fabric to better hold moisture when watering. The container must be supplemented with high-quality drainage. To do this, the bottom is laid out with small pebbles or shards from a broken clay pot. If there are several large boxes, it is recommended to put a tray under them so that the moisture does not leave too quickly. The best material for a planting container at home will 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. Such a mixture, as a rule, is prepared from sand, a peat component and humus. The first two components are taken in single proportions, and the humus should be twice as much. You can purchase specially adapted soils, such as "Biogrunt" or "Universal".

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

Usually growing lettuce is not additionally fertilized. But after harvesting the first crop and planting the next, 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 buy them in specialized kiosks or through an online store. An important condition will be to choose the right variety for planting.

Often, novice gardeners do not lend themselves to cultivating a plant due to precisely the wrong variety. The best option for growing at home will be fast-ripening leafy varieties. For example, you can buy salad "Amanda", "Noran", "Quick", "Yellow". Such varieties of it are not too picky about light, watering, and soil. They grow quickly, give lush greenery, which can be eaten three weeks after planting in the ground. But head lettuce, on the contrary, is very picky about light, temperature and the distance between plantings. If he doesn’t like something, he may not start heading at all.

Often, watercress is also taken for planting. It is unpretentious and grows in almost any soil, it can be grown with minimal light. Its most optimal varieties are "Curly", "Pepper".

In order to sow the seeds, it is necessary to water the soil abundantly, tamping it down and planting it at a short distance from each other. Planting in rows is also possible, it is enough to make a distance of 12-15 centimeters between them (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 with warm, but not hot water. Plantings are irrigated on average every three days. And when the first sprouts sprout, the boxes are placed under the lamps for better lighting.

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

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

On average, lettuce can grow its green mass in two to three weeks. After that, ready-to-eat lettuce leaves are cut and used to add salads, snacks and sandwiches.

After the full maturation of the green mass, the old seedlings are uprooted and new ones are sown in their place.
The lettuce is usually harvested after about eight leaves appear, otherwise the late greens become rough and tough, and lose their taste.

It is best to pluck the green mass when there is a minimum of humidity in the air, otherwise it quickly begins to succumb to decay. If it is stored outdoors for no more than 24 hours, and in the refrigerator for no more than a crescent. It is important to remember that before this it is necessary to rinse it. Wash only the leaves, without affecting the roots, otherwise the roots succumb to decay. It is not necessary to pluck the entire plant completely, you can simply cut off the green mass. In this case, new leaves grow in place of the old leaves and the lettuce produces fresh leaves longer.

Salad and its types

  • Leaf lettuce. The taste of this lettuce is fresh, the plant has curly leaves that quickly wither and have delicate juicy greens. Usually used fresh in cooking.
  • Lettuce. Visually similar to leaf lettuce, and veils are collected in heads of cabbage. Greens have a delicate texture, so it is better not to tear them and lay them whole on a dish when serving.
  • Ice salad. Visually similar to cabbage heads, its leaves are light green in color. Crispy well. The taste is bland, ideally requires the addition of herbs in salads. The name comes from American farmers. It was sprinkled with ice so that it would not sluggish on the way.

In winter, there is so little fresh herbs and vegetables from the garden. What can be grown on the windowsill to enjoy natural products? The list of crops suitable for housing conditions is quite wide - from parsley and lettuce to tomatoes and cucumbers.

You can grow greens on the windowsill in winter or summer the same as in the garden. But it should be noted 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 can be grown on the windowsill, then it is better to start with green parsley. And spicy herbs - basil and rosemary - will not only come in handy in the kitchen, but will also spread their aroma throughout the apartment. More experienced lovers can immediately start by growing cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers.

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

Preparation

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

To arrange a garden on the windowsill, you will need deep boxes or wide flower pots for planting. They can be fitted with plastic lids to create a greenhouse effect. For these purposes, you can use ordinary plastic bags.

Pots need to be filled with earth from a flower shop or self-prepared substrate. It is better to refuse to use land from a garden or vegetable garden, because insect larvae and weed seeds may remain in it. If the ground from the street is not prepared and calcined, then it is likely that one weed can be grown 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, which is placed behind plants to reflect sunlight, will also be useful. If foil is not used, plant boxes and pots need to be turned 180 degrees daily or they will lean towards the window and grow crooked.

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

It should be understood that only undemanding herbs can be grown on the windowsill in winter without illumination, but it will not work to get a good crop of tomatoes without the use of fitolamps. 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 onion

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

For forcing a feather, you can use both large onion sets (samples) and ordinary turnip onions. Feathers from a small bulb are more delicate, but the small head is depleted quickly. A large bulb gives abundant greenery for a longer period.

Not only self-grown onions are suitable, you can also use those bought in a supermarket or a store for summer residents. The easiest way to plant onions for distillation is in water. To do this, 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 spread an unpleasant odor. This can be avoided, since it is possible to grow onions on the windowsill with planting in the ground. The substrate must be poured into a shallow plastic box. If there are no drainage holes at the bottom of the container, then to prevent root rotting, it is reasonable to pour a small drainage layer of expanded clay, pebbles, broken bricks, etc.

It is not necessary to deepen the heads, plant 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 with a difference of 2-3 weeks, then there will be enough fresh onions for the whole winter.

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

Watercress

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

For growing lettuce, you do not 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, a cloth folded several times, cotton wool or paper towels.

Watercress should be planted thickly so that the young plants support each other. Press the seeds a little into a moist substrate. The plant does not require additional lighting, it is enough to put it on the windowsill.

How to grow lettuce on a windowsill? The main thing is to prevent the soil from drying out, although you should not pour the salad either. Dislikes plants and heat. The optimum temperature is not higher than 18 degrees Celsius. To avoid overheating in winter, it is enough to 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 leafy lettuce is already somewhat more difficult. To know how to grow lettuce on a windowsill, you need to consider the variety of the plant being grown. The varieties Lollo Rossa, Lollo Bionda, Odessa, Vitamin, New Year, Red Credo show themselves best in an apartment.

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, coarsen, flower stalks quickly form. Leaf lettuce loves moisture, coolness, feels good on a glazed balcony until late autumn.

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

After the bushes begin to release arrows, they become unusable. They can be removed and new seeds planted in their place.

Parsley

Many housewives wonder about being on the windowsill. Indeed, often only a few leaves of this plant are required, and you don’t want to buy a whole package in the store. In spring and summer, parsley can be grown from seed. The plant is photophilous, so in winter it will need additional lighting. Seeds germinate rather slowly, but the bush will serve for a long time. Parsley is not demanding on temperature, it grows well on the windowsill or on the balcony. watering is plentiful. In winter, parsley should be watered less often.

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

In autumn and winter, because growing from seeds at this time is too long and laborious? There is another way - distillation from the rhizome. This method is somewhat simpler and is better suited for the autumn-winter period. Planting material can be prepared independently on a personal plot or bought at a regular grocery store.

The rhizome should show no signs of wilting, and the apical bud should be intact. The root crop must be placed in a pot and sprinkled with moist soil. Too long roots can be planted obliquely.

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

Basil

What can be grown on the windowsill besides the usual onions, parsley, lettuce? Something more exotic like basil or rosemary.

The variety of basil does not matter, both green and purple will do. Basil can be propagated by both seeds and cuttings. The plant is thermophilic - the optimum 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 just 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. Young shoots will be ready for cutting in a couple of weeks. It is better to cut side shoots.

Basil, planted from a cutting, grows quickly, but it 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 update the plantings every 3-4 months.

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

Rosemary

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

You will need a wide pot in which a thick drainage layer is poured. Rosemary is demanding on lighting and air. He prefers the south side, and in summer the pot with the plant must be planted in open ground, taken out to the balcony or put out of the window, otherwise the leaves will not accumulate enough 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 put on the ground, without sprinkling on top, covered with foil and sprayed every day with a spray bottle. If seedlings have not appeared after 4 weeks, new seeds are planted. When the seedlings release three or more leaves, they are seated in spacious pots.

It is easier to grow rosemary from cuttings. To do this, you need a stiff 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 the soil than to flood it. With a lack of moisture, the lower leaves of the plant will begin to turn yellow, and with an excess, the roots will rot, which will lead to the death of the plant.

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

cucumbers

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter is a pretty 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 a month and a half.

Not every variety of cucumbers is suitable for growing on a windowsill. First, 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 bushy. Thirdly, an early variety is better suited for home cultivation. Finally, a shade-loving plant is ideal. You can grow cucumbers on the windowsill in winter varieties Connie, Masha, Legend, Debut, Flight, Babylon. Knowing the necessary parameters, you can choose another variety.

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

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

Tomatoes

It seems to many that growing tomatoes on a windowsill is a very difficult and inaccessible business for a beginner. But that's not the case at all! Moreover, there are special varieties for indoor cultivation.

When visiting a gardening store, note that some of the seed packages say "Recommended for pot growing", "Harvest on the window", "Home garden". Yes, and the names of the varieties themselves are speaking - Room Surprise, Balcony Miracle, Japanese Room. There are also ampelous varieties that will look great in flower pots - 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 (undersized, and preferably dwarf), self-pollinating (bushes are shaken during flowering for pollination) and small-fruited. For example, Alaska, micro, Pearl (red and yellow), Canada News, Minibel, Pinocchio, etc.

Tomatoes can be planted immediately in large pots or pick, choosing the strongest sprouts. During flowering and fruit set, tomatoes should be watered abundantly and sprayed with leaves.

The room where tomatoes grow should be regularly ventilated - plants do not like stagnant air. In winter, they need additional lighting. The plant needs to 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, the tomato can be propagated by cuttings. A plant grown from cuttings will begin to bloom in a few weeks.

Sweet pepper

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

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

Pepper needs good lighting, warmth, loose soil (it is regularly necessary to loosen the soil). 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.

Salad contains a huge amount of nutrients. 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 seed on a windowsill at home? This will be discussed further.

Lettuce can also 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, heat. In this case, the leaves become bitter. Beginners should not take on the cultivation of head forms in the apartment. They are very capricious.

The best varieties of lettuce for growing at home

Batavia - the most suitable salad variety for an apartment

The most suitable variety for an apartment is considered Batavia. Most grocery stores sell it.

It grows even without additional lighting. It can withstand short-term drought, high air temperatures.

The most famous varieties for cultivation on the windowsill:

  • lollo rossa

Lolla rossa is distinguished by a brown head of cabbage, curly light green leaves. Counts the most vitamin. It has a delicate taste.

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

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

  • curly;
  • peppery;
  • broad-leaved;
  • ordinary.

The choice of capacity for sowing and soil preparation

Lettuce roots do not lie deep in 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 in the bottom of the container.

Soil can be purchased at the store or use garden soil. Acidic soil is not suitable for planting. Better option - a mixture of sod land, humus, sand. Another option is garden soil, coconut fiber, biohumus. 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 bringing it to the edges of 2.5 - 3 cm.

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


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

Sowing seeds

  • Seeds before sowing are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate. Time - 2-3 hours.
  • A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the pot.
  • Drainage is covered with earth. Watered.
  • They make a groove. Depth - 5 mm. Row spacing - 10 cm.
  • Seeds are placed in the groove. Fall asleep with a small amount of earth. Lightly compacted.
  • They cover the container with a package - they create a greenhouse effect.
  • Put in a dark place.
  • When the first sprouts appear, the package is removed. Transferred to the windowsill.

The first shoots can be seen after 4 - 5 days. You need to keep it away from direct sunlight. On bright sunny days, it is necessary to shade it - the leaves can burn.

Lettuce loves heat. For its good growth requires a temperature in the range of 17-21 degrees. During a strong drop in temperature outside, the container with plants should be removed from the windowsill.

culture needs thinning. This is done 2 times:

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

If the lettuce grows densely, it will not be possible to get a good harvest.


Watering

Watering should be plentiful. With insufficient soil moisture, arrows begin to form earlier than usual. Watered with settled water 1 time in 1 - 2 days.

If the container is located 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

Feed up 1 time in 1.5–2 weeks. Suitable fertilizer for indoor plants. This is a fast growing culture. If fertile soil has been chosen for planting, it grows well without them.

You can not make a large amount of nitrogen fertilizers - lettuce is able to accumulate nitrates. If you use a top dressing based on potassium iodide, you can get a plant with a large amount of iodine in the composition.

Lighting

Light-loving plant. In winter, in short autumn - spring days, you need to use additional lighting- fluorescent lamps. You need to turn them 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. It is impossible to highlight during the day. Greens need to rest.

If it is not possible to additionally illuminate the plant, it is best to plant it at the end of winter.

loosening

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

Harvesting

Greens are growing fast. It can be collected within a few weeks. Uproot or tear off the outermost leaves. Arrows form after 3-5 weeks. The plant is removed. Other seeds are sown in its place.

Experienced gardeners planting lettuce once every 10 days. From one plant, 40-50 grams of greens are obtained. But it all depends on the variety.

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

  1. This is a moisture-loving plant. The soil should always be slightly moist. But too much moisture can kill it.
  2. The best place is a window sill on the south, southeast side. Without enough light at home, it is impossible to grow it.

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


In winter, getting fresh herbs is quite difficult. But some plants can be grown independently on the windowsill. For example, lettuce. It contains a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as organic acids. It will enrich any diet, it is recommended to include it in the diet menu. The plant is consumed both boiled and stewed, and raw.

Growing features

It is worth starting preparations for growing lettuce by choosing a variety. Some varieties that grow well in open ground do not germinate on the windowsill. They are very demanding on the temperature regime and soil composition. At home, it is worth giving preference to a leafy early ripe lettuce. He is unpretentious, he quickly appears leaves suitable for food. But it is better to refuse head varieties, with a high probability heads will not be tied.

Watercress is also popular. It is very easy to grow, including on the windowsill. It will suit any soil, and pots with it can be placed even on shaded windows. This plant is worth choosing for beginners.

Containers with lettuce should be placed in a well-lit place, but not in direct sunlight. It must be remembered that daylight hours for a plant should be at least 12 hours. In winter, a fluorescent lamp should be used, suspended at a height of about 50 cm above the pots. Just do not forget to turn it off at night, round-the-clock light will not do any good.

The plant tolerates coolness well, so in the autumn-spring period it should be placed on the balcony. In the summer, you will have to take care of creating a shadow. In too hot weather and when the soil dries out, lettuce does not grow well. He has a peduncle too early, and the leaves lose their value: they become bitter and hard.

Preparing for landing

When growing a plant from seeds, you need to choose the right container. Too small pots will not work, as the earth dries out very quickly in them. Lettuce grows well only in moist soil. For the same reason, it is better to choose plastic rather than ceramic containers, as clay walls will draw out moisture. The depth of the pot should be at least 20 cm. If before that it was used for other plantings, then it must be washed with soapy water.

Salad is characterized by exactingness to the soil. It should be light enough, but at the same time not too fast drying. The best option is store mixes that have all the necessary qualities. But you can make a suitable soil at home. To do this, mix equal parts ordinary earth, rotted manure, compost soil and peat. Also, don't forget to feed. To enrich the soil with nutrients, sand and wood ash are added to it per kilogram per bucket, as well as a large spoonful of nitrophoska and urea. All components must be thoroughly mixed, and then filled with prepared containers.

There is a way to grow lettuce without soil. It is replaced by foam rubber. It is placed in a tall pan, several paper towels are laid on top and watered. Then the seeds are sown. It is important to keep the system moist.

Particular attention must be paid to drainage. Lettuce does not like dry soil, but with excess moisture, its root neck and lower leaves may begin to rot. It is worth using expanded clay, broken brick or gravel, and even better - synthetic winterizer or silicone. These substances absorb excess water, and then gradually evaporate it. This increases the humidity in the air.

Growing a crop on a windowsill usually occurs in batches. To ensure that fresh greens are always present on the table, several boxes are prepared. Lettuce seeds are placed in them at intervals of two weeks. During harvesting at home, plants are uprooted. After that, the soil is loosened and re-sown. This does not apply to watercress: it is able to grow new leaves after fertilizing with mineral fertilizers.

How to plant

Growing begins with sowing. To ensure the disinfection of seeds, it is recommended to pickle them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The earth in the box needs to be slightly moistened and a few shallow grooves made. The distance between them should be about 15 cm. The seeds should not be placed too tightly in them. Then cover with earth and crush a little. If you need to speed up the emergence of seedlings, then you should make a greenhouse. To do this, sticks or wire arcs are stuck along the edges of the container, and a plastic film is placed above them. Sticks or other objects will increase the airspace, so that the soil and emerging shoots will not rot. After that, the containers are placed in a dark, cool place and moistened every two days with a spray bottle.

After a few days, the first shoots will appear on your windowsill. Now the film needs to be removed, and the pots placed under the lamp or on the windowsill. If seedlings grow too densely, then they need to be thinned out. Removed seedlings can be transplanted along the edges of containers with seedlings of tomatoes and cucumbers, if available. Lettuce will act as a sealant. It is not recommended to loosen the earth in the first weeks. The plant has a weak root system, the risk of damage is high.

lettuce care

Growing lettuce involves mandatory watering. The plant is moisture-loving, so this procedure should be given special attention. Seedlings need to be sprayed daily. They need to be watered once every two or three days. It is convenient to use a watering can with a long and thin spout. It is very important not to overmoisten the soil, then the plant will simply begin to rot.

The most suitable temperature for growing lettuce on the windowsill is from 16 to 20 degrees. The culture tolerates lower temperatures well. In early spring, it can be quite successfully grown from seeds on a balcony at 8-10 degrees. But too high temperature and dry air in the apartment can damage the plant. To avoid this, it is recommended to ventilate the room more often and spray the sprouts.

Lettuce grows fast enough, so top dressing will not interfere with it. This is especially true if the cultivation takes place on the windowsill. Complex fertilizers are best suited. But you can do without chemicals, since the use of mullein is allowed. It is dissolved in water (in a ratio of 1 to 10) and plantings are watered every week.


After harvest, the leaves are stored upright in boxes or stacked in baskets in a single layer. It is recommended to place the containers in a dark place where the temperature is maintained at about 2 degrees.

Growing lettuce at home is not that difficult. If you follow simple recommendations, you will be able to create your own garden on the windowsill. The main thing is to maintain the optimum temperature, take care of the lighting and water on time. Such a useful supplement to the diet is especially valuable in winter, when there is a particular lack of vitamins.


Leaf lettuce is a cold hardy plant that can be grown all season long. In order to get a lettuce crop in the winter, it can be planted on a windowsill. To grow leaf lettuce in winter, he needs to provide additional, as well as choose the right container for sowing and soil composition.

Soil composition

Lettuce grows well in light fertile soil with slightly acidic or neutral acid-base balance. Lettuce is native to the Mediterranean. Sandy loamy peat soils and a hot climate prevail in this region, so two parts of peat, one part of calcined river sand and a little garden perlite are used to prepare the soil mixture. Additionally, complex mineral fertilizer and wood ash can be added to the soil. To normalize the acid-base balance of the soil, slaked lime or dolomite flour must be added to the soil.

salad bowl

The prepared soil mixture is poured into a previously prepared container. The height of the container must be at least 10 cm.


Use a juice container as a container for planting a salad. Its inside is covered with foil, which provides additional illumination with reflected light for the salad. Make drainage holes in the side of the box and on its bottom to ensure water drainage.

A drainage layer must be placed at the bottom. Pebbles, small stones or broken bricks can be used as drainage. Then the container is filled with soil mixture.

Before planting lettuce, the soil must be shed with Fitosporin solution. If the soil is warmed up before planting, then the lettuce seeds will sprout faster, so the solution of the drug should be hot. The soil must be left for 12 hours. When the hay bacillus and other possible bacteria have died, lettuce seeds can be planted.


sowing lettuce

Seeds are mixed with river sand for easy sowing. They can not be deeply buried in the soil, otherwise the germination of lettuce will decrease. The maximum sowing depth of seeds is 1 cm. After planting the seeds, the soil is moistened with a spray gun. Then the seed container is covered with a plastic bag until the first shoots appear. After their appearance, the package must be removed, since the greenhouse effect has a bad effect on the above-ground part of the plants.