Chard on the windowsill: the nuances of growing. We grow beets on ... the windowsill Actions before storing beets

Women who surround themselves with plants feel happier and live longer, Harvard scientists found, studying the issue for 8 years. Why not plant a vegetable garden on the balcony?

Anyone who has heard anything about growing vegetables has probably imagined long beds. However, it is quite possible to plant vegetables on the balcony. A surprising number of different edible plants can be grown in flower pots and boxes. Thanks to the fashion for urban gardening, there are ways to use every centimeter of balcony space to create a mini-garden with your own hands. We will give you some tips on what you need to consider if you want to plant a vegetable garden on your balcony.

Lack of space shouldn't be a problem - there are plenty of varieties of vegetables that can be grown vertically in flower pots and boxes right on your windowsill. And the yield is sometimes even higher than in open space, because on the balcony it is easier to create ideal conditions for heat-loving plants. Do not forget also about the decorative effect. Beetroot with beautiful red stems, delicious cherry tomatoes and paprika pods in yellow and orange make the balcony garden very beautiful.

Fresh vegetables on the balcony

The advantages of growing vegetables on the balcony are obvious: you get not only a source of vitamins that is always at hand, but also a useful and interesting hobby. Interaction with plants is not only pleasant, but also useful. Gardening and horticulture relieves stress and creates positive emotions. What could be more rewarding than seeing your work bear fruit in the literal sense of the word? As a reward, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries will appear on your plate. In addition, growing vegetables in pots is also very practical - there are no weeds, which means there will be no competition for water and nutrients.

Pay attention to the location of the balcony

A balcony on the east or west side of the house is ideal for gardening. Tomatoes, strawberries, currants, peppers and eggplant grow well on the balconies on the sunny south side. Various types of lettuce, chard, dill, parsley, watercress and garlic are suitable for a shaded arrangement. Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, rosemary, mint and oregano grow best in sunny and windy locations.

Pay attention to the height of the plants and their needs

There is a range of compact vegetable plants that work well for a balcony garden. Ideally, you should give preference to varieties that have the word "shrub", "dwarf" or "mini" in the name. Greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, paprika and chili varieties, beans, carrots, lettuce, onions, and eggplants are among the most popular plants for a small balcony garden.

It is recommended to plant several different crops in one container. This attracts pollinating insects and makes the overall picture more harmonious. Be sure to pay attention to the correct arrangement of plants in mixed plantings. Otherwise, large plants will overshadow their smaller neighbors. A large plant should be at the back, a medium-sized plant in the middle, and a low-growing plant at the front, hanging down from the edge of the flowerpot.

Choose the right plant tanks

The choice of flower pots is incredibly large, and human imagination almost knows no limits. You can use old household items or even build a raised balcony flower bed on your own. First of all, three points must be taken into account: dimensions, material and removal of excess water. As a rule, problems can arise due to excessive dryness or constant dampness.

Keep in mind that the larger the container, the better. Large flower pots require more soil to fill, but irrigation can save you time and money. The disadvantage of large flower pots is their weight. An excellent solution are flower stands on wheels.

Root crops such as radishes, carrots and beets are best planted in deep containers. The optimum depth is from 30 cm. Onions and their relatives, such as garlic and wild garlic, also like deep containers so that their roots do not rot.

Climbing plants need help to climb up

Climbing plants such as red beans, peas, cucumbers, zucchini, and some varieties of melon grow well in pots but need support. A good solution is the construction of wooden slats, which such plants can cling to. Curved rods in the form of spirals are best suited for tomatoes. Also for this purpose, you can use ropes, gratings and nets.

Of great importance is the material from which the container for the plant is made.

Choosing a material for a flower container can be very difficult because the list is quite long - clay, plastic, metal, wood, etc. And each material has its own advantages and disadvantages. Below we will mention some of them.

Soil in clay pots dries out quickly, therefore, the plants in them require more frequent watering. However, if the clay walls are covered with glaze, they retain moisture much better. Clay is a good choice for plants that cannot tolerate excessive moisture, such as most greens and strawberries. They are planted mainly in clay containers with several side holes.

The plastic is waterproof and this can cause moisture to build up., which negatively affects plants that prefer dry soil and good drainage. For example, most varieties of herbs and peppers.

Metal is very sensitive to temperature. At very high or low temperatures, it quickly becomes too hot or too cold. Eggplants love warmth, so metal containers are great for them. However, it also helps if you provide these plants with some sun protection.

Wood has very good characteristics in terms of moisture and temperature maintenance. But over time, it rots, especially if it is not protected with a special waterproof film. Wooden crates, as well as old wooden pallets or barrels, are ideal for use as plant containers.

Vertical garden on the balcony

It is clear that there is not much space on the balconies. And here's a trick that's becoming more and more popular in urban gardening: space your plants vertically and this will allow you to use vertical surfaces. Ideal options are hanging baskets, ladders, vertically placed pallets, whatnots and other structures.

Plant bags usually consist of breathable fabric that retains heat and moisture, but only to a reasonable extent. These bags can be easily attached to a wall or balcony railing to save space.

When to plant a garden on a balcony?

On the sunny balcony on the south side of the house, plants can be planted as early as late April and early May. If the balcony is directed to the west, then a little later: in the middle or end of May. Balconies on the north side are more exposed to wind, so it is better to plant young plants there, not seeds, around June.

Soil quality

The properties of the soil in which the plants are planted are also crucial for a good harvest. Healthy soil ensures that you grow healthy plants. However, those who grow vegetables in flower pots should not use regular soil as it is too heavy and becomes even heavier when watered. Cheap potting mixes can also clump. Good soil should be light and airy. Although ready-made soil substrate for growing plants may seem a little expensive, it is well worth it. With it, you will eliminate the possibility of a bad harvest when its time comes.

You can also make your own substrate by mixing peat moss (to keep soil and roots moist) with compost in a 2:1 ratio. You can also add some perlite to it. It will provide additional ventilation and prevent stagnant water.

Balcony garden needs regular watering

Vegetable plants that grow in flower pots need to be watered more often than usual, as the soil in them dries out faster. The frequency of watering depends on the climate and the material from which the container is made. As already mentioned, in clay more often, and less often in plastic. Distribute the water properly with a watering can.

It's good to add a layer of mulch

Under a layer of mulch, the moisture contained in the soil is better preserved. Regular bark mulch is not very good for vegetable gardens because it slowly decomposes and binds the nutrients in the soil. It is better to choose cedar or cypress, as these varieties repel some insects. Straw is also good, but you need to make sure that there are no seeds in it.

Text: Evgeniy SLESARENKO

September 13, 2016
You can talk about design canons for a long time, but every day the existing canons become less and less stable. Aesthetics and harmony, balance, colors, materials, brought together in order to get such a long-awaited result are the essence of your knowledge, practice and self-development. My motto is to learn, see, touch something new every day, and I am sure that this is the only way to keep the right course in “high design”.

Do you have a cottage or garden? How not? Do you have a balcony and window sill? Yes! So you have a garden! Today I will tell you about what vegetables can be planted on the balcony.

The balcony can be given over to flowers, but it is much more interesting to grow healthy and tasty vegetables. It can be weaving beans, crispy cucumbers, tomatoes, a whole lawn of fragrant herbs and a pepper with a spark. But let's talk about everything in order.

Balcony gardening has a significant advantage - at home, vegetables are protected from low temperatures, pests and diseases.

If you plan to grow vegetables year-round, take care of additional lighting. Daylight lamps will perfectly cope with this role.

What to grow?

The most simple and precocious is leafy greens: lettuce, cilantro, dill, basil, celery, parsley, green.

Eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes are perennials that can be grown year-round when warm. With proper care, individual plants are able to bear fruit up to 4-5 years.

For a home garden, it is advisable to use low-growing varieties of vegetables, but there are no restrictions on choosing a variety of greens.

Many breeding and seed companies have developed special varieties for lovers of balcony gardens, which have moderate growth, shade tolerance, abundant long fruiting and short internodes.

Technical equipment

• For modest-sized beds with greens, you can use boxes with a depth of 10 cm and a capacity of 5-10 liters.
• For tomato, cucumber and eggplant, I recommend choosing individual pots of 3-5 liters.
• Ampelous tomatoes can be placed in hanging planters.
• In the matter of land selection, give preference to loose fertile neutral soil, peat, compost, various peat-soil mixtures. In this case, the acidity of the soil should vary from 6.0 to 6.8.

Pepper

In a balcony, you can grow both sweet and hot peppers. The latter will require a warm and bright place. I recommend to take a closer look at the varieties:

• "Flint";
• "Carmen";
• "Rowan";
• "Spark";
• "Indian summer";
• "Bride".

When providing comfortable growth conditions, up to 60 fruits can be tied on one plant. Growing temperature - 26-27 ° C.

If you have given up the choice in favor of sweet pepper, pay attention to varieties with medium-sized fruits, for example, Bucharest, Kuzya, Aquarelle.

Bitter and sweet peppers can grow on the balcony at the same time, but in this case they must be placed at a distance of 3-4 meters from each other. Otherwise, as a result of cross-pollination, the entire pepper will be bitter.

Tomatoes

The selected variety should be early maturing, compact and growing in conditions with a minimum amount of natural light.

• "Pinocchio";
• "Balcony Miracle";
• "Bonsai";
• "Little Red Riding Hood";
• "Baby".

These varieties do not require pinching, shaping and support. They have an amazing decorative quality due to the large number of bright red round medium-sized fruits.

When choosing a variety, pay attention to the color of the tomatoes. It’s great if among red cherry tomatoes there is a place for varieties with orange and yellow fruits.

Unfortunately, there are not so many ampel varieties grown in hanging containers. “Rowan beads”, “Golden bunch”, “Ampelny” and “Pearl” are presented for your judgment.

If you do not like small cherry tomatoes, look at larger varieties, for example, "Betta" and "Alaska", the mass of their fruits can reach 80 grams.

The optimum temperature for growing tomatoes is 23-25 ​​°C.

Carrot

What other vegetables can be grown on the balcony? Carrot! When choosing seeds, be guided by the rule described above - the variety must be dwarf. From personal experience, I can advise Sophie and Parmex. They do not require large areas, and you can crunch the first carrot in 80-90 days.

Carrots are extremely demanding on the quality of the soil. The latter must be well drained.

For growing, it is not necessary to build a box with your own hands; cut plastic bottles will suffice. The optimum temperature is 13-24 ° C.

green onion

Green onions are the simplest plant that can be grown on a balcony. When choosing a bulb for planting, pay attention to the quality, it should not have traces of rot.

After planting, place the onion in a dark, cool place to quickly form the root system. But the pen will need a well-lit area. Temperature regime - 18-20 ° С.

cucumbers

For planting cucumbers, choose self-pollinating varieties labeled F1. In comfortable conditions, 30-40 cucumbers can be collected from one bush.

• "Stresa";
• "Biryusa";
• "Barnaulets";
• "Gribovsky";
• "Dubrovsky";
• "Courage".

Plants are planted in containers with a volume of 5 liters or more and constantly watered abundantly. The optimum temperature is 22-24 °C.

Ginger

Much has been said about the benefits of ginger, but few people know that it can be successfully grown at home. For planting, use pieces of ginger root in 3-4 sections with live buds.

If the root is a little dry, dip it in warm water for several hours to awaken the kidneys.

Planting is carried out in an individual pot at a shallow depth. Before the appearance of the first shoots, watering should be moderate. The optimum temperature regime is 21-25 ° С.

grass-ant

What is a garden without fragrant herbs!

Name	Growing instructions	Optimum t°
Mint	Quite unpretentious, and can grow on the balcony all year round. Planting is carried out by seeds or cuttings. The latter method is preferred because seed mint is less well received and takes longer to harvest. Mint can not do without good watering and high-quality lighting.	20-25°C.
Basil	Basil, regardless of variety, feels great in a flower pot or box. For a fragrant balcony dweller, allocate a sunny part of the balcony, water thoroughly and provide good drainage. Planting is carried out by seeds or cuttings. From cuttings you can get a quick harvest, but they are short-lived and also quickly give color. The basilica needs an increase in daylight hours by 3-4 hours, so provide it with additional light sources.	20-25°C
Sorrel	It is notable for the fact that it feels great with a lack of light, therefore it does not pretend to be the sunny part of the balcony. For planting, you can use rhizomes with buds at the age of 2-4 years or seeds. I recommend taking a closer look at the varieties "Odessa broad-leaved" and "Altai". Sorrel is undemanding to temperature and can survive even minor frosts (hardened guy).	from +5 °С
Thyme	In nature, the plant grows in dry areas on poor soil. In order to deprive him of life at home, you will have to make a lot of effort. The main requirement of thyme is an abundance of light. It can even be left in direct sunlight, which other balcony plants will not tolerate. Planting is done by seeds or cuttings.	25-30 °С
Salad	Prefers moderate shade and regular soil moisture. If these requirements are met, after 18-22 days you will be able to harvest the first salad crop.	below 18 °C

Five secrets of a rich harvest

1. Choose small-fruited, but high-yielding hybrids and varieties. The thing is that in a limited area it is difficult for plants to feed large fruits, they get little or they ripen for a long time.
2. Make sure the soil doesn't dry out. In response to ignoring the need for watering, the plant may drop leaves and flowers.

If you don't want to turn a cucumber into a desert cactus, set up an irrigation system. To do this, a plastic bottle with several holes is dug into the ground, into which water is poured.

The roots will gradually receive moisture, and the earth from above will not be covered with a crust.

1. Rare balcony residents will thank you for direct sunlight. To ensure comfortable conditions, “tint” the windows of the balcony with white paper.
2. Don't over-fertilize. Folk wisdom about porridge and butter will be out of place here.

Divide the rate indicated in the instructions by 2 times, pre-pour the plant with water, then with diluted fertilizer. The price of your "generosity" is too high - plants can get a burn of the root system and die.

1. When planting two bushes in one pot, you will not get twice the yield. Most likely, the fruits will be small and insignificant.

Summing up

Now you know which vegetables to plant on the balcony and how to properly care for them, it remains for me to offer beginner gardeners an interesting video in this article.

And what grows on your balcony or in a pot on the windowsill, perhaps it is a pineapple or a fragrant strawberry? Share your achievements and tips with our readers.

The simplest objects for window gardening are watercress or lettuce mustard. Radish, on the other hand, is suitable for cool (18-20 ° C) and rather humid rooms, and varieties should be chosen early and non-shooting (Greenhouse, White Nights, Red Sun, Poker, etc.). I think that it is better not to mess with lettuce, dill, cilantro and parsley - they often die from root rot.

Advanced gardeners can take a swing at indoor cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. There are special "container" varieties of these crops. They are best grown through seedlings.

Without additional lighting, indoor vegetable growing should be started only if your window faces south, southwest or southeast. For sowing, you need spacious (40 by 50 cm or more) wooden or plastic boxes with a height of at least 12 cm with mandatory drainage. It is convenient to use ready-made soil for seedlings based on peat.

If plants slow down in growth or their leaves turn pale, you need to feed them with a solution of a complete “mineral water” (1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water).

Irina Kapustina, Lobnya

Beets - in the apartment?

I saw a picture in a magazine - beets in a flower pot on the windowsill. Looked great! Is it really possible to grow this root crop as a houseplant? And how is it done?

T. Kruglova, Tula

Responsible Lyubov Timakova, root crop breeder:

You can grow beets on a windowsill. But this is not done at all to get the “vinaigrette queen”, but for the sake of her young leaves. The root crop is planted.

For planting, it is better to choose small beets weighing 50-60 g, and store options are also not forbidden. But you must definitely pay attention to the upper part (growth point) of the root crop. It is better if it is not cut off, otherwise the leaves will appear with a long delay.

Containers for growing beets should be at least 15 cm deep. A drainage layer must be poured onto the bottom of the pot, preferably from expanded clay, but pieces of charcoal or gravel are also suitable. As a soil, you can take the earth from the garden or a ready-made purchased substrate. From above it is desirable to pour a layer of sand.

When planting a root crop in a pot, its upper part is not sprinkled with earth in order to avoid decay of the growth point. In order for the leaves to grow well, it is better to keep pots of beets in the light (on the windowsill of the south window). It is desirable to maintain the temperature at the level of 18-20 ° C, avoiding sudden changes. Soil moisture should be moderate.

Beets have been the main table and fodder crop since ancient times. In ancient Greece, not only the roots were used, but also the leaves. Thanks to its keeping quality, beets are one of the main winter vegetables.

In terms of calories, beets are the leader, surpassing all vegetable crops. It also contains sugars, fats, organic acids, fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc.

Everyone can grow beets, responsibly approaching her care. The first is soil preparation, it must be well fertilized and structured. Of the predecessors, many crops are suitable - potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and all other crops except the swan family. It is recommended to plant the plant in its original place no earlier than after 3-4 years. If the area is clogged, it must be thoroughly cleaned of plant and other materials.

Beets are less susceptible to the concentration of mineral matter than carrots, so fertilizers are applied once for the main treatment. Beets are responsive to organic fertilizers. The application rates are as follows: 4-5 kg ​​of humus is applied per square meter, compost 8-10 kg. Beetroot consumes more potassium than nitrogen, therefore, during the period of root formation, it is fed with potash fertilizers.

Seed preparation begins immediately before sowing. Recently, the seeds are sold already processed and their subsequent processing is impractical. But, if the seeds you bought are not processed, you should do this, thereby reducing the germination period. Soaking seeds for 12-14 hours in water gives a positive effect.

Beets (especially their shoots) are susceptible to frost, so they should be planted when the possibility of frost has passed, or earlier, but then additional shelter will be required. Beetroot goes to the generative state after 40 - 50 days. It should be planted in spring when the air temperature reaches 15 - 18 ° C during the day, and 12 - 15 ° C at night, with soil temperature at a depth of 5 - 6 cm - 8 - 10 ° C.

The best period for sowing beets is cloudy or rainy weather. The best way to find out the weather is to look on the Internet.

Sowing beets is carried out manually or with manual seeders. Sowing depth should be 1.5 - 2 cm on loamy and 2 - 3 cm on sandy and sandy soils. The planting scheme can be single-line, then the scheme will be 45 cm by 10 cm or two-line - 62 + 8 cm by 12 cm. The distance between plants is left at will, the more you want the root crop, the greater the distance should be, but on average it should be 10 - 15 cm. If necessary, the plants are thinned out. The first time when the plant forms 3 true leaves, the second time - after 3 - 4 weeks, bringing the distance between plants to the required level.

Care consists in timely watering (if necessary) and loosening of row spacing. During drought, watering is necessary, as the growth and development of plants cease. The lack of moisture in the soil can be observed by plants, in the heat of the day they look oppressed, their leaves lose their elasticity, and the forming root crop becomes soft. Water the plants to prevent wilting. The irrigation rate is up to 40 liters per 1 sq. meter. This watering is enough for two weeks. Stop watering three weeks before harvest.

Beet fleas or weevils may appear on beets. It is important to identify the pest in time and begin measures to combat it. There are many different folk and chemical preparations against them.

Beet harvesting is an important event that will affect its further storage. With early or late harvesting, it deteriorates and rots. Beets are harvested in technical ripeness, when a growth forms near the root crop and rosette of leaves. Dig up beets with a shovel or pitchfork. It is important to harvest beets before frost. Root crops are freed from leaves, leaving small petioles.

Grow watermelons on the balcony no more difficult than, for example, tomatoes or cucumbers. Any variety or hybrid can be used.

We sow for seedlings in early May, after the emergence of seedlings we put the pot in a warm and well-lit place. Then we transplant to a permanent place in a container of at least 5 liters - but no later than the appearance of 3-4 true leaves. During growth, we carefully cut off all the ovaries until at least 8-10 true leaves form on the plant.

Then we “work as a bee” - we pollinate female flowers with male flowers by hand. Unfortunately, parthenocarpic watermelons and melons have not yet been invented :-). We leave 1-2 ovaries, water and feed on time. That's actually all.

This year I have plans to grow melons. What variety it will be, I have not decided yet, and it doesn’t matter, I believe that any fruits and berries can be grown on the balcony. Last year, for example, I grew potatoes, carrots, and beets on my balcony for the first time!

Beets of the September harvest, sown in June - it turned out sweet and tasty!

Potato - harvest from two tubers, grown in a 7 liter pot

2) Earlier you mentioned that you keep a kind of "garden" diary. Could notwould you clarify by it when last year you got the first crop of cucumbersand tomatoes? And which varieties were the earliest?

Unfortunately, I cannot say this for sure, since I do not keep such statistics. For me, a more important aspect is getting the maximum yield from one plant in balcony conditions. But in one year I sow no more than 2-3 varieties of tomatoes, 1-2 varieties of pepper and 1 variety of eggplant, so I don’t have much statistics.

Based on my experience, I can recommend Black Handsome and Diamond eggplants, and Gift of Moldova pepper to balcony gardeners, these varieties give a stable harvest on the balcony. And a tomato is a very plastic crop, and the harvest is highly dependent on agricultural technology and plant formation, so I can say - sow any variety or hybrid, the harvest will definitely be with proper care.

Pepper Purple bell, good harvest (5 liter pot)

3) Now everyone is infatuated with the “garden” of herbs. Can you also grow herbs on a balcony? And if so, what kind of herbs do you grow?

- This is a very interesting topic for me, but so far I have not had time to fully implement these plans. This is my plan for this year. I will sow all the herbs and spicy plants, the seeds of which I can find on the shelf in the store. There will definitely be basil, rosemary, thyme, coriander, dill and parsley. Another big plus of these crops is that they can be sown during May-June with a break of a week and get a green conveyor of fragrant products until the frost.

I have the most daring plans for this year: I want to try for the first time to grow crops such as melon, cauliflower and leaf cabbage, lettuce, zucchini, raspberries and apple trees on my balcony. You see, I am already moving from balcony vegetable growing to balcony gardening. Read my blog, I will keep you informed of all events.

Strawberries "Moscow delicacy", remontant, from seeds, gives the main crop in the second year

My plans are limited only by the area of ​​my balcony, but I dream of buying my piece of land someday and turning it into a flowering garden and vegetable garden!

And you will definitely succeed! Michael, thank you very much for your answers to the questions and we wish you good luck in the new season!

Facebook

Twitter

In contact with

Classmates

Google+