Spicy-aromatic herbs for the kitchen garden
Spicy herbs are the highlight of the home garden. They create a special atmosphere, dishes with them become refined and appetizing.
Dill
Despite its familiarity, this crop is not so easy to grow. At home, you can grow fragrant dill relatively quickly: early-maturing varieties require from 25 days. But you will not be able to get a lot of leaf mass from them: the mass of each plant is quite modest. Late-maturing bushy varieties, such as “Emperor”, increase much more volume, but you need to wait for their greens about 45 days after germination.
How to prepare and sow dill seeds
Dill seeds (like all umbrella seeds) are quite hard to grow, so before sowing they need to be soaked for two days, changing the water every 12 hours. You can sow in pots with a height of 12-20 cm or in long balcony containers. Fill the planting containers with soil for seedlings, make grooves 1-1. 5 cm deep and thoroughly sprinkle them with water. Sow the seeds and sprinkle them, filling up the edges of the grooves. We arrange a greenhouse from the film — and send it to the windowsill, the temperature should not fall below +18°C. After about 8-10 days, seedlings will appear, then the shelter can be removed.
The light day of this crop should be long, ideally-14-15 hours, so that in autumn and winter you can not do without additional illumination. Dill should be regularly watered and sprayed, once a day — turn relative to the window, so that the plants do not stretch in one direction. If the shoots are very dense, then thinning is necessary, the distance between neighboring plants should be at least 3 cm. The optimal temperature is +17…+19°C.
Punch
To grow parsley on greens, you can sow seeds or plant a root vegetable. This crop should not be placed in the same container with other umbrella plants. The seeds need to be soaked for 48 hours, then after sowing the seedlings will appear on the 5th-7th day. If you sow dry seeds, they will germinate on the 15th-20th day. Depending on the variety, the first crop can be cut 50-70 days after germination.
Sowing and planting of root crops
In pots or rectangular containers, we pour the soil for seedlings and sow the soaked seeds in grooves 1.5-2 cm deep. We moisten it with a spray gun, fall asleep, cover it with a film and put it on the windowsill. After the emergence of seedlings, the film is removed. If necessary, thin out the shoots, leaving a distance between the plants of 3-4 cm.
If you plant root vegetables, you can get fresh greens much earlier, in a month. Plant them closely, too long specimens – at an angle.
Parsley is light-loving — in short and cloudy days, additional illumination is required, extending the daylight time to 16 hours. Also, this crop is sensitive to humidity and does not feel well in an apartment with steam heating. To improve the situation, the greens need to be sprayed, watered in a timely manner, you can install a container of water next to the container, cover the battery with a damp cloth.
Basil
This Mediterranean plant has won many hearts. By growing it at home, you will have a supply of amazing flavor and vitamins. Sow the seeds superficially on the prepared substrate (suitable soil for seedlings), moisten with spraying and cover with glass or film, put on a light window sill. At a temperature of +16…+21°C shoots appear on the 7-8 th day.
How to care for basil
If necessary, the sprouts should be thinned, leaving a distance of 7-10 cm between them. The following varieties are suitable for potting:
- ‘Naughty boy’. It has a rich clove aroma and a compact rounded shape of the bush;
- ‘Freshness’. Its smell has a slight lemon tint;
- ‘Tonus’ will surprise you with large juicy leaves with a bright aroma.
On cloudy and short days, the basilica needs additional illumination, the optimal length of the day is 12 hours. This culture is moisture-loving and thermophilic, does not tolerate drafts. Comfortable growing temperature +20…+25°C. You need to water regularly, the soil should not dry out. An important point in the care of basil is the formation of a bush. If the plant is not pinched, then you will get 1 weakly leafy stem. To stimulate tillering, the first time you need to trim the top after growing 4-6 leaves. There will be side shoots, and they will also need to be pinched at the same age. If you notice the formation of buds, it is better to remove them, otherwise the quality of the greenery will deteriorate.
Mint
Mint on the windowsill is a great solution. The plant is not capricious to the soil, but it grows better on nutritious soil. Seeds do not need to be prepared for sowing. Mint is more convenient to grow with a pick. Sow the seeds in shallow pots or containers, sprinkling with a layer no more than 5 mm thick. We thoroughly moisten the soil from the spray gun and create a greenhouse from the film. Seedlings can be expected in 15-20 days. After the appearance of two real leaves, the seedlings need to be transplanted into separate pots. If this seems difficult to you, you can leave them in a common container, removing the weak sprouts. The distance between adjacent seedlings should be 6-7 cm.
Mint care
Mint is light-and moisture-loving. Sufficient daylight for this crop is 12 hours, the optimal temperature is +20…+25°C. The soil should be constantly moderately moist — during the heating season, spraying is required. Tender sprouts can suffer from direct sunlight, so shading is required on clear days.
Origanum
Origanum, of course, can be harvested in sufficient quantities, collected and dried or frozen in season. But such a preparation can not be compared with fresh shoots. This culture is not demanding on humidity and easier than other spicy plants to put up with dry air in the apartment in winter. The optimal growing temperature is +18…+20°C, watering-moderate, with water at room temperature. The length of the light day is 14 hours.
How to sow and care for
The seeds are small-they are sown without sealing or sprinkling with a very thin layer of loose soil. Crops need to be moistened by spraying and covered with a film. Seedlings will appear in 14-16 days. Soaking the seeds for 12-24 hours will help speed up this process. Containers need to be regularly ventilated, after the emergence of seedlings, the shelter should not be removed immediately: Origanum seedlings are quite tender, they need time to adapt to the open air.
After the growth of 2-3 real leaves, the plants dive into separate pots. If you plan to grow them in a common box, then the distance between the bushes should be left about 10 cm, the remaining seedlings should be removed.
Thyme
It is a Mediterranean plant. It has an amazing, subtle fragrance! Thyme is a drought-resistant plant, the overflow is disastrous for it. The usual watering regime in indoor conditions is 1 time per week. The soil should be light, the container should provide good drainage — and do not forget to remove the water that accumulates in the tray after watering.
How to sow thyme seeds
Seeds are sown superficially or sprinkled thinly with soil, moistened with a hand sprayer, covered with a film. In the light in the film greenhouse, the seeds germinate within a month. Thyme develops slowly, the seedlings grow to 2-3 real leaves and dive into separate pots of 2-3 plants. Optimal conditions for growing this crop: temperature +18…+26°C, daylight hours-12-14 hours. The plant should be regularly pruned to stimulate the regrowth of the side shoots, otherwise you will get lignified twigs with a small number of leaves.
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