Growing Vitamin Greens In An Apartment During The Cold Season. Part 2

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

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Not a day in winter without fresh greenery

In the spring during the daytime, garlic can be kept on the loggia

Perennial bows

For the autumn-winter-spring forcing, perennial onions with a short dormant period are suitable - slime onions, chives and sweet onions (although the latter is less productive). As planting material, take three - four-year "sod" onions; they are planted in flat containers until the soil freezes. Drainage must be laid on the bottom of the containers, and above it, loose soil is poured with a layer of 2-3 cm. The soddings are installed in containers and the gaps between them are covered with soil.

Taking into account the undulating nature of the crop formation in perennial onions, some of the containers are temporarily installed in a cool room (basement, cellar) with a view to the future, and 2-3 containers are exposed to the window.

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In the initial period of sod development, the temperature is maintained at + 20 … + 22 ° C, and with the beginning of intensive onion growth (after about two weeks), the temperature is reduced to + 15 … + 17 ° C (this will ensure the elasticity of the feather, although it will slightly slow down the rate of its formation). Slime onions can grow at a lower temperature - about + 10 … + 14 ° C.

As for the demand for light, chives and sweet onions are more light-loving, and slime-onions develop even with a certain lack of light. Plants are watered very sparingly (with excessive watering, cut feathers wither quickly), and after each cut, the plantings are fed with weak solutions of Planta fertilizer or urea. You need to cut off shoots not near the ground, but 2-3 cm higher. As the yield on the "sod" weakened, they are replaced by plants that were previously in a cool room.

Separately, it should be said about the problem concerning mainly the forcing of chives, the outer leaves of which are prone to lodging. To avoid this, you can, for example, put a plastic bag with a cut off bottom on the bunch of this bow, and arrange this bag like an accordion, reinforcing the structure with four thin pegs in the corners inside the mini-shelter.

Chard

Getting fresh chard greens in winter (we are, of course, talking about the leaves, not about the stalks) is quite easy. To do this, in the fall, before frost (approximately at the end of September - beginning of October), dig up the plant along with a lump of earth, transplant it into a very large pot and send it to the windowsill. Water as needed (but without waterlogging, otherwise the plants can rot) and after each leaf cut, feed with weak solutions of complex fertilizers (for example, Kemira-Lux).

However, it should be borne in mind that one plant will not provide a crop for the whole winter, since its growing season is limited. Therefore, it is safer to carefully dig up a few plants, remove wilted leaves on them, put them in boxes with sand and transfer them to the cellar. And in winter, when it becomes obvious that the strength of the next pet on the windowsill is running out, you just need to get the next plant out of the cellar, plant it in a suitable container and expose it to the light.

Chicory salad

For distillation, large unbranched roots with a diameter of 3-6 cm and a length of 15-20 cm are selected. The leaves are carefully cut off 2 cm above the neck (so that the apical bud does not suffer) and stored at a temperature of + 1 … + 2 ° C in the basement buried in wet sand in boxes. During storage, the plants are examined, rotten ones are taken away, and yellowed leaves are removed from healthy specimens.

Forcing of cykorny salad is carried out starting from December-January. For planting, boxes with a height of 55-60 cm are taken. Fertile soil is poured into them and root crops are planted vertically and close to each other. After planting, the soil is watered abundantly and completely covered with a mixture of peat and sand with a layer of 20-22 cm from above. This is necessary in order to prevent light from entering the emerging shoot with leaves - from the light lettuce leaves turn green, become rough and bitter.

Within 2-3 weeks, the roots are kept at a temperature of + 10 … + 12 ° C, and the soil is periodically moistened. During this time, fibrous roots are formed, intensively absorbing moisture, there is an active regrowth of shoots. In the future, the temperature is increased to + 16 … + 18 ° C (but not higher than + 20 ° C), watering is continued as needed. Top dressing is not carried out, since the growth of the vegetative mass is due to the supply of nutrients accumulated in the roots.

Normally formed heads of lettuce will be shortened shoots with tightly packed leaves. They begin to harvest before the germination of the first shoots through the soil layer, which occurs approximately 25-30 days after planting (by this time, the heads of cabbage grow to about 25 cm). They are cut off with a part of the root crop head - after cutting, the root crops are replaced with new specimens, since the second harvest from the cut root crops can no longer be obtained. Cut heads can be well stored at + 2 … + 4 ° C for up to 12-14 days in the refrigerator if they are not washed and kept in an ajar plastic bag.

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Rhubarb

Gardeners are accustomed to actively using rhubarb from the very early spring to about mid-July. Having resorted to forcing this culture, you can have its shoots on the table from December to early spring. To do this, in the fall, after the leaves die off and the plants enter the dormant period, they are dug up with a large clod of earth and laid for storage. The prepared material is stored in the basement or cellar at a temperature of + 2 … + 3 ° C.

As needed in fresh greenery (usually from the end of November), the rhizomes are placed close to each other on a layer of soil 8-12 cm thick, sprinkled on top with a layer of soil 2 cm deep and watered abundantly. Forcing is carried out in the light at a temperature of + 10 … + 15 ° C (for example, on an insulated loggia) and an air humidity of 60-70% with regular airing of the plants and watering them about once a week. The first cleaning is carried out after 30-35 days - in general, 5-6 collections are made in 6-8 weeks. After that, the roots are dug up and a new batch is planted.

Leafy greens can be sown very thickly

Other plants

In addition to all of the above, good results are obtained by forcing the leaves of root and leaf parsley, caraway seeds, mint, root and leaf celery, lovage and beets. True, not always. For the forcing to really be successful, the named plants, with the exception of lovage, must go through a dormant stage. Therefore, it is advisable to keep parsley, cumin, mint and celery on the site not dug out as long as possible, and transplant it into a prepared container not earlier than the end of October (2-3 weeks before that, the leaves of parsley, celery and lovage are cut off, trying not to damage the growth point) … And the beets should lie in the cellar until around December to prepare for a successful forcing.

Of great importance is the correct choice of containers, the height of which should ensure free placement of plant roots. Root crops are planted so that their heads are above the soil surface. After planting, the neck and head of the plants should be sprinkled with crushed coal, and the soil on top with dry sand. All this will also prevent the development of fungal diseases.

During the first two weeks after planting of root crops, an intensified regrowth of new roots occurs, so the plants are kept at this time in a dark place at a temperature of + 12 … + 16 ° С. Immediately after the buds appear and the leaves begin to regrow, the temperature is raised to + 18 … + 20 ° С (a higher temperature is unacceptable, as it leads to the rapid wilting of the leaves and contributes to the development of fungal diseases). To ensure a continuous supply of oxygen to the roots, the soil should be loosened regularly (for example, with an ordinary fork) - insufficient air supply to the root system can cause root rot and lead to the death of plants. Watering should be done less frequently than, for example, onions - about once a week (excessive watering leads to rotting of the sprouts).

When cutting the regrown leaves, petioles 3-5 cm long are left and after each cutting the plants are fed with weak solutions of complex fertilizers (for example, Kemira-Lux).