Parsley - unusually healthy, tasty and unpretentious in terms of growing greens. In its composition a huge amount of vitamin C (in the roots of its greenery more than in lemon, several times), vitamin E, a high content of vitamins B (B1, B2, B6, B9), a large amount of potassium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus .
Parsley contains phytohormones, its use is useful for both women and men. Greens grow well in open ground and in the greenhouse. But even in the absence of giving parsley can be perfectly cultivated at home. Consider in the article how to plant the root parsley in a flat in a pot on the windowsill or on the balcony, than to feed when the houses are harvested.
Features of growing green house and the difference from the greenhouse or in the open field
- Parsley - very light-green. When growing it in open ground or in a greenhouse, one does not have to worry about additional lighting. In the conditions of an apartment, it is worth choosing the brightest place in the room - windows facing south will be preferable.
When growing greens at home should take care of additional lighting - this is especially important in the autumn or early spring, when the sun is low.
- You will need to carefully monitor the temperature and dry air.. Ideal for green growth - about 18 - 20 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is much higher - you need to air the room and put additional shielding from the sun.
- Soil moisture also requires more control.. In the open ground, the roots of parsley go to a considerable depth, from where they get water, and the risk of stagnant moisture is also minimal. In a box near the greens, roots may begin to rot when the soil becomes too wet, and the leaves turn yellow with insufficient irrigation.
Pouring parsley in boxes is recommended every day, in small portions, gently spraying water, ideally - using a sprayer for flowers. After each irrigation it is necessary to loosen the soil slightly.
Which varieties to choose?
There are no special varieties of parsley for growing on balconies and window sills, but when buying seeds it is worth choosing early ripening varieties - the crop at home can be collected 10-12 days earlier.
By early maturing:
- Aster.
- Green pearl.
- Beads.
On the packaging, this property of greenery will be indicated.
In later varieties, yields are higher, but the cultivation period is much longer. If there is enough time, you can plant one or two pots of early parsley for two or three pots to extend the harvest time.
When to sow and what determines the landing time?
Parsley from both seeds and roots can be grown all year round, but the best time is when the daylight becomes longer. If the seeds are planted at the end of February, fresh greens can be cut in mid-April, in a month and a half.
Winter parsley, planted in the autumn, requires even more thorough care - Mandatory additional lighting in the form of a fluorescent lamp, air moistening and watering twice a day. Under these conditions, greens, although less bright and fragrant than in summer, can rejoice even on Christmas.
Growing up on the window on the windowsill and on the balcony - is there any difference?
Growing herbs on the balcony is preferable, as there is usually more light there, and parsley grows better.
Reference! On the balcony you can install large containers in which the greens will feel more comfortable than in a small pot on the windowsill.
Instructions step by step: how to plant greens at home?
What needs to be prepared?
- A pot or drawer with holes for water to drain.
- Drainage (washed small stones, broken bricks, you can buy ready-made).
- Nutritious soil.
- Seeds.
- Watering can or sprayer for indoor plants.
If the box is large, you need a small hoe for loosening the soilIf the pot is small, you can loosen the soil with your hands. In the future, you will need ready feeding for greenery or seedlings.
Seed preparation
Since modern purchased seeds are carefully selected and have a high germination rate, in order to germinate, there is no need to clean and sort them.
The seeds collected at the cottage are preliminarily freed from small debris.
Seed essential oils inhibit their quick germination. To speed up the germination of seeds - before planting, the seeds must be wrapped in several layers of gauze, held for a few minutes under running water, preferably warm water and left in a wet cloth for a couple of days.
What is needed primer?
For the cultivation of parsley fit ready-made soil for seedlings, indoor plants or greenery. Save on the purchase of soil is not worth it - the better and more nutrient the soil will be used, the greater the growth of greenery.
If you want to prepare the perfect soil yourself, you need to buy:
- ready ground mix for flowers or seedlings;
- coconut fiber;
- sifted ashes;
- a piece of chalk;
- vermiculite;
- peat.
We mix ingredients in the ratio: 50% of the finished soil, 10% coconut fiber, 30% peat, 10% vermiculite. When mixing, add a little sifted ash and chalk - to supplement the soil and prevent its acidification in the future.
In the most extreme case, you can use the land from the country, enriched with recycled compost and other organic matter.
A prerequisite for growing greens is quality drainage. - parsley does not tolerate stagnant moisture. At the bottom of the pot or box, you need to pour a little broken bricks, stones or finished granules.
Choosing a place
We choose for the greenery the brightest place in the house. On the balcony you can put the box in any, most lit place. The apartment must choose a window on the sunny side.
If it is possible to move the box throughout the day from one window sill to another to ensure parsley as long as possible daylight hours - this is worth doing. In the evening you can turn on the fluorescent lamp. Also every two to three days the pot should be turned back to the sun.
Process description
- Seeds are planted in well-moistened soil. In a tightly packed, carefully spilled soil, it is necessary to make grooves about 1 cm deep, in which to sow the seeds - at a distance of a centimeter from each other.
- Then sprinkle the seeds with earth and using a spray gun to thoroughly but gently moisten the top layer of soil.Important! After planting before the first shoots watering is undesirable. At night, the pot must be covered with foil, in order to create the greenhouse effect, in the morning it is necessary to remove the protection in order to provide high-quality ventilation.
- So that the soil does not dry out, you need to remove the pot from the bright sun into the shade before emergence and provide additional moistening of the air in the room.
- If the soil is still dry - it should be moistened with the utmost care, with fine water dust from a flower sprayer.
We invite you to watch a video about planting parsley seeds at home:
Further care for seedlings
When too heavy seedlings need to thin out the parsley, otherwise the stems will be too thin and few leaves. The distance between the branches should be about 4 cm.- A pot with greens should be turned once every two or three days back to the sun so that the green grows evenly.
- Watering at home - daily, using a spray gun for flowers. After each watering, the soil must be slightly burst, you can sometimes “dust” the ground with dry soil from above, so that the main layer does not dry out.
- Top dressing for parsley - weekly, special fertilizers for greens, seedlings or flowers.
When too heavy seedlings need to thin out the parsley, otherwise the stems will be too thin and few leaves. The distance between the branches should be about 4 cm.Do not over-wet the soil - drainage must be of high quality. In the spring and autumn, it is advisable to use fluorescent lamps to extend the daylight for greenery and increase the green mass.
When can I cut and how to store the crop?
As soon as the branches reach a height of 10-12 cm - greens can be cut and eaten. For storage for the winter parsley can be frozen or dried.
Small portions or containers are suitable for freezing. - washed, dried greens finely cut, tightly tamped in a container and sent to the freezer. It is possible to store such preparations all the winter long.
For drying, you can use a dryer for vegetables or in a simple way - chop the greens finely, lay out on a large surface with a thin layer in the shade and stir it periodically.
Store dried parsley in a dark, dry place.in a tight-fitting jar.
We offer you to watch a video about parsley freezing:
We offer you to watch a video on drying parsley:
Possible problems
With careful care and implementation of all the above rules problems with growing greens at home should not arise. The main task is to understand whether it is possible to spray growing greens every day and provide it with sufficient lighting.
- Parsley grows poorly in the absence of the sun, and even additional light lamps solve this problem poorly. High risk and pereuvlazhit greens - if the drainage is made poorly, the roots will immediately begin to rot, and the greens will die, not having time to give a harvest.
- With dry air in an apartment or balcony, the edges of the leaves will begin to dry and turn yellow. In February-April, when the heating is working at full capacity, it is necessary to put a humidifier or air wash in the room.
- With insufficient feeding, greens grow thin and too high, with a small number of leaves, pale and weak. With regular soil enrichment, this problem is usually not.
Thus, the cultivation of parsley on the greens at home requires effort and almost daily attention. Regular watering, frequent feeding, additional lighting are necessary conditions for obtaining a rich harvest. But the result is definitely worth it - fresh, full of vitamins, fragrant greens on the table can please almost all year round!
