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For those who like to garden at home and get fresh herbs for the table in winter, growing chives on a windowsill may be of interest. The culture is unpretentious, does not require much attention, quickly grows green mass, so it can increasingly be seen in ordinary apartments when there is winter cold outside.
Chives can be grown at home as an ornamental plant.
Varieties of chives for growing at home in a pot
For culinary purposes, greens are used, which are cut as they grow. The feathers are tender, juicy, without bitterness. The pungency of taste depends on the variety. When growing on a windowsill, choose chives that are most resistant to lack of lighting.
Bohemia
The variety was obtained by Czech breeders at Agrofirma Moravoseed. The foliage is dark green with a waxy coating, awl-shaped, tubular, hollow inside, reaches a length of 45-50 cm. From the first shoots to cutting it takes 2-3 weeks. The taste is mildly spicy.
Bohemia chives are disease resistant
Honey plant
A perennial variety of chives with a semi-sharp taste. The foliage is dense, tubular, 20 cm high.Growing on a windowsill takes 20 days. The variety is cold-resistant and can be cut several times a season.
Honey chives are used both fresh and for preparing hot dishes.
Sage
The Sage variety was developed by the Russian agricultural holding Poisk and is grown in many regions of the country. Refers to high-yielding, early ripening. The collection of greens begins 20 days after germination. The leaves are thin, green, with a slightly pungent taste. The bush is perennial and can produce greenery for five years.
Sage chives can be added to salads, dried, frozen
Chemal
The variety was obtained at the Siberian Research Institute of Plant Growing and has been approved for cultivation in the Russian Federation since 1991. The foliage is green, the length of the feather is about 50 cm. The taste is pungent. When grown on a windowsill, you can get up to 200 g of greens from one plant.
Chemal chives are moderately resistant to powdery mildew
Lilac ringing
An unpretentious mid-season variety. About 20 days pass from germination to the first cutting. The foliage is narrow, tubular. The taste is mildly spicy.
Lilac ringing chives grow quickly and form a large bush
How to grow chives in a pot on a windowsill
Growing greens and obtaining tasty, aromatic, vitamin-rich foliage is possible all year round. Chives at home on the windowsill grow quickly and give an excellent harvest in the shortest possible time. Any housewife can cope with the task, since the process is simple but interesting. The best place for growing is a window facing west, south or east.
Selection and preparation of containers
Large pots are not required for sowing; small containers are quite suitable, since the root system is shallow. Seedlings produce short roots, they intertwine and form turf. The underground part of the onion is no more than 5 cm.The optimal shape of containers is wide containers with holes in the bottom. They should be placed on the windowsill in a tray to collect excess water.
The surface of the container for growing chives is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. A drainage layer with a thickness of at least 2 cm is poured onto the bottom. Expanded clay, small pebbles or polystyrene are used, and nutrient soil is placed on top.
Seed preparation
Onion seeds can be planted dry, but in order for the shoots to appear faster and be friendly, they are processed. They act according to the algorithm:
- Add three drops of growth stimulator (Epin) to 100 ml of water.
- Soak onion seeds in the solution for a day.
- Those that have sunk to the bottom are selected.
- Place them for 30 minutes in a pink solution of potassium permanganate.
- Wash in running water.
- Dry on a napkin for 2-3 hours and sow.
Seeds do not lose their viability for two years after collection
Sowing onions
You can grow chives on a windowsill not only in winter, but all year round. In cold weather, containers are placed in the apartment, in warm weather - on a balcony or loggia.
Drainage is poured into the bottom of the prepared boxes, then the soil mixture is leveled and moistened. The upper border of the soil should not reach the edge of the container by 3-5 cm. Make grooves 1.5 cm deep at intervals of 4-5 cm. Chives seeds are laid on the bottom. After sprinkling with earth, moisten the soil again, cover the top with film and transfer to a warm place (+24 ⁰C).
Caring for chives in a pot
Chives sprout quite quickly, so you need to constantly check the condition of the crops and periodically ventilate them so that moisture and condensation do not accumulate on the film. After the first shoots appear, the shelter is removed and the container is transferred to the windowsill, where the temperature is lower and the light is better. If seedlings are frequent, they are thinned out, leaving the most powerful ones for further cultivation at a distance of 5 cm from each other.
Temperature and lighting
To grow chives on a windowsill, you need to provide them with at least 12 hours of daylight. If necessary, the crops are illuminated using special phytolamps or ordinary lamps. From March to September, chives benefit from natural light on the windowsill.
For the full development of plants, it is necessary to maintain the air temperature at 18-22 ⁰C. If it falls below 15 ⁰С or rises above +30 ⁰С, the growing season is suspended.
Top dressing
Growing chives on a windowsill is impossible without additional fertilizing. In order for greens to grow quickly, be juicy and aromatic, they need nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Fertilizer is applied for the first time two weeks after sowing. For this purpose, 10 g of ammonium nitrate, 7 g of potassium chloride and 15 g of superphosphate are dissolved in 3 liters of water and watered the soil. After 20 days, apply a second fertilizing, increasing the dose of superphosphate by half.
An infusion of wood ash can be used as a fertilizer. It is crushed, sifted and 50 g of powder is diluted in 1 liter of water. The frequency of treatments is twice a month.
Nitrogen is needed for chives to form feathers, phosphorus is responsible for heat resistance, potassium affects the taste
Watering
One of the most important points in caring for chives when growing on a windowsill is watering and maintaining optimal air humidity. The soil should not dry out, otherwise the greens will stop growing, become hard, coarse, and taste too pungent. With excessive watering, there is a high probability of soil waterlogging, root rotting, and the development of fungal diseases. In addition to moistening the soil, you should spray the plants daily with a spray bottle. By placing a small reservoir of water next to the crops, they maintain optimal humidity in the room - 70%.
Harvesting
Chives are very productive, especially if you follow the rules of care, timely watering and fertilizing. A week after sowing, the first shoots appear, which quickly grow and develop. The foliage is cut for the first time at the age of two months, when it reaches a height of 25-30 cm. During the year, the feather is harvested at least four times. The green mass is quickly restored and after a month and a half reaches its previous length.
To harvest onions, you need sharp scissors. Before use, they are treated with a disinfectant solution. Select the longest feathers, take them in your hand and cut them off, leaving stubs 1-2 cm high. The flowers are also edible. They are used to decorate dishes and added to salads.
Chives flowers have a specific taste, unlike their greens.
Conclusion
Growing chives on a windowsill is a simple and fun activity for those who love and are interested in plants. It can be used as an ornamental crop or used in cooking. In any case, by devoting very little time, it is quite possible to get greens in winter, rich in vitamins and giving ordinary dishes a unique taste.
