Plant this on the balcony and save money easily and healthily

In an urban life surrounded by steel and concrete, the only way to satisfy the desire to grow vegetables at home is to occupy a garden, a small courtyard, or a rooftop? Of course not! Even if you don’t have a balcony, a windowsill farm can allow you to enjoy the joy of self-sufficiency!

1How to choose vegetables when the balcony faces different directions?

South-facing balcony: full of sunlight, plenty of sunshine, and good ventilation, it is the ideal balcony for growing vegetables. Optional: cucumber, bitter gourd, tomato, green beans, day lily, mustard greens, zucchini, green pepper, lettuce, leek, etc.

East-facing and west-facing balconies: semi-sunlight, suitable for growing light-loving and shade-tolerant vegetables, such as onions, lettuce, rapeseed, leeks, loofah, coriander, radish, etc.

North-facing balcony: There is almost no sunlight throughout the day, so you can only choose shade-tolerant vegetables: water spinach, wood ear vegetable, dandelion, asparagus, lettuce, etc.

2Beginners, what dishes to choose?

Beginners can choose vegetables that are easy to plant or grow fast. Vegetables like rapeseed and lettuce can be planted all year round, grow quickly, and can be harvested in about 5 or 6 weeks. However, plants like bitter melon, ginger, and onion have strong adaptability and special taste. Insects do not like to approach them, so less pesticides and chemical fertilizers are used.

3. What container to use

In addition to flower pots and flower troughs, many objects in life can be reused after modification, such as: plastic basins, barrels, wooden boxes, plastic boxes, tin boxes, jars, food cans, and even bathtubs, tires, sacks, and barbecue trays. Remember to use black in containers with caution, as black absorbs heat and can damage plant roots. No matter what container you use, it must have drainage holes. You can drill several drainage holes with a diameter of 0.5~1cm evenly at the bottom.

Tips

Common vegetables can be placed in: basins, buckets, boxes, jars, baskets, pots

Tuber vegetables such as potatoes can be used: bag

Onions, leeks, garlic sprouts, etc. can be used: baking tray

4 What to do before sowing

Disinfection: Some seeds may carry bacteria, so it is best to perform simple disinfection before sowing. Soak the seeds in 60° hot water for 15 minutes, then lower the water temperature to 30°, continue soaking for three or four hours, take out and dry.

Germination: Whether to germinate depends on the condition of the seeds. The seeds of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, etc. germinate slowly and can be accelerated. Soak the seeds before germination, 1 to 2 hours for cucumbers, 3 to 4 hours for peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes (including the time for seed disinfection and soaking). Place a few layers of absorbent paper in the container, soak it with clean water, place the seeds in the container, and place it in an environment of 28-30℃ for 1-5 days until the seeds germinate and turn white, then you can sow them.

5Sowing seeds!

Sow the seeds in a container of appropriate size and cover them with 0.5~1cm deep soil. Remember not to sow the seeds too deep, otherwise they will not germinate. Suitable temperature, sufficient water and oxygen are the three elements for seed germination. Place the container in a warm, well-ventilated place and water it appropriately (for most vegetable species, watering once a day is appropriate).

6 When the seedlings grow up, they need to be repotted

When the seedlings grow to a certain size, they must be moved to other containers in time. Be careful not to damage the tender roots of the seedlings when transplanting. You can water the soil thoroughly before digging the seedlings so that the roots are covered with more soil and the survival rate is increased. Generally, leafy vegetables should be planted at a depth that does not bury the lowest leaves, otherwise they will easily rot.

7Harvest!

The happiest moment is the harvest time, from small seeds to lush green leaves, pick them quickly.

It is best to harvest vegetables in the evening because the nitrate-nitrogen content in vegetables is lowest in the evening.

When harvesting rapeseed, leeks, etc., just pick the leaves. There is no need to pull up the whole plant. After a period of time, young leaves will grow again. When harvesting onions, leave two or three roots in the soil instead of pulling up the whole plant. This way they will continue to sprout and grow.