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Growing radishes on a windowsill in winter is possible for beginners if you make the effort. The plant is unpretentious, grows rapidly, you can harvest almost all year round.
Is it possible to grow radishes on a windowsill or on a balcony in winter
The culture is unpretentious in care, therefore, with its proper organization, it is possible to obtain a fresh harvest of radishes in winter.
The maximum amount of a vegetable grown in winter can be obtained by planting it in a heated greenhouse. In the absence of conditions, radishes successfully grow at home: on a windowsill or balcony.
Conditions for growing vegetables in winter:
- ambient temperature 10-16 ° C, but radish tolerates frosts down to -5 ° C;
- air humidity up to 65%;
- providing artificial or natural lighting for several hours a day.
The general principles of caring for radishes grown in winter are watering, loosening the soil, feeding with nutrients in case of insufficient growth.
Is it possible to grow radishes on the windowsill in spring
In the absence of conditions for cultivating a vegetable in the garden, it is possible to harvest at home. You can plant any radish on the windowsill, but there are varieties that give the maximum amount of yield.
Varieties of radish for growing on a balcony or at home
The main requirements for a cultivated plant at home are precocity, high yields, and resistance to adverse conditions.
For growing radishes at home on the windowsill, varieties are used:
- Champion: the species is early ripe, has good taste, retains the elasticity of the pulp for a long time. The fruits are round, slightly elongated, reaching 20 g in weight. When planting a variety in winter, it is recommended to use loose and fertile soils. Seeds germinate at a temperature of 16-18 °C.
- french breakfast: the period from planting to harvest is 21-25 days. The fruits grown in winter are characterized by a cylindrical shape, pink skin and white, juicy flesh. The mass of one radish reaches 15-20 g. The optimal time for sowing is mid-April and August;
- Radishes 16 days: fruits are rounded, red in color, with juicy pulp. They are not prone to flashing and cracking. For a summer harvest, sowing is done in April, and autumn-winter root crops can be harvested if radishes are planted in July. The variety is ultra-early ripe: the period from sowing to harvesting vegetables is 16 days.
It is possible to grow radishes at home in winter from varieties such as Zarya, Rudolf, Gusar or Zhara.
How to grow radishes on the windowsill in the apartment
One of the main requirements is the presence of a heated room. Radishes at home are grown in winter on any convenient surface to which the sun’s rays penetrate: a balcony, window sill or table.
Most often, glazed loggias are used for cultivating vegetables. The best option is the location of the balcony on the south side, where there is enough light. Radishes grown in winter in the northern part of the house ripen smaller and get sick more often.
The advantages of growing radishes on the windowsill of a balcony in winter: access to fresh air for seedlings, the availability of the necessary space for work, the possibility of increasing the ambient temperature due to the heating system.
Recommended dates
In its natural environment, the culture grows well from the second half of February to May. For growing radishes from seeds on a windowsill in winter, it is recommended to give preference to early or ultra-early varieties. To harvest, you can plant them in the second half of January on the windowsill on the south side. It is allowed to grow a plant on the western and eastern windows from the second half of February.
If it is necessary to obtain a year-round crop, sowing in winter can be done every two weeks. When all the necessary conditions are provided, the cultivation of root crops is not difficult: they ripen evenly, in accordance with the timing.
Selection of containers and soil preparation
As containers for seedlings for growing plants in winter, you can use any container. The best option is wooden boxes with pallets, 15 cm high and a width equal to the width of the window sill.
Convenient to use and widely available in the sale of plastic containers with ventilation holes. The size of one cell must be at least 5 * 5 cm.
Radishes at home on the windowsill are grown in winter in egg cells, plastic glasses and even plates. It is important to provide drainage holes and build pallets.
The selected container for growing the plant must be washed well with soda and dried, then filled with soil by 2/3. Radish prefers fertile land, so it is recommended to purchase a soil mixture in stores designed for growing cucumbers and tomatoes.
Soil options:
- In proportions 2:2:2:1, garden and forest land, sand are mixed. To achieve uniformity, the soil mixture is mixed and sieved.
- For 1 bucket of soil from the garden, add 1 cup of ash and half of the crushed eggshell.
- In equal quantities, it is necessary to combine earth and peat.
Self-made soil mixture for growing in winter is treated from insects and pests: it is shed with a solution of potassium permanganate or steamed.
When re-planting seeds in the same containers, the soil must first be fertilized or the soil in the boxes should be changed.
How to germinate radish seeds at home
Getting a good harvest in winter is possible both from purchased seed, and from self-harvested. To grow radishes at home on a windowsill, you must use fresh seeds for sowing. They are characterized by brown color and integrity. As a test for germination, they are placed in a container of water. When it enters the liquid, the bad seed will settle to the bottom, while the good seed will float.
Before sowing, the seeds are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, damaged samples are removed.
How to plant radishes at home on the windowsill
After preparing the container, soil and seeds, they begin the planting procedure: the container is filled with soil, which is moistened with water. With a dive stick or other improvised means, it is necessary to make holes at a distance of 5 * 5 cm and a depth of 1,5-2 cm.
One seed is placed in each of them with tweezers and then moistened with a spray gun so that the soil is compacted.
At the end of the procedure, the container is covered with glass or film and transferred to the windowsill until shoots appear.
It is necessary to remove the shelter from the container 6-8 days after planting, then move the container with seedlings to a cooler place with a temperature of 8 ° C for 3-4 days. This procedure allows the plant to become more resistant to adverse external factors. At the end of hardening, the container is returned to its original place.
As an alternative planting method, you can grow radishes at home using egg trays:
- a hole is cut in each compartment, then the cassette is placed in a balcony box, pre-filled with earth;
- the soil is moistened, and then one seed is placed in each cell and lightly sprinkled with earth;
- at the end of the procedure, it is recommended to cover the box with cling film.
How to grow radishes on a windowsill
Step-by-step cultivation of radishes on the balcony consists in observing the rules of agricultural technology: timely watering, loosening, feeding and creating conditions.
Creating an optimal microclimate
The temperature regime is very important for the successful cultivation of radishes in winter. Room air temperature is not suitable for the culture: the plant is stretched and twisted, root crops that are cultivated in winter ripen flabby and with poor taste.
Placing boxes with radishes next to the batteries is impractical: not only heat comes from central heating radiators, but also dry air, which prevents the seedlings from growing normally.
The optimal conditions for germination are + 1-2 °С, but it is most comfortable for the plant to form root crops at an ambient temperature of + 16-18 °С. During the growth of seedlings, the air in the room is recommended to warm up to + 6-8 °C.
Natural lighting of radish when grown in winter is not enough, so the lack of sunlight is made up by artificial means. To do this, use fluorescent lamps, which are placed near the boxes with landings.
It is recommended to periodically rotate the boxes so that the seedlings are evenly lit and develop.
How many times to water radishes at home
Moisturizing the soil is recommended to be carried out regularly as needed. As it dries, water is sprayed over the soil surface using a spray gun, excluding its contact with leaf plates. Excessive moisture leads to rotting of the roots, therefore, the next day after the procedure, it is recommended to loosen the soil, spud the radish.
The culture does not need additional feeding, which makes it possible to obtain environmentally friendly products. If desired, you can periodically add compost mixed with ash to the soil.
Thinning
When growing a crop in winter in a common box, it must be thinned out. The procedure is required to be carried out when the plant has 2-3 leaves. Weak seedlings are removed, leaving only strong specimens. Between plants should be kept at least 1,5 cm.
Harvesting
Ripe root crops are suitable for use. It is important not to overexpose them in the ground so that they do not crack and lose their taste. It is possible to carry out selective harvesting when growing radishes in winter, but it is necessary to carry out the procedure carefully so as not to damage nearby plants.
After removing the root crop from the ground, the tops are cut off, and the radish itself is washed, then used for its intended purpose. Long-term storage of the harvested crop is not possible.
How to get radish seeds at home
When growing a root crop in winter, you can get not only a crop, but also seeds. Self-collection of seed allows you to be confident in your variety.
The nuances of obtaining radish seeds:
- the plant has a cross-pollination method, so the flowering bush is placed away from other varieties;
- it is impossible to obtain good seeds when trying to collect them from hybrid representatives of radish (the purity of the species is not preserved when trying to grow again).
Self-collection of seed is a guarantee of its germination at the next planting. The success of the event depends on compliance with the algorithm of the procedure.
Initially, you should decide on the collection method (transfer or direct). The second involves continuing to grow the plant in winter after the end of the harvest season.
With the transplant method, the largest root crops are selected. The tops must be cut off, the root also shortened to 3-4 cm. After that, the radish is transplanted and grown in a separate container, providing good watering.
When determining the required number of queen cells, it is important to take into account that it is realistic to get up to 15 g of seeds from one plant. About half a glass of seed is obtained if 10-15 fruits are planted. This amount is enough to provide a family with radishes for the whole year.
When planting root crops on seeds, they are grown in such a way that a distance of 40 cm is maintained between them: as the plant grows, the bush grows.
Care for radishes grown for seeds consists in timely watering, loosening. 2 weeks after planting, the culture is fed with organic fertilizers.
As the queen cells grow, arrows form on them, and then flowers and beans with seeds appear.
The seed is ready for harvest when the pods have turned yellow. After that, the bushes are completely cut off and left in limbo in a ventilated room until the testicles are completely dry. The duration of the process is 2-3 weeks.
The dried pods are removed and the beans are removed from them, which are rubbed with the hands. The resulting mixture is poured with water. Viable seeds will settle to the bottom, all other debris must be removed. The collected material is dried naturally and packed in cardboard boxes or canvas bags.
Pests and diseases
Growing radishes in winter helps to prevent the attack of many pests. Among the diseases that can affect a plant are keel, bacteriosis or black leg.
The development of diseases is one of the reasons why the process of growing radishes is difficult. Kila is a fungal disease. It manifests itself in the process of growing a root crop with spindle-shaped or spherical growths on it. At the initial stages, they are poorly distinguishable, but as they develop, they change color from pink to brown, which indicates the beginning of the process of decay.
A symptom of bacteriosis is the blackening of the veins on the leaf plates, which leads to their yellowing and death. The leaves are deformed and change color, turning black at the base with a black leg in radishes.
As a preventive measure, it is enough to treat the soil in containers with fungicides or a solution of potassium permanganate before starting to grow a crop.
Conclusion
Trying to grow radishes on a windowsill in the winter for beginners is not only one way to try your hand at gardening, but to provide the family with fresh herbs. The culture is rich in vitamins, unpretentious in care, it can be grown year-round.
