With some types of vegetables, it makes sense to prefer them on the warm windowsill. We'll tell you how it works.
It will be a long time before vegetables can be planted on the balcony, terrace or outdoors, because the ice saints are usually still ahead of us at the beginning of May. Frost-sensitive vegetables should therefore not be planted in the bed until mid-May. Nevertheless, you can already do some preparatory work and prefer some vegetable plants on the windowsill from February/March. In this way, the little plants have a big head start later, so that the harvest can also take place earlier.
It is generally recommended to prefer vegetables from seed. As soon as the young plants can go outdoors, they are already quite robust and less susceptible. So now you know why fronting vegetables is so good. Now we will also explain to you which types of vegetables are particularly suitable for this and how you can do this properly.
What kind of vegetables do you prefer at home?
On the windowsill, you should primarily prefer vegetables that require a lot of warmth, as they originally come from warmer climates. These are mostly tomatoes and peppers. But other Mediterranean vegetables such as aubergines, peppers, chili or zucchini also do well with a pre-cultivation indoors. But you can prefer many more types of vegetables on the windowsill, such as lettuce, herbs, cabbage or cucumbers.
The right time for sowing
When you should sow the different types of vegetables always depends on how long the growing season of the type of vegetable is. Here is a small overview of when which vegetables should be sown.
» Sow in February:
Plants with a long cultivation period include, for example, aubergines, peppers, chillies and hot peppers. You should therefore sow them in seed pots from the beginning of February. Lettuce, celery, leeks and kohlrabi can follow from mid-February. The same goes for some herbs like chervil, parsley, basil and dill.
» Sow in March:
You should then start cultivating most types of vegetables on the windowsill from March, as they are essentialgrow faster than the aforementioned varieties. Tomatoes are usually the first, and all types of cabbage are put on the windowsill from the beginning of March. For courgettes and cucumbers, wait until the end of the month.
Instructions for growing on the windowsill
To grow vegetables on the window sill, you need small pots (there are special ones available in stores for growing them) and good seed or growing soil so that the plants are supplied with all the nutrients they need. And of course you also need vegetable seeds. Once you have everything you need, you can start.
Step 1: Fill the growing soil into the growing container
If you have provided the required accessories, first fill the potting soil into the pots.
Step 2: Put the seeds in the potting soil
Now take the seed bags and place the seeds in the seed pots. For bags with small seeds, simply tear off a corner of the bag and then sprinkle small amounts of the seeds on the soil with tapping movements. On the other hand, you can simply sprinkle large seeds in your hand and distribute them.
You should then press the fine seeds very carefully into the ground. Larger grains, on the other hand, should always be covered with a very thin layer of soil.
Step 3: Keep seeds moist
In order for the seeds to germinate optimally, you have to keep the soil nice and moist. Then spray the soil lightly with water and cover with a transparent plastic bag, cling film or a pane of glass. In addition, you should now place the seed pots in a room that is nice and warm.
Important: Always make sure that the soil stays nice and moist. So spray with water from time to time and cover again.
Step 4: transplant young plants
When the first true leaves form between the cotyledons, you need to separate the plants (this is also called transplanting). The best way to separate them is with a special pricking stick. You then have to place the seedlings individually in larger pots. Carefully press the roots into the ground.
Once that's done, all you have to do is water the young plants and place them in a warm and bright place. The plants can then remain there until it is time to plant them outdoors.