Watercress salad on the windowsill. Watercress salad: how to grow delicious greens at home

There are a great many types of salads, but many varieties are especially revered in the cuisines of the world. Watercress is one of the most popular salads because it combines many positive properties starting from unique taste and aroma and ending with the simplicity of agricultural technology. Moreover, it should be noted that watercress, which is often grown outdoors, grows well at home, even on the windowsill of an ordinary city apartment.

The plant is considered one of the most unpretentious, and to such an extent that in order to grow it at home, you do not have to prepare any specific soil or look for any specific varieties. Even more than that, it is best to experiment with several varieties and settle on a more suitable one. With soil, everything is much simpler, and so much so that some experienced gardeners plant lettuce seeds with other crops, for example, growing, or with moisture-loving home flowers.

You can grow greens at home in any container up to 50 mm high.

To prepare for planting, you need to decide exactly how the salad will grow, since there are several options for planting:

• in the soil mixture;
• in a cotton-gauze base;
• in a combination base.

In the first case, for growing lettuce at home, you can take any soil that is fertile or that you can get. But keep in mind that specialized soil mix from the store will be the most suitable, the least - the earth that you dug up next to the road or in the playground. In principle, you can compromise and take the soil from your garden plot, after removing all the weeds from it.

In the second case, cotton wool wrapped in gauze is used as the base. Naturally, both cotton wool and gauze should be from a pharmacy, and the density of the latter should be sufficient for long-term use.

Video about growing cress at home

The third case implies a certain " layered cake”, which includes (from bottom to top) drainage in the form of a sand-gravel mixture, a cotton-gauze layer, fertile soil mixture. Drainage needed to remove excess water, the cotton-gauze layer will retain the required amount of moisture, and the soil will provide the plant with microelements. Exactly combined method suitable for those who have no experience at all in growing plants either on the windowsill or in the garden, as it will practically not give a chance to ruin the greens.

You can grow greens at home in any container up to 50 mm high, since the base layer does not exceed 30-40 mm. However, it is worth remembering that a height of 40 mm is required for a combined base, and 30 mm will be enough for a cotton-gauze base. This is due to the fact that the plant itself is small, and its root system is quite compact.

Planting seeds of watercress at home is done with seeds immediately at the base, without any pre-treatment. However, the landing method varies somewhat depending on the top filling. For a combination or soil base, simply scatter the seeds and cover them lightly with soil. But if the base is cotton-gauze, then the seeds are scattered only over the cotton wool, and only then they are covered with gauze on top. It is believed that even in this case it is necessary to cover the seeds with nutrient soil, but this will not bring practical benefits.

Before planting, the base is watered abundantly. Immediately after disembarkation, it is sprayed from a spray bottle. In no case should you water with a stream, since a stream of water can wash out the newly planted seeds. It is also important to keep in mind that you do not need to make the seeds "float". The base must be damp, but not overflowing.

Immediately after disembarkation, it is sprayed from a spray bottle

After planting has been carried out, the watercress container is removed to a shaded cool (6-8 degrees Celsius) place, as this, on the one hand, will prevent excessive evaporation of moisture and, on the other hand, will not cause seed rotting or the appearance of fungal infections. , mildew.

It is especially important to keep at home temperature regime if the soil was taken on a personal plot, or the landing is made in a cotton-gauze base.

The temperature rises to room temperature only when the first leaves appear. However, you should not put a container on the battery either, it is best to maintain the mode within +15 ... +18 gr. Celsius.

Video on how to sow seeds and grow them

plant care

To grow delicious greens, having created, it is necessary to take care of it, which comes down to a few simple rules.

• Watering

Watering should be regular and plentiful, as the plant is moisture-loving and does not tolerate the lack of water. Perhaps a failure in watering is one of the few things that can instantly destroy a culture. Watering is best from a spray bottle, washing the foliage - then the greens will be especially tender and fragrant. Constant humidity in the room will also be important, because when it fluctuates, the foliage may begin to taste bitter, or even inflorescences will form.

• Light mode

Watercress loves shady areas, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need light. It is best to grow it on a windowsill or in a loggia on the north side, hiding the plant from direct sunlight, which is detrimental to foliage. IN winter time or in the conditions of a polar night, you can replace natural lighting with any artificial one, and even LED strips with a warm glow temperature will do. It is also important to remember that the source of additional illumination should be moved away from the plant by 300-400 mm to prevent thermal damage to the leaves. In no case should you use halogen lamps, as they can burn the plant. The container should be constantly tucked up so that growth does not go into stretching the stems, but into straightening the foliage.

• Temperature

Watercress does not tolerate heat very well. Therefore, in summer it is allowed to grow it on windowsills facing the north side, and in winter - away from heating appliances and batteries. Minimum suitable temperature will be +15 degrees Celsius, maximum - +20 degrees Celsius, optimal - +18.

Video about growing lettuce on the windowsill

Harvesting

The crop is harvested immediately before consumption, in small portions, since cress salad is practically not stored - it quickly fades, loses its taste. It must be cut off with ordinary scissors, and no later than a week after the foliage appears. This is due to the fact that the greens begin to quickly lose their taste, it becomes rough and can even give bitterness. When harvesting, only leaves with a minimum stem length can be cut, since the latter has practically no taste or aroma.

Video about the garden on the windowsill

In order for the crop to be regularly available, you can pick up a salad by variety, or sow it once a week. If you choose planting by variety, you can choose the following combination:

• flagman variety. Reaches maturity in 12-17 days from the moment of germination;
• cultivar Piquant. Reaches economic suitability in 15-20 days from shoots;
• Fun variety. Technically mature in 20-30 days after germination;
• variety Accord. Ready for use in 25-35 days from the moment of germination;
• Dukat variety. Grows in 18 days from the moment of emergence of shoots.

For constant overseeding, especially in winter, the Temp variety is ideal, which reaches technical maturity in 18-23 days.

In the cold season, in order not to get bored with country affairs, you can start growing a mini-garden on the windowsill.

Watercress is probably the most unpretentious and fastest growing plant of the entire lettuce family. In addition, its tart, spicy aroma will remind you of summer, and vitamins will help you survive the long cold winters.

Growing methods

Traditional ways of growing herbs - dill, parsley, basil, marjoram and even root vegetables, on the windowsills, until some time were ordinary containers with earth, but this is not very convenient. In addition, plants grow more slowly in them, although this is possible from a lack of daylight in winter.

However, greens, and especially our watercress, can be grown without fussing with containers, soil and watering.

Method 1 Tea strainer

This method is convenient in that you do not need to look for a container and soil for planting. No need to take care of watering, and the seeds germinate very quickly. literally a week later, the salad can already be eaten.

So, we need:

• lettuce seeds,
• tea strainer,
• water cup,

We pour the seeds into a strainer and carefully, through the same strainer, pour in warm 30 ° C water so that the seeds wake up and start growing. We place the cup on the windowsill and... start counting the days:

As you can see, the three-day result is not very bad, another 4 days and the salad is ready to eat.

If you want to eat a serving per day of such a salad, purchase 7-8 strainers, respectively, and sow the seeds every day one after another. Thus you sow the last, and the first can already be eaten. Do I need to say how useful it is.

Moreover, watercress does not have to be added somewhere in the dishes, it can be put in a cup directly with the roots, because they are not soiled with earth, pour lightly olive oil and sprinkle a little lemon juice. There is hardly a healthier and healthy food in winter time.

Method 2 Container

Growing watercress in a container lined with damp gauze is nothing new. After all, we often germinate seeds for seedlings in the spring. The method is a bit inconvenient in that you need a lot of seeds at once.

However, in this version, the seeds also grow quite quickly.

Filler experiment

Each of the 2 above methods has both its advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, we will conduct an experiment on the subject of the optimal option, namely, we will combine them. From the first we take a small portion size, from the second we take a container, i.e. a container.

Agree, buying 7 - 8 tea strainers is absolutely not appropriate, but taking 7 - 8 small containers is quite acceptable. The essence of the experiment is how to fill the containers, so that the seeds would be comfortable and they would germinate faster.

So, we take 4 containers and experiment with the filler.

• The first is water
• The second is water and cotton wool at the bottom.
• The third is water with the addition of soil,
• The fourth is cotton wool and soil with water.

As you can see in the photo in the first container, the seeds floated to the surface and huddled together. In the second and fourth, they are evenly distributed and feel comfortable. In 3, the seeds are also in an almost floating state.

And now the result after 3 days: as you can see, the seeds grow faster in 2 and 4 containers.

Conclusion - for faster growth, plants still need support for the root system, so in 2 and 4 containers, the roots hold onto a layer of cotton wool. And since there is also a nutritious soil layer in 4, the growth of watercress is faster.

This is how you can easily grow watercress on the windowsill quickly and without much hassle.

site Ideas for giving

Watercress is one of the oldest herbaceous plants which is more than 2 thousand years old. His popularity is so high long time for two reasons: the first is unpretentiousness in cultivation and care; the second is the richest vitamin complex which he possesses. In winter, growing watercress on the window makes it possible to compensate for the lack of vitamins in all family members. Rapid growth is another undeniable advantage of such a useful plant.

History of Watercress Cultivation

Watercress has longest history. The Persians were the first to use it as food, spreading the plant throughout Rome, Egypt and Ancient Greece. Ancient healers believed that watercress leaves brought dying people back to life, and patients suffering from a serious protracted illness were cured faster, fully restoring their health. Modern physicians and scientists agree with their colleagues from antiquity: watercress really has such an extensive range useful substances that its regular use in food significantly increases immunity.

Watercress is not only good for fresh but also as a seasoning for dishes

In Egypt, watercress was a favorite spice of the pharaohs, and the Persians began to use it for food long before the advent of bread.

The first Europeans to appreciate watercress were the French and Germans (8th century). It is thanks to them that this plant has become popular throughout Europe. Now watercress is grown all 12 months in different countries world not only in industrial scale, but also in living conditions- on the windowsill.

Watercress on the windowsill - it's simple and practical

Varieties of watercress

In total, there are three variety forms of watercress: whole-leaved, curly, sowing. They differ from each other in ripening time, leaf shape and taste.

Varieties of watercress differ from each other in the form of leaves

Whole-leaf watercress is ideal for outdoor cultivation. These are late-ripening varieties with a large horizontal rosette.

Table: variety form Whole-leaved

Variety form	Variety	Variety Description
whole leaf	Ducat	Very early variety. From germination to technical ripeness (beginning of stalking) 16-18 days. Rosette of leaves 8–15 cm high, 15–25 cm in diameter, number of leaves 8–18. The leaf is large, light green. Taste qualities excellent: green, delicate, smooth leaves have a pleasant sharp mustard flavor.
	broad-leaved	The variety is early maturing. The period from germination to the beginning of economic suitability is 30–38 days. Differs in very fast growth. The leaf plate is tender, green, with a spicy spicy taste, 10–12 cm high. fresh leaves used as herbs, seasonings for soups and gravies. They are added to vegetable salads, to meat and fish dishes, snacks.

Whole-leaf watercress has a savory, spicy flavor

Curly watercress is an early maturing plant that has rugged leaves. Varieties belonging to this variety form are ideal for growing winter greens indoors.

Table: variety form Curly

Variety form	Variety	Variety Description
Curly	Openwork	Medium early variety. The growing season from germination to economic suitability is 20–30 days. Rosette raised, 18–25 cm high, 20–30 cm in diameter with light green leaves. Watercress can be grown outdoors, in heated greenhouses and at home.
	Curly	Mid-early variety, from full germination to technical maturity (beginning of stalking) 32–45 days. The rosette of leaves is raised, 18–22 cm high, 15–20 cm in diameter, the number of leaves is 12–18. The leaves are large, dissected, light green. Young shoots and basal leaves at the beginning of shooting are used for food. The shoots, which have a pleasant spicy mustard flavor, are added to salads, sandwiches, used as a seasoning for soups and meat.
	curly cress	From full germination to technical ripeness (beginning of stalking) 32-45 days. A rosette of leaves up to 25 cm high. It belongs to mid-early varieties.

Curly watercress grows fast and has a tangy mustard flavor.

Sowing watercress in the form of leaves is something between whole-leaved and curly. The varieties have a large rosette, half raised, and the shape of the leaves is slightly dissected.

Table: variety form Sowing

Variety form	Variety	Variety Description
Sowing	Fun	Early ripe (25–30 days) variety for growing in open and protected ground, as well as on window sills. The socket is raised, 20–30 cm high, 8–10 cm in diameter. The leaves are green, tender, slightly spicy taste, resemble horseradish. Used fresh in salads and as a condiment.
	Danish	Super early ripening (from full germination to technical maturity 10-14 days) cold-resistant variety of European selection, ideal for quick receipt fresh greenery in winter and early spring. The rosette of leaves is semi-raised. The leaves are soft, light green. The taste is sharp, spicy. Culture is valued for high content vitamins (including vitamin C), iron salts, iodine and potassium.
	angustifolia	Forms a crop in 15-20 days from the moment of sowing. It grows well both in open ground and in a pot on a windowsill from late autumn to early spring. The mass of one plant is up to 30 g. Productivity is 0.4–0.5 kg / m 2. fresh greens pleasant tart taste, with a rich vitamin and mineral complex, is widely used in cooking.
	Curled	An excellent plant for getting vitamin greens at home all year round. Early ripe high-yielding variety. From germination to the beginning of economic suitability 15-17 days. Technical maturity occurs in 30 days. The taste is sharp, mustard.

Seed watercress is suitable for growing on a windowsill

Landing Rules

Watercress can be successfully grown not only in the beds, but also in a bowl on the window. Planting, growing and care is so simple that any independent child can handle it.

Watercress on the windowsill is not only healthy, but also beautiful

Soil selection

Watercress is one of the most unpretentious plants that grows literally in any soil and even without it. "Window window" gardeners grow this appetizing greens on ordinary medical cotton wool or food paper napkins. Experiments were carried out on growing plants in different conditions:

• earth with water;
• cotton wool;
• just water;
• cotton wool, sprinkled with water and sprinkled with earth.

Lettuce grew best in the last planting mix.

Watercress grows on any soil and even without it.

Lettuce also grows well in ordinary medium-moist soil, but soil must be purchased at gardening stores. If you take the earth from the garden, it is likely that it may contain cruciferous flea eggs - thunderstorms of all plants belonging to the cabbage family. And watercress is also one of them.

If you plan to sow this plant in the garden, then choose the beds where potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and other root crops grew. It is impossible to sow watercress after any cabbage crops.

Preparing seeds for planting

Planting any plant begins not only with the preparation of the soil, but also with the seeds. In watercress, they are quite large, but appearance similar to mustard, but oblong.

Watercress seeds are large and easy to sow

In order for watercress seeds to swell and hatch quickly, they must be placed in any small container, filled with water, which should barely cover the planting material. In this state, they are left for 11-15 hours.

When is the best time to sow watercress?

In an apartment, a plant can be grown almost all year round. Most best time for this - the cold months, since watercress belongs to the cold-loving plants, for which optimum temperature is +15°C. In summer, such conditions are difficult to provide. And with more high temperatures seedlings quickly stretch, turn pale and lie down.

Watercress belongs to cold-loving plants and feels great at a temperature of +15°C.

IN open ground seeds are sown either before winter or in early spring, as soon as the soil has thawed. Even the first, most tender shoots of watercress are not afraid of frosts down to -5°C. He, along with parsley, rises first in the garden. This is a fast growing crop that outgrows and arrows (throws color). Therefore, in order to provide yourself with constantly fresh watercress, it is planted in regular undersowing with a difference of two weeks.

Watercress in the garden appears one of the first

How to grow watercress

Growing watercress is the simplest and easiest thing to do. With a minimum of effort, the gardener will be able to enjoy pleasant spicy greens all year round.

Growing on a windowsill in the ground

The traditional cultivation of watercress in a flower pot is most common among lovers of this plant. Sowing seeds can be started from the second half of September. By this period, the sultry heat goes away and does not threaten watercress with rapid stretching and lodging.

On the 12-14th day, fresh herbs can be used as food.

An important point: watercress does not like direct sunlight, so you should choose a place for growing it on the north side of the house. Best of all - a glazed balcony on the north side. Here, seedlings will feel good at all stages of development, up to harvest.

The scheme of planting watercress in the ground:

After a day, sprouts will appear that do not require further shelter. Watercress grows literally before our eyes, but with regular watering. On the 12th or 14th day, the sprouts can already be cut with a knife or scissors and used for food. Seeds do not have to be soaked in water, they can be sown dry, as they germinate well, but in this case, the appearance of sprouts will be delayed by about a day.

Soaking watercress seeds makes it possible to see sprouts the very next day after sowing

By sowing watercress in any of the ways every 7-10 days, you will get a continuous green conveyor with the most delicate and spicy "vitamin bomb".

Growing on a windowsill without soil

Now the cultivation of watercress without land has become very popular. The soil for planting perfectly replaces coconut fiber, cotton wool, napkins, sawdust.

Video: growing watercress without soil

The main condition is a constantly wet base. If the seeds are not soaked, then they will sprout unevenly. The best varieties for planting both in a pot of earth and in the listed substrates: Openwork, Fun, Curly, Danish.

The scheme of planting watercress in a bowl without soil:

Outdoor cultivation

Gardeners with land can sow watercress in late fall before hard frosts set in. In this case, in the spring with the first thaw, watercress will immediately begin to grow with strong and friendly seedlings. This greenery appears one of the first, because it is not afraid of cold weather and frosty nights.

Watercress in the garden grows just as fast. like on the windowsill

In October, on a site where any types of cabbage have not previously grown, beds are cut with a depth of 1 cm and seeds are sown evenly. Then the soil is raked with a rake. With the advent of spring, the first crop is harvested and the next is immediately sown. More than twenty days after the emergence of seedlings, watercress cannot be left in the garden, as it outgrows and begins to shoot.

If you plan on harvesting your watercress seeds, then one crop is worth leaving alone and letting the seeds mature. When the seed boxes are formed, the plants are uprooted, dried in a ventilated room, and then tied up, spreading a cloth or oilcloth, where fully ripened seeds will fall out.

Conveyor landings can be observed as long as the outdoors will be maintained stable temperature+ 25 ° C and subject to maintaining the soil in a constant wet state.

Growing in a greenhouse

On a personal plot, the agricultural technology of watercress in a greenhouse is not much different from planting in open ground. Important nuance for greenhouse plantings is that they must be regularly ventilated. By and large, growing watercress in a greenhouse is pointless, as it grows beautifully in the open field with the appearance of the first spring sunshine.

Growing watercress in a greenhouse is rational in an industrial environment

The nuances of plant care

The main rules for caring for watercress: regular watering and a temperature of no more than 15 ° C. Very little time passes from the beginning of seedlings to harvesting - 2-3 weeks, for this reason, watercress simply does not have time to hit any diseases or pests.

Video: why watercress falls

top dressing

Watercress is so unpretentious that it does not need any additional feeding. If it is able to actively and efficiently grow on damp cotton even without adding soil, then you should not once again apply any fertilizers to the garden, especially artificial ones. It is best to shed the soil (for open ground) with them before sowing the seeds, and not during the active growth of the plant. Suitable for this organic fertilizers: Biohumus, Biocompost, Gumi, Compostin.

In a transparent container, it is easy to control the growth of watercress and the moisture content of the soil underneath

Watering

Watering is an important component of watercress farming. The soil should always be relatively moist. And for landings on the windowsill, you need to monitor more carefully, especially if the battery is warming below. It is also impossible to fill in the ground in the garden or a bowl with a substrate..

Regularity, systematicity, control - the main rules of watering, under which your watercress will develop perfectly.

Healthy watercress sprouts without fertilizers are its distinguishing feature

Pest control

Watercress can only be affected by one pest - the cruciferous flea. If this happened, then a rare event, V hot weather it is necessary to pollinate the plants with tobacco dust. In addition, the cruciferous flea is very afraid low temperatures, so watercress can be sprayed with ice water - the pest will disappear.

Chemicals, the action of which is aimed at long-term control of insects, is dangerous to use due to the short growing season of watercress. It is difficult to wash off insecticides from the crop, especially from such a delicate plant. As a result, we will not benefit from it, but only harm.

Gardeners growing watercress on a windowsill will never encounter a cruciferous flea, unless, of course, home garden land has been used.

The cruciferous flea is the only watercress pest

A unique feature of watercress is its precocity and undemanding to growing conditions. It can be grown outdoors and even all year round at home.

FAMILY

Cabbage

CYCLE

Annual, rarely biennial plant

STEM

Branched stem 30-60 cm high with a simple root easily breaking out of the ground

LEAVES

The lower leaves are once - or twice pinnatipartite; medium - three times separate; upper - solid, linear.

KINDS

According to the type of leaf blade, watercress is distinguished with pinnately dissected, whole and curly leaves.

Almost any soil for watercress can be taken, although, of course, seedlings will be more friendly on light fertile soil. Peat, wood shavings and sawdust, paper, foam rubber and even mineral wool can serve as a substrate.

Watercress - growing in the garden

In open ground, seeds of cold-resistant watercress are sown at the end of April. The soil is prepared in the same way as for regular salad. It is better to choose a plot after beets, potatoes, in which case you can not apply fertilizer. Seeds are sown in rows every 20-25 cm to a depth of 0.5 cm at the rate of 5-7 g per 10 sq.m. To create a conveyor for the receipt of greenery, seeds are sown at several times (before the onset of hot and dry weather) with an interval of about a week. At the end of summer, crops resume.

After the emergence of seedlings to obtain large rosettes, the plants are thinned out, leaving 5-10 cm between them. Watercress care: abundant watering, weeding and loosening of row spacing. Harvest when grown outdoors at the beginning of stalking, about a month after germination, by cutting or pulling out the entire rosette of leaves with the root.

young watercress bushes early maturing varieties cut off within 15-25 days after germination

FACT: When growing watercress, the substrate should always be slightly damp, but not wet. If the stems of young plants break or rot, then the soil has been poured.

TIP: To get rid of the seed coat on watercress seedlings, they can be brushed lightly with a soft brush.

Watercress - growing at home, on the windowsill

At home, the seeds are sown in boxes, containers, pots filled with ready-made soil for seedlings only 2-3 cm thick. Watercress can be grown even in a small bowl or plate with mineral wool or foam rubber, or filled with soaked sawdust (they are first spilled with boiling water, cool down). Seeds are evenly distributed over the surface of the soil so that they hide it in one layer almost completely, lightly sprinkle. Then the container is watered until the soil is completely wet. The growing season for watercress is short, so fertilizers are not added.

Watercress salad care

The first 3-4 days the containers are kept in a dark place, after the emergence of shoots they are transferred to the light, but they are made

diffused lighting or even shade plants, as young shoots do not like direct sunlight.

Watercress needs quite a large number of moisture, otherwise the plants shoot and grow tasteless. Therefore, it is watered every other day, but in small portions or sprayed from a spray bottle.

Harvest watercress at any time of the year

You can grow watercress until you get a rosette of leaves (like leafy mustard). However, most often it is eaten in the form of sprouts, which differ more delicate taste and contain large quantity nutrients. When they reach a height of only 7-9 cm, they are cut off at the base with scissors. From 1 sq.m you can get up to 1.5 kg of seedlings. They are eaten fresh, added to salads and sandwiches. Before the next sowing of watercress, the soil (substrate) in the containers is changed.

TIP: Young watercress is cut off as a whole bush, since the leaves are not stored individually - they quickly wither. You can extend the life of greens by placing the bush in a container of water in the refrigerator.

Watercress salad: useful properties

Watercress improves digestion, stimulates appetite, normalizes metabolism and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Drink Fresh Juice watercress (2-3 tablespoons 3 times a day) is useful for asthmatics, as it clears the bronchi and Airways, facilitates breathing, prevents asthmatic cough and asthma attacks.

For problematic skin masks from mashed watercress leaves are suitable (keep on the face for about 10 minutes, then wash with cool water).

Types of watercress

Variety	Description	Varieties
Curly	The rosette is small, up to 17 cm in diameter, raised or semi-raised, the leaves are strongly indented	Mid-early: Openwork, Curly, Curly cress
Whole leaf,	Large horizontal rosette with a diameter or broad-leaved 19-21 cm and a height of 5-6 cm. The leaves are whole	Late maturing: Dukat, Broadleaf and Wholeleaf
Sowing, or pinnately dissected	It occupies an intermediate position between the first two: the rosette is semi-raised, large, the leaves are weakly dissected	Early maturing: Dansky, Kurled. Fun, Angustifolia

Cultivation of watercress: sharing experience

Watercress - all year round

Watercress contains many vitamins of iodine, iron and calcium and grows very fast.

One of the most precocious and unpretentious green crops is watercress. It tastes like horseradish or mustard due to the presence of mustard oil. As a result, he received such names as horseradish, pepper, garden cress.

Most green watercress can be obtained by sowing its seeds in August.

Types of watercress

Curly. The most common and fastest growing. It has a small rosette of rugged leaves and a low stem, on which a spike-shaped inflorescence is formed very quickly, and then seeds. Known variety Openwork and new varieties Accord, Vitamin.

broad-leaved. It has a large rosette (diameter 19-20 cm) of wide whole leaves, height 5-6 cm. It is mainly represented by late-ripening varieties. In particular, Dukat is one of the best varieties.

Sowing variety of watercress - an intermediate option between the previous two. The leaves are slightly dissected, collected in a raised large rosette. It is possible to distinguish the varieties Zabava, Kurled, Dansky.

Watercress: sowing and care

Sow seeds in open ground from April - as soon as the soil allows. Watercress seeds germinate at a temperature of 6-8 °C. It is necessary to sow to a depth of 0.5-1 cm, in rows, spaced every 20-35 cm. Then the plants are large and squat.

Watercress is very easy to care for. Requires only weeding and regular watering.

After 2 weeks, you can already collect fresh herbs. Then lettuce is sown every 10-15 days.

Greenery all year round

This crop can be grown on the windowsill throughout the year.

Watercress is undemanding to light, and the optimum temperature for its germination is 7-15°C. It is important to ensure that it does not rise above 15 ° C, otherwise the growth of plants will stop.

The substrate should always be moist, but not too wet.

You can sow it in small bowls with a small amount of land.

Harvesting watercress

When the plants reach a height of 10-12 cm, they are carefully cut with scissors. You need to cut as much lettuce as you eat at a time - it does not keep for a long time. Watercress should be sown regularly - after about 5 days. Then you will always have fresh spicy greens on your table.

Watercress is our favorite

Are you watercress lovers the way I love it? Get to know this plant better!

Watercress has been growing in our area for a long time. This green plant has branched stems.

and rosette petiolate leaves, which are very useful fresh: they contain a lot of vitamins, protein, ascorbic acid, iron salts, calcium, potassium, iodine, minerals and even anti-carcinogenic substances.

The spicy leaves of this plant have been added to food as a spice since the Middle Ages. In Rus', watercress has also been valued for a long time, only they called it a cress. Is it because it tastes something like horseradish?

I think it tastes more like mustard.

I like to cook salads with this pleasant spicy spice, add leaves to soups, meat and fish dishes, omelettes and soufflés.

I always have a separate bed for watercress. The plant is frost-resistant, so it can be planted already at a temperature of 5 ° C.

For early sowing, I always choose garden cress, or curly, outwardly similar to parsley. Although I have heard that a large-leaved variety is also popular, I don’t plant it - it ripens quite late when a lot of other greenery appears in the garden.

In the prepared bed I make rows, sow seeds in them, then lightly sprinkle with earth.

Easy care - shoots with a wall

I make sure that the soil is always moist, so I water regularly, but in moderation. As soon as shoots appear, I thin them out so that there is a distance of about 5 cm between the plants. Then the bushes are the most lush.

2-3 weeks after planting, tender leaves can already be cut and eaten.

Watercress: a healing plant

Even in the time of Hippocrates, it was known about the ability of watercress to purify the blood and it is important

With gastritis, stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers, watercress is contraindicated.

give vitality

the human body. And in ancient Egypt, male impotence was treated with oil from its seeds.

Modern research has also proven nutritional and medicinal benefit this interesting plant. Watercress juice improves digestion, reduces arterial pressure, helps with insomnia, has a calming effect.

With hypovitaminosis and anemia, they drink it no 1 tsp. 3 times a day. As a diuretic and cholelithiasis watercress juice is taken 3 times a day, 1 tbsp. l. while eating. In case of metabolic disorders - 100-200 ml of juice 2-3 times a day, adding 1 tbsp. l. honey.

Health with delivery to the windowsill

If you don’t have a garden, but you want to try this grass that tastes good and is so healthy for the body, grow it on the windowsill. Even an ordinary pallet is suitable for landing. Any soil is suitable as a substrate, and even a layer of peat at least 3 cm high.

In order for the seedlings to support each other, the seeds must be planted densely. Spread the seeds over the surface of the soil. Moisten them and cover with plastic. As soon as the seeds hatch, remove the film.

Do not forget to spray seedlings in a timely manner warm water and after a couple of weeks tender greenery watercress can be cut and used for food or medicine.

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Who among us doesn't love fresh vitamin greens? But in the garden it can be grown only in the summer. Of course, greens are sold in the store at any time of the year, but in terms of quality it will not be the same at all. Get natural greens at any time you can simply and accessible way- just grow watercress on the windowsill. This article will tell you how to grow such a salad.

Beneficial features

Why watercress? The answer to this question is simple - it is very useful plant, which is easily grown on the windowsill.

Watercress is fragrant herbs from the type of cabbage. It is rich in various vitamins, essential oils, ascorbic acid and various useful trace elements.

Regular consumption of watercress in food significantly helps the body, namely:

• improves immunity;
• cures cough, thanks to the alkaloids and resins included in the composition;
• prevents the occurrence of beriberi and anemia;
• cleanses the bronchi;
• prevents asthma attacks in asthmatics;
• normalizes blood pressure and improves metabolism;
• improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• strengthens the nervous system;
• relieves insomnia;
• helps to quit smoking.

In addition, the crushed leaves of this salad are part of homemade ointments, lotions, creams, which significantly reduce acne and make acne scars less noticeable.

Also, watercress is loved because of its unusual spicy taste, similar to the taste of horseradish (popularly it is also called horseradish).

Despite great amount advantages, the plant is unpretentious in care. That is why it is very easy to grow watercress on the windowsill all year round: it grows quickly, does not require special attention, cold-resistant, shade-tolerant.

Varieties

Today, there are three varieties of watercress:

• curly - differs in a small rosette of leaves (17 cm) and raised, strongly dissected leaves (for example, “openwork”).
• sowing - differs in a large rosette (up to 21 cm) and horizontal, wide, whole leaves (for example, "Danish", "fun").
• whole-leaved - characterized by a large rosette, narrow, slightly cut leaves (for example, “dukat”).

Due to its precocity, Danish watercress is most often found on the windowsill. How to grow it is described below.

Requirements

serious preliminary preparation and hard-to-find means for growing watercress will not be required. First you need to choose the most suitable variety and buy seeds. When choosing seeds, it is important to carefully examine the packaging. It should not be dented or torn. It is also important to check the expiration date of the seeds.

• Container for growing lettuce. Its height should be about 10 cm. As a container, you can use plastic container, bowl bowl, plate, tray or shallow flower pot.
• Nutrient medium (substrate) for cultivation. Such a substrate can be cotton wool, cotton pads, foam rubber, gauze, peat or well-chopped wood shavings. The substrate can also be replaced with a hydrogel.
• Food wrap or plastic bag.
• Ordinary or purchased nutrient soil.
• A mug and a teaspoon.

How to grow watercress on a windowsill? The methods for doing this are completely different. Let's consider the main ones.

In the substrate

You need to take a container and lay a suitable substrate on the bottom with a layer of 1.5-2 cm. After that, the substrate must be moistened with boiled or settled water. If peat or wood shavings are used as a substrate, then it is doused with boiling water to avoid mold.

After the substrate is prepared, you need to take a glass, pour the seeds into it and fill them with water so that the water completely hides the seeds. Thus, each seed will be in its shell.

In water, the seeds need to be held for a few seconds, after which they are transferred with a teaspoon from a glass into a prepared container with a nutrient medium, and gently spread them in one layer.

To create greenhouse conditions for the seeds, the container must be covered from above cling film or plastic bag and put on the windowsill. It is important to place the jar so that it does not fall directly Sun rays, and away from a hot battery. So in a jar of seeds, a greenhouse effect is created.

After a day, you need to check the seeds, usually at this time slightly hatched sprouts already appear. In another day, good sprouts should appear, then the film is removed.

Caring for this salad is very simple: water it in time, sometimes turn it to the light on the other side (so that the plants grow straight). It is also good to spray it with water from a spray bottle. If desired, you can feed the salad with a potassium solution or urea. The main thing is not to overdry the soil, as the press salad loves moisture very much, and its lack thins the plants and worsens their taste.

After 1.5-2 weeks, the salad can already be eaten.

in the soil

Fertile soil should be poured into the container (about 7 cm). After that, make even grooves (depth 0.5 cm). The distance between the grooves should be 10-15 cm. The seeds are covered with a thin layer of soil (about 1 cm).

Seeds can also be sown in a chaotic manner - just pour them out of a glass after soaking, level and cover with earth.

After that, the container must be covered with a film. If the room is warm enough (20-23 degrees), then you can leave the container without a film.

With this method, the seeds will germinate a little longer (about 2 days), as they germinate through the soil. When sprouts appear, the temperature should be reduced to 10-15 degrees. This will help develop a strong root system for the plant and prevent them from stretching out.

After seed germination, care for the plants should be the same as described in the first method.

Other ways

Because of the unpretentiousness of watercress, it is grown any way and anywhere. Consider a few interesting ways cultivation:

• This method does not require land and a container for growing, and the plants do not need daily watering. You need to take a small tea strainer and a cup for water. The seeds are poured into a strainer and poured with warm water (it eventually remains in the cup). After that, a cup with a strainer can be removed to the windowsill, after a week the greens will be ready. Growing in this way has a great advantage - the salad can be eaten with roots.
• This method is quite common. Lettuce is grown in a container, the bottom of which is covered with damp gauze. The disadvantage of this method is that it requires a lot of seeds. But these seeds germinate very quickly.
• Growing in an electronic pot. In such a pot, lettuce can be grown all year round, and you don’t have to do anything at all, just pour seeds. True, such a pot is quite expensive.

Above, methods have been described on how to quickly grow watercress on a windowsill. However, they are all quite simple.

lettuce picking

How to grow watercress on a windowsill in winter, we examined, it's time to harvest. It also needs to be done correctly.

You can cut the lettuce when the stems grow up to 8-9 cm. It is better to do this in the morning or in the evening. Watercress should be eaten fresh, ie. do not store. In the refrigerator, it can be stored for no more than a day (preferably in water). If you store the salad for longer than a day, then it quickly turns yellow and remains without its beneficial properties.

When the lettuce has grown to 13-14 cm, it must be cut, and as close to the base as possible. Once the lettuce is cut, the roots will not grow back, so watercress needs to be sown every 2 weeks for a continuous harvest.

On the windowsill

• In order for the rosette of leaves to be large, the distance between plants must be at least 5 cm.
• Before sowing, the soil must be well compacted.
• It is necessary to sow the seeds sequentially, about 1 time in 10 days, so that it grows continuously.
• It is important to water on time, as watercress loves moisture.

Thus, we figured out how to grow watercress on the windowsill so that it is fragrant and extremely healthy. This small garden does not require much space, does not require special care, but brings a lot of pleasure.

By the way, watercress can be grown both on the windowsill and in the garden.