We want to make holiday dishes especially delicious and, in winter, vitamin-rich. We grow greens for the New Year's table to prepare a variety of salads with fresh vegetables and herbs. At this time of year, they are expensive in the supermarket and not very tasty, so growing them at home in pots is an excellent option for the housewife.
Spicy greens
Fresh greens are a popular salad ingredient. To prepare Caesar salad and other dishes for the holiday table, you can grow:
- arugula;
- watercress;
- romaine;
- basil.
The average germination period for lettuce leaves, basil, and arugula is two weeks, with another two weeks needed to grow the leaves ready for harvest. At the end of November, plant the greens in special seedling soil and have them ready for the holidays.
Green onions
Another essential ingredient in vitamin-rich salads is green chives. Both varieties are grown from seedlings. To do this, the bulbs are shallowly planted in moist soil, watered, and left to germinate. In 5-7 days, the first sprouts will emerge, and in another 7 days, lush greens will emerge.
The second option is to place regular onions in a special tray with water for germination. Green sprouts will appear in 4-5 days, and fresh, juicy greens will appear in another 5-7 days. On average, it takes three weeks to grow onions in time for the New Year; they should be planted between December 7-10.
You may be interested in:Cucumbers
Growing fresh cucumbers for the New Year's table is easy. We recommend gherkins; they look festive and have a sweet flavor that children will love. They grow quickly—7-8 weeks—and should be sown in early October. They're low-maintenance, requiring only regular watering.
Only self-pollinating, early-ripening, shade-tolerant, bush hybrid varieties are suitable for cultivation:
- Marinda F1;
- Tatiana F1;
- F1 Legend.
This is not a complete list; about 30 different varieties can be grown at home on a windowsill. The only requirements are a temperature above room temperature and at least six hours of daylight.
Tomatoes
In addition to cucumbers, you can also grow indoor tomatoesTheir big advantage is their uneven ripening, so you'll have several fresh fruits from each bush on the table every day. Choose low-growing, self-pollinating, small-fruited hybrids:
- Betta;
- Pinocchio;
- Florida Petite;
- Balcony miracle.
https://youtu.be/KG9lxVeRqkk
In total, breeders have developed around 30 tomato varieties for indoor growing. All of them love the light, so it's best to place seedling boxes on the east or south side of the apartment. The average growth time to fruiting is 7-8 weeks.
Sweet bell pepper
A major advantage of this vegetable is that it's a perennial plant. Once grown, you'll get a harvest for 2-3 years. Choose early-ripening, self-pollinating, versatile hybrids for both open ground and indoor planting:
- Patio-Ivo;
- California Miracle;
- Jupiter F1;
- Oda is a purple sweet variety.
Bell peppers require several conditions. They don't like drafts, thrive at temperatures no lower than 22°C, and in loose soil. They must be supported with stakes as they grow.
Growing fresh herbs and vegetables for the New Year's table is a simple activity that you can even involve children in. Natural, chemical-free vitamins and free, succulent ingredients for holiday dishes grow on a windowsill or on a spacious, insulated balcony in regular seedling soil.