Growing at home is possible. Either in green walls or in pots, in the garden or indoors, any place in your home can function as a small garden. On a balcony, a terrace, or in a well-ventilated and illuminated room, can you grow these plants and obtain its fruits, roots and leaves to use in your kitchen.
This has multiple advantages, since you will green your home, you will make it more sustainable and you will have the freshest ingredients on hand for your kitchen, so you can avoid buying them in the supermarket. Just don’t forget that watering cans always work best to give water to plants instead of direct streams, and that there are many options to nourish the soil, like organic fertilizerswhich will help you give life to your plants.
Next we show you how to grow your seeds and sprouts in a simple waywhich will make you get the best results.
Avocado
Irrigation: Constant, moist soil.
Light: Semi-shade.
You must help the avocado bone to germinate. Just leave it in water for a few hours to soften and stick four toothpicks in the shape of a cross so that, in a container, it can stay afloat and only the base of the bone is in contact with the water. In 1 month or less you will see how it begins to germinate, breaking the bark. So you can plant it in a pot and wait for the result.
It is a tree, so you must be patient and transplant it when it is too big for the pot.
Onion
Irrigation: Abundant. Reduce once the bulbs are formed.
Light: Direct or semi-shade.
To have abundant onion in your kitchen, you only have to buy one and cut the top. Leave it in the air for a few days, until it dries up a bit. Then place it in the pot, with just a little soil and substrate around it. In a few days the stems will sprout, and in a few weeks it will take root with force. You can also wait for it to germinate on its own, as in the case of ginger, and plant it leaving 1/4 of the onion out with the stem facing up.
Lettuce
Irrigation: Constant, moist soil.
Light: Shadow, in what sprouts, and then semi-shadow.
Without seeds it is possible to produce abundant clumps of lettuce. Just get the hearts of this one, cut their bases and place them in any container with little water; in 2 weeks, it will have regrowth. Then just plant it in a pot, covering the head and leaving the bud on the surface.
The good thing is that it is hardly affected by pests, and it will be giving abundant leaves until it is time to plant another round of lettuce.
Carrot
Irrigation: Constant, moist soil.
Light: Direct or semi-shade.
The steps are simple: we must put the top of the carrot in a container with little water for a few days to see how it evolves, taking care that it does not rot. This is because you have to get a root to sprout from the stem, which can take between 1 and 2 weeks. Once it grows, the base is covered with soil, leaving the root outside.
We recommend putting several of these sprouts in a series of rectangular pots. Its growth is slow, so do not despair.
Basil
Irrigation: Moderate.
Light: Direct or semi-shade.
Basil is preferably sown in seedbeds, although it can also be done directly in the pot. The best time for the basil crop to succeed is spring, and you should keep it away from cold and wind. You just have to get a plant with good and strong roots, and plant it.
The good thing about this plant is that it scares away pests, helping your other crops to be healthy.
Ginger
Irrigation: Constant, moist soil.
Light: Semi-shade.
Ginger germinates without help, but leaving it in water overnight will speed up the process. Only plant one piece with the largest shoots facing up and keep it well hydrated and away from low temperatures, especially at first. You can have it in large pots and plant several pieces. Its bush is fine and very beautiful, so it is an ideal plant to be in your kitchen.
Garlic
Irrigation: Constant, moist soil.
Light: Lots of light.
With only one head you can start your crop, separating the teeth and leaving the shell intact. Bury them with enough space between each one, approximately 8cm, and keep them in the light for at least 8 hours. It is advisable to start in summer, so that they make the most of sunlight and you do not have to make extra efforts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE-r5dZDqZ4
tree chili
Irrigation: Constant, moist soil.
Light: Constant, but not excessive. Make sure it also has shade.
This type of chili grows perfectly in pots. Just place about 15 seeds in a lid with little water, cover it with a cloth and wait for them to germinate. This will take about 2 weeks. Then plant the seeds, leaving the sprout on the surface; you can help yourself with some tweezers.
It is preferable to grow it at the end of winter, so that the spring temperature helps it to grow and develop without problems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4DYVh9ip7I
Strawberries
Irrigation: Constant, moist soil
Light: Constant, but not excessive. Make sure it also has shade.
There are many varieties of strawberry; some —called perpetual harvest— bear fruit all year round, and others only in summer. There are special pots, but you can grow them in any good-sized pot (since their foliage is abundant), or even in a bag, to hang from a balcony.
Get the plants in a specialized store —since planting seeds is more difficult and expensive— and bury their roots shallowly. Keep them hydrated and take care of the time they are exposed to light.
apples
Irrigation: Constant, moist soil.
Light: Direct.
You can get the seeds from the apple you eat. Dry them well until they lose any moisture from the outside, and then put them in the fridge wrapped in damp paper. You must keep the paper moist, putting it inside a bag. In 1 week they will have germinated; you can plant them in a large pot, and wait for the tree to grow that will give you its juicy fruits.
Remember to transplant it when it is very big, like the avocado.
* Images 1) and 2) Pixabay
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