晚清碎影（影集）节选 CHINA THROUGH THE LENS OF JOHN THOMSON 1868-1872 (Part)
November 3, 2019
Growing on My Windowsill
I have always been interested in trying to grow my own herbs and plants at home. I usually purchase potted herbs from my local supermarket. I wanted to learn more about how to grow at home - that’s when I decided to take the opportunity to attend a growing workshop with the When Red, Go Green project. The workshop was focused on how to grow your own plants on your windowsill.
Lindsey and Ruby, who were running the workshop, explained in detail the full growing process from seed – whether you want to grow full plants or only microgreens. We also uncovered another way to propagate plant which is from cuttings. I took cuttings of mint and chamomile, as well as taking coriander and spinach seeds to grow from seed at home. I brought my own parley to share cuttings with the community.
With the help of Lindsey and Ruby, I understood better how to properly take care of my plants depending on the type of plant and the time in the season. That included how frequent I should water them, does the plant require direct sunlight or prefers the shade and how to deal with green flies by using soapy water.
After some time, my plants grew beautifully, and it was time to move them into bigger pots (potting-on). I am delighted to say that I managed to harvest quite a lot of parsley, coriander and mint. My mint is still going strong now despite the cold weather. I managed to collect seeds from both the coriander and basil plants that I've added to my seed collection.
Thanks to this workshop I learned important aspects of growing your own plants on your windowsill. I would like to encourage the rest of the community to try growing their own plants at home for more sustainable living.
Written by Veronika Mihaylova
Marketing and Digital Assistant Volunteer
Marketing and Digital Assistant Volunteer
Some Top Tips for Windowsill Growing from the When Red, Go Green team
- Ask yourself which herbs do you use regularly? Which herbs do you buy from shops? This will give you a start on what you should try to grow.
- Find out how much sunlight reaches each of you windowsills. You ideally want a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight for plants to grow. South facing windows will give you the most sunlight each day.
- Create windowsill growing equipment from your own waste. For example, used lollipop sticks make great plant labels, milk bottles can be turned into water cans or small greenhouses, and lots of black plastic trays from food items can be used to grow (with holes in bottom for water drainage).
- Try to attend seed swaps, plant swaps and garden groups to share / borrow from others rather than buying new. If you have to buy, buy second-hand as this will have a massive impact on your carbon footprint.
- Some food scraps regrow in water. For example, spring onions will regrow from the leftover onion root we all normally throw away. Just pop the root in water and watch it regrow! Other food items that regrow in water include: celery, lettuce, leek and chives
If you have any growing questions, please feel free to contact the When Red, Go Green Project Officer on lindsey@ricefield.org.uk
