Indoor gardening: Gardening on the windowsill

When it comes to gardening on the windowsill, sprouts are a classic. These are germinated seeds that are ready for harvesting after only a few days, meaning they contain a concentrated load of vitamins and fibre. You don't need soil for sprouts. They are grown in a special sprout jar instead. This has a lid with a sieve through which you can drain off excess water. You can make a sprout jar with an old preserving jar, for example, by drilling holes in the lid. It's essential that the jar has been cleaned properly to prevent rotting. Put some of the seeds into the jar and cover them with about twice the amount of water to ensure they are well soaked. Drain the water after 8-12 hours and then rinse the seeds with fresh water. Mucilaginous seeds, such as rocket, shouldn't be soaked. After that, rinse the seeds with fresh water at least twice a day. Then place the glass slightly tilted on a saucer to allow the remaining liquid to drain off. This is important to prevent the formation of harmful germs. You can eat the sprouts and seeds together after a few days.

Microgreens are usually sown in propagating soil or a little kitchen paper or cotton wool and harvested as soon as the first leaf pairs have formed. So, don't wait for the small pea seedling to turn into a large plant with lots of pea pods. That's why they're also called microgreens.
Simply cut off the entire plant above the surface of the soil and use the microgreens as a delicious salad or stir-fry topping. You can try leaving the first leaf pair and with a bit of luck the microgreens will then sprout a second time. Even the small plants are regarded as an absolute superfood. 

Fresh herbs for cooking and seasoning all year round? Admittedly, plant growth isn't ideal indoors, but it isn't impossible, either. A bright spot and regular pest control is important, especially in the winter. But unlike microgreens and sprouts, you need to allow a little more time for your first harvest. After that, you can help yourself to a herb buffet for a long time and will have the right seasoning for your dishes. We show you the right way to grow herbs step by step.

You can even grow some types of vegetable on the windowsill. The best types of vegetable are those that grow quickly and produce tasty leaves. These mainly include salads such as rocket and curled lettuce, but also chard or cabbage if they are grown for picking. On the other hand, fruiting vegetables are far more difficult to grow. There is usually too little space available and the environmental conditions are not ideal. But you can try to grow small tomato varieties or chillies indoors. It's important to ensure that your plants are in a very bright spot to allow them to grow healthily. It's advisable to choose a south-facing window and not to plant the vegetables until the late spring. You can also sow and prick out the tomatoes or chillies yourself. You can start sowing as early as January. Grow the vegetables in a pot or a balcony box with drainage holes, for example. Ensure the plants have enough space for their roots to develop. For example, a pot diameter of 20 cm is usually sufficient for small tomato or chilli varieties. Small radishes are perfect for sowing in a row in a long balcony box. Before planting, it's advisable to add a layer of pumice stone in the container for drainage. This will prevent waterlogging. A layer of nutrient-rich vegetable soil, such as the COMPO BIO Potting Soil for Tomatoes and vegetables, should then be added on top of that. After that, put the plant or sow the seeds in the pot, press everything down well and water the soil properly.

Regrow – cultivate vegetable leftovers rather than throwing them in the bin!

Regrowing is another great way to harvest vegetables on the windowsill. It's also hugely sustainable, as vegetable leftovers that would otherwise end up in the waste bin are made use of. A simple option for fresh greens for seasoning is to harvest the leaves of onions and garlic. To do this, put the vegetable with roots facing down on a tray with some soil and regularly moisten it with a little water. Once the onions have taken root and the green part is larger than 10 cm, you can cut it off. For the onions to sprout again, it's important that you don't cut directly above the substrate.