Growing guides: fields, gardens and home growing
Practical guides for fields, gardens, homes, windowsills and balconies. Every figure comes from a cited source. The full guide text is in Finnish; key figures and sources are shown here.
Rule: we never invent figures. If a source has no exact value, we say so.
Home growing: windowsill, balcony and terrace
Herbs and leafy greens
Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
A fast, easy leaf crop for beds, boxes and balconies. Sow several times.
Open guide →Basil
Ocimum basilicum
A warmth- and light-loving herb for the windowsill and summer outdoors. Snip young leaves as needed.
Open guide →Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
Slow to germinate but hardy. Soak seeds before sowing.
Open guide →Dill
Anethum graveolens
A staple Finnish herb. Sow several times for a steady supply.
Open guide →Thyme
Thymus vulgaris ym.
A sun-loving, drought-tolerant perennial herb for pots and balconies. Wet roots are a bigger risk than drought.
Open guide →Rosemary
Salvia rosmarinus (Rosmarinus officinalis)
An evergreen shrubby herb for a large pot; needs warmth and sharp drainage and hates wet roots.
Open guide →Oregano
Origanum vulgare
A drought-tolerant perennial herb for a sunny pot. Can stay productive indoors over winter with enough light and warmth.
Open guide →Mint
Mentha spp.
A fast-spreading perennial: always grow it in its own pot. Harvests already in the first summer.
Open guide →Coriander (cilantro)
Coriandrum sativum
A fast but short-lived leaf herb. Sow straight into its final pot – coriander dislikes transplanting.
Open guide →Sage
Salvia officinalis
A drought-tolerant evergreen shrubby herb for a sunny pot. Replace from cuttings every few years.
Open guide →Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
An easy perennial allium for pots and windowsills. The flowers are edible too.
Open guide →Lemon balm
Melissa officinalis
A lemon-scented perennial herb. Grow in a pot if you do not want it to spread.
Open guide →Tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus
French tarragon has the better flavour but is tender in winter; Russian is tougher. A pot makes winter protection easier.
Open guide →Spinach
Spinacia oleracea
A fast leafy crop for pots and balconies in cool weather. Heat and drought make it bolt.
Open guide →New Zealand spinach
Tetragonia tetragonioides
A heat-tolerant spinach substitute that crops all summer. A couple of plants are enough for a pot.
Open guide →Chard
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (Cicla-ryhmä)
A decorative, long-cropping leafy vegetable for a large pot. Pick outer leaves and new ones grow from the centre.
Open guide →Rocket (arugula)
Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa, Diplotaxis tenuifolia
A quick salad crop for pots and window boxes. Shade in hot spells delays flowering.
Open guide →Kale
Brassica oleracea (Acephala-ryhmä)
A hardy leafy crop: compact varieties in a large pot, baby leaves from dense sowings, microgreens on the windowsill.
Open guide →Shoots and microgreens (pea, sunflower, garden cress)
Pisum sativum, Helianthus annuus, Lepidium sativum ym.
The fastest windowsill crop: first shoots in about a week. No fertiliser needed.
Open guide →Vegetables
Pea
Pisum sativum
Nitrogen-fixing legume: 38,600 ha feed pea and 5,600 ha food pea (2025), 4,047 ha garden pea.
Open guide →Potato
Solanum tuberosum
18,900 ha on farms (2025) and in most home gardens. Chitting, earthing up and rotation matter most.
Open guide →Carrot
Daucus carota
Finland's highest-yielding field vegetable: 1,691 ha and 78 million kg (2025). Seeds germinate slowly, in 2–3 weeks.
Open guide →Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
A top greenhouse vegetable (36 million kg in 2025) and a home favourite. Needs light and warmth, but not above 27 °C.
Open guide →Cucumber
Cucumis sativus
The highest-yielding greenhouse vegetable (56 million kg in 2025). At home in a greenhouse or on a windowsill.
Open guide →Garlic
Allium sativum
Easy to plant in autumn or spring. Domestic strains give the best crop.
Open guide →Chilli and sweet pepper
Capsicum annuum
A popular windowsill and greenhouse plant. Needs warmth to germinate and a long head start.
Open guide →Aubergine (eggplant)
Solanum melongena
A heat- and light-hungry fruiting vegetable for a large pot, greenhouse or glazed balcony.
Open guide →Radish
Raphanus sativus
The quickest root crop for a window box: harvest in about a month in cool weather.
Open guide →Ginger
Zingiber officinale
A tropical rhizome that grows indoors in a pot, even from a shop-bought piece. Harvest after 8–10 months.
Open guide →Turmeric
Curcuma longa
A relative of ginger grown the same way indoors in a pot. Sprouts more slowly and grows taller.
Open guide →Dwarf French bean
Phaseolus vulgaris
A low bean that needs no support in a pot. Needs a warm spot.
Open guide →Runner bean
Phaseolus coccineus
A decorative climbing bean for a balcony trellis. Beans are eaten cooked.
Open guide →Fruit and berries
Strawberry
Fragaria × ananassa
Finland's main garden berry: 13 million kg of the 18 million kg berry crop (2025).
Open guide →Citrus in pots (Meyer lemon, kumquat, lime, mandarin)
Citrus × meyeri, Citrus (Fortunella) spp., Citrus × aurantiifolia ym., Citrus reticulata
Citrus grow well in pots: summer outdoors in a sunny spot, winter indoors somewhere bright and cool. Each type needs a different winter minimum.
Open guide →Fig
Ficus carica
A deciduous fruit tree that does well in a pot: restricted roots mean more fruit, and the pot can be moved under cover for winter.
Open guide →Dwarf banana ('Dwarf Cavendish')
Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish'
A striking foliage plant for a large pot. Indoors it rarely fruits, and the fruit is usually inedible.
Open guide →Olive
Olea europaea
A drought-tolerant evergreen for a large pot: summer outdoors in sun, winter protected from frost.
Open guide →Columnar apple and dwarf fruit trees
Malus domestica (pylväsmuoto ja kääpiöperusrungot)
A narrow columnar apple or an apple on a dwarfing rootstock suits a large pot on a balcony or terrace.
Open guide →Avocado from a stone
Persea americana
A shop-bought avocado stone easily becomes a foliage plant. Indoors it usually won't flower or fruit and tends to decline after a few years.
Open guide →Pineapple from the crown
Ananas comosus
The leafy crown of a pineapple grows into a new plant in a pot. Planting to harvest takes 18–24 months.
Open guide →Date palm from seed
Phoenix dactylifera
Date seeds germinate slowly in warmth. The sources say nothing about fruiting at home: grow it as a foliage palm.
Open guide →Passion fruit
Passiflora edulis
A fast-growing vine that needs support and warmth. Purple types are self-fertile; yellow types need another variety.
Open guide →Mango from seed
Mangifera indica
A mango seed can be grown into a seedling, but the sources give no indoor-growing instructions. Polyembryonic seeds come true; monoembryonic ones give hybrids.
Open guide →Grapevine in a container
Vitis vinifera
In a container a grapevine is trained as a small standard. It needs a warm, sunny spot and a cool winter period.
Open guide →Highbush blueberry in a container
Vaccinium corymbosum
Highbush blueberries suit containers if the growing medium is acidic. Two different varieties improve the crop.
Open guide →Mushrooms
Oyster mushroom
Pleurotus ostreatus, P. pulmonarius ym.
Growing instructions and safety in the mushroom guide.
Open guide →King oyster mushroom
Pleurotus eryngii
Growing instructions and safety in the mushroom guide.
Open guide →Shiitake
Lentinula edodes
Growing instructions and safety in the mushroom guide.
Open guide →Lion’s mane
Hericium erinaceus
Growing instructions and safety in the mushroom guide.
Open guide →Button mushroom and portobello
Agaricus bisporus
Growing instructions and safety in the mushroom guide.
Open guide →Maitake (hen-of-the-woods)
Grifola frondosa
Growing instructions and safety in the mushroom guide.
Open guide →Edible flowers and sprouts
Signet marigold
Tagetes tenuifolia (kääpiösamettikukka)
Signet marigold petals have a tangy, citrusy taste. Eat in moderation.
Open guide →Nasturtium
Tropaeolum majus
Flowers, leaves and seeds are edible and peppery. Flowers best in poor soil.
Open guide →Pansy and viola
Viola × wittrockiana, Viola spp.
A cool-season flower for pots and baskets; flowers are edible with a grassy taste.
Open guide →Calendula (pot marigold)
Calendula officinalis
An easy annual whose petals add flavour and colour. Self-seeds.
Open guide →Moss rose (edibility not confirmed)
Portulaca grandiflora
A drought-tolerant succulent for a sunny pot. Our sources do not confirm the flowers as edible – do not eat.
Open guide →Sprouts (mustard, alfalfa, lentil, mung bean, radish)
Sinapis/Brassica, Medicago sativa, Lens culinaris, Vigna radiata, Raphanus sativus
Sprouts grow in a jar in a few days, but raw sprouts carry a bacterial risk. Heating them before eating is safest.
Open guide →Field crops
Barley (spring barley)
Hordeum vulgare
Finland's most grown cereal: 367,300 ha of barley in 2025. Feed and malting barley are spring-sown.
Open guide →Oat
Avena sativa
Second most grown cereal (317,900 ha in 2025). Tolerates acidity better than other cereals and breaks foot-rot cycles.
Open guide →Spring wheat
Triticum aestivum
Bread cereal on 161,800 ha (2025). Needs good pH and enough nitrogen for protein.
Open guide →Winter wheat
Triticum aestivum
Autumn-sown wheat (73,000 ha in 2025). Overwintering is the main risk.
Open guide →Rye (winter rye)
Secale cereale
Traditional bread cereal (20,900 ha in 2025). Sown in late August.
Open guide →Turnip rape and oilseed rape
Brassica rapa / B. napus
Main oil crops: 45,200 ha turnip rape and 11,100 ha oilseed rape in 2025. Tiny seeds are sown shallow.
Open guide →Pea
Pisum sativum
Nitrogen-fixing legume: 38,600 ha feed pea and 5,600 ha food pea (2025), 4,047 ha garden pea.
Open guide →Faba bean
Vicia faba
Domestic protein crop (6,300 ha in 2025). Sown deep and early.
Open guide →Potato
Solanum tuberosum
18,900 ha on farms (2025) and in most home gardens. Chitting, earthing up and rotation matter most.
Open guide →Grass ley and red clover
Phleum pratense, Trifolium pratense ym.
Finland's largest field crop: 787,300 ha of forage leys (2025). Clover fixes nitrogen.
Open guide →Fibre hemp
Cannabis sativa
Separate full guide: legislation, variety, field, sowing, fertilising, season, harvest and drying, with sources.
Open guide →Vegetable garden and berries
Carrot
Daucus carota
Finland's highest-yielding field vegetable: 1,691 ha and 78 million kg (2025). Seeds germinate slowly, in 2–3 weeks.
Open guide →Beetroot
Beta vulgaris
An easy root crop for home gardens. Soak seeds before sowing and keep soil pH moderate.
Open guide →Lettuce
Lactuca sativa
A fast, easy leaf crop for beds, boxes and balconies. Sow several times.
Open guide →Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
A top greenhouse vegetable (36 million kg in 2025) and a home favourite. Needs light and warmth, but not above 27 °C.
Open guide →Cucumber
Cucumis sativus
The highest-yielding greenhouse vegetable (56 million kg in 2025). At home in a greenhouse or on a windowsill.
Open guide →Courgette (zucchini)
Cucurbita pepo
A fast, heavy-cropping squash. Needs plenty of nutrients, water and warmth.
Open guide →Onion
Allium cepa
1,277 ha of onion in 2025. At home easiest from sets in late May.
Open guide →Garlic
Allium sativum
Easy to plant in autumn or spring. Domestic strains give the best crop.
Open guide →Strawberry
Fragaria × ananassa
Finland's main garden berry: 13 million kg of the 18 million kg berry crop (2025).
Open guide →Currants (black and red)
Ribes nigrum, R. rubrum
Hardy berry bushes for home gardens. Plant deeper than in the pot and thin every few years.
Open guide →Houseplants and herbs
Basil
Ocimum basilicum
A warmth- and light-loving herb for the windowsill and summer outdoors. Snip young leaves as needed.
Open guide →Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
Slow to germinate but hardy. Soak seeds before sowing.
Open guide →Dill
Anethum graveolens
A staple Finnish herb. Sow several times for a steady supply.
Open guide →Chilli and sweet pepper
Capsicum annuum
A popular windowsill and greenhouse plant. Needs warmth to germinate and a long head start.
Open guide →Jade plant
Crassula ovata
A tough succulent for a bright spot. Overwatering is the most common mistake.
Open guide →Snake plant
Dracaena trifasciata (Sansevieria)
A nearly indestructible houseplant that tolerates drought and low light.
Open guide →Monstera
Monstera deliciosa
A large-leaved climber that needs support and even watering.
Open guide →Pothos
Epipremnum aureum
An easy, fast-growing vine that does well in light or shade.
Open guide →Moth orchid
Phalaenopsis
The most common home orchid. Grows in bark and is watered weekly with tepid water.
Open guide →Peace lily
Spathiphyllum
A shade-tolerant flowering houseplant. Brown leaf tips signal a care problem.
Open guide →Why these plants?
Field crops are chosen from Luke's 2025 crop area statistics. Garden crops are based on Luke's 2025 horticultural statistics and common home-garden plants. There is no official statistic on houseplant popularity: the selection is based on Martat's houseplant guides and common herbs. Home-growing plants (windowsill, balcony, terrace) come from our users' wish list; there is no popularity statistic for them either, and the guidance is based on Martat, the RHS and university extension services.
These are general guidelines. Always check the variety, seed packet or fertiliser instructions and current regulations.