Kitchen Gardening Ideas & Tips
Now the time is apt to try your hand at gardening. This new fun hobby can be intimidating at first but it can bean extremely rewarding habit to have in the long run.
With benefits such as eating healthy and clean and saving some money, gardening has seen a huge surge in terms of popularity with people even opting it as a professional thing.
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No Need To Bargain.. Make Vegetable Garden
Probably going into vegetable markets and fighting till the last penny with the vendors seems a little less alluring as compared to plucking fresh veggies from your own garden. And with the new virus scare safety comes first which would have you reaching for your trowel right now.
Use Kitchen Waste
Kitchen Gardens are technically created with kitchen waste and using kitchen waste water. For beginners or experts alike gardening starts from picking the correct location. An inferior location is bound to provide inferior quality of vegetables. Most veggies need sunlight of 6 to 8 hours but some may require equal amounts of shade as well.
A properly drained and tilled soil from which rocks or big stones are removed is essential. Choosing the right place with fewer chances of being trodden on or knocked over is a must, or areas which receive strong and harsh winds should be avoided when you plant saplings. Having raised beds is a sleek way to make your garden presentable; moreover it also improves drainage and warms the soil nicely.
Raised beds are known to provide a deep layer of soil increasing the yield up to four times and even saves the time of weeding as plants grow very closely giving negligible space for weeds to grow in. Soil should also be rounded up to form an arc saving planting space. Starting small is best the idea to be planted. Grow things which you know would be consumed for sure without many leftovers.
Home Vegetable Garden Ideas
The selection of vegetables to be grown can be a challenging task. Common productive plants are easy to grow and maintain. Choose veggies which are favoured in your family. Be realistic in planting how many vegetables are actually required. Plan your veggies according to the suitable season. In this time of the year tomato, brinjal, chillies, cucumber are considered best suited. Winter season favours growth of capsicum, spinach, carrot, onions etc.
Fresh, crisp peppers are a garden favourite summer vegetable, which actually take very little space and produce high yields. Now that the soil and air is warmed enough growing beans can be a fun. Continuously sowing beans for 8 to 10 days would not waste the crop yield. Tomatoes are sun soaking long growing vegetables which are generally transplanted rather than directly seeding in the garden. Tomatoes need care and caution as they are susceptible to pests and diseases.
So use rakes or support systems for their better productivity and health. Water generously and early in the morning to tomato saplings. Cucumbers would require space in your kitchen garden but bush cucumber plants can produce abundant of these cool and juicy delights. Growing okras in a soil which was earlier used for a nitrogen fixing crop such as peas can be beneficial.
These large leafed plants grow quickly under hot sun and are seldom attacked by pests or worms. Even corn growing is a gratifying option which can be grown in a small pot and cooked immediately after pulling the stalk. Basil or tulsi generally revered at our homes can be grown in late summers as is it needs the nourishment of the sun. Even curry leaves which are extensively known for their exquisite culinary uses are grown in summers.
Even these vegetable patches can be as much of a destination as any ornamental garden, enhancing the beauty of any corner naturally. Growing a mix of plants in a variety of colours gives a vibrant feel to the otherwise green foliage clusters. It increases the interest of the planter and catches the eye of the person observing. Using a variety of pots such as barrels, mugs, iron pots and painting them as bright canvasses gives kitchen gardens a new and more appealing look.
To help in our planting mission some applications are also available which come to our aid. One such interesting app listed on the play store was ‘Garden organizer’ – a tool which would help one in the well being of the kitchen garden. Detailed information is available for a large panel of vegetables and a moon calendar is a ready reckoner for tracking the growth of the plants following the moon cycle. Another one is ‘Gardroid’ which provides helpful tips tracking the progress of vegetables and a calendar for deciding the best harvesting season.
A kitchen garden gives us the liberty to grow our little space at a window sill, a patio, a balcony or in a container. Fitting a little world of our own and look at its progress as it gains momentum is a fulfilling experience. We grow attached to our leafy buds and nurturing them seems oddly satisfying, the fruits of which tend to be tastier than expected.
Apart from the pride and satisfaction we get when we dig into the fruits of our labour we also develop feelings of patience and greater consciousness which reduce anger and stress, keeping depression at bay. Utilizing peals and waste in compost makes us more environmentally responsible.
No longer can gardening be seen as an everyday chore, but rather as an investment into your health and well-being, kitchen gardens provide a solution to all of that.
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