How To Create A Kitchen Garden In Your Mumbai Home

So far, everything has gone well.

I'm afraid of urban farmers, often referred as kitchen gardeners. They are only second to my mother in recognising my unlimited sloth and excessive reliance on e-commerce. "Why bother growing your own produce when you can get it in a Big Basket?" I've tried several times to reason with my Maa. It's as if you're speaking to a brick wall. However, the urban farming team has taken over in recent years.

Even though apartments in major cities are obscenely small, individuals are enthusiastic about finding space to cultivate herbs, microgreens, and veggies. In Old Monk bottles, takeaway containers, and pots that were once showpieces. It's a message. After all, the existing kitchen gardens have found a way to point at us and smirk, "Told you so," with the Coronavirus outbreak. Now that we've decided not to order takeout, it would have been much easier to produce our own vegetables in our own kitchen, balcony, or porch.

So, if you've been thinking of growing your own food, Priyanka Amar Shah, a nature activist with IKheti, believes it's never too late. "All you have to do is start small." "Start with herbs for rapid results, then move on to vegetables like tomatoes, lady fingers, and so on," she advises.

Decide the crop and pot:

The type of seed you choose is determined by two primary factors: the quantity of space you have and the amount of sunshine you have. Simple herbs, microgreens, and veggies are the three types of crops. Curry leaves, lemongrass, pudina, and ajwain are among the most common Indian plants, whereas peppermint and Italian basil are more exotic. These don't require as much upkeep as veggies and are easier to harvest. You'll need containers or pots that are at least 6-10 inches in diameter. You may also recycle old plastic bottles. Microgreens are young plants or little leafy vegetable shoots. Microgreen forms of spinach, mustard, and methi are available, and they are often more nutritious than their full-grown counterparts.

These require even less sunlight than herbs, and results can be seen in as little as two weeks. Microgreens require a depth of 2-3 inches, regardless of the diameter of the pot. Tomatoes, chilies, and eggplant, for example, demand greater expertise in terms of upkeep and harvesting. You'll also need more patience because they can take months to bear fruit. The size of your pots is critical and directly proportional to the amount of product you'll be producing. A container with a diameter of at least 12 inches is required. If you're new to the scene, it's best to start with microgreens or herbs, as quicker results will encourage you to grow your kitchen garden. If you choose micro greens, you may start your garden without leaving the house because plastic containers and mustard and methi seeds are widely available.

Make the soil mix:

Getting the right soil mix — cocopeat, red soil, and compost — is only the first step toward a productive kitchen garden. Cocopeat, which is made from coconut husk, is useful for retaining moisture and regulating soil temperature. For a zero-waste approach to kitchen gardening, try composting at home. When you decide to go for a few days without delegating watering tasks to anyone, the coconut husk will safeguard your plant. It also aids in aeration and lightens the soil.

Help them grow:

Watering, trimming, and harvesting are all part of the maintenance process, as is insect control. You must master all of them in order to be the appropriate kind of pothead.

Watering:

Overwatering kills more plants than not enough water. And the majority of people overwater their plants. When we're gardening, our overcompensating tendencies are amplified. Plant roots decay as a result of overwatering. It's difficult to bring them back to life. Dry leaves will begin to wither, but with enough water, they will come back to life.

Keeping a stone on the soil is the best practise. Look at the pebble's bottom surface to see if it's wet. If so, you can forego watering the plant for a day, and a dry pebble indicates the plant's hydration requirements.

Trimming:

If you thought your Dadi was joking when she mentioned that the quality of hair and leaves improves with each round of trimming, you're mistaken; she's totally correct. The importance of trimming the leaves at regular intervals is critical for the plant's growth.

In addition to trimming, providing the proper nutrients is critical. Fertilizing the plant every three months is required for growing veggies. Because the fertiliser is washed away when the plants are watered.You can begin composting your wet waste and using it as a source of important nutrients in your kitchen garden. You can also use teabags and egg shells if you don't have any on hand. It's always a good idea to use dried cow manure.

Harvesting:

While you can harvest herbs and micro greens at any time of year, you must be more cautious while growing vegetables. To acquire the best output, follow the seasonal crop rotation cycle and harvest properly.

Pest management:

There will be weeds and pests sooner or later if there are pots. Buy neem oil from your local drugstore to combat these excesses. It should be diluted with water and a small amount of soap. As a preventative strategy, spray the mixture once a month. If the bugs have already established a territory, throw in some red chilli powder or crushed garlic with the neem and spray it on the plant.

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