If you want to consume organic and unadulterated fruits and vegetables, starting a vegetable gardening at home would be the best option, as you will be assured of their quality and their source. It is a good way to save some bucks as well.
There are various types of kitchen gardening ways that you can consider for your garden like square foot gardening, hedge gardening, greenhouse gardening, indoor gardening, and raised gardening. You can practice these methods of gardening in a very economical range.
You definitely can count on various uses of kitchen garden. You would get fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables for your consumption. The kitchen garden would always act as an air purifier. It will also add to the aesthetic value of your place.
Let us walk through an ultimate guide to growing your own organic Vegetable Garden.
1. Where should you start kitchen gardening?
Gardening requires space, but do not get disheartened! The space in your balcony would suffice your desire. Yes, you can start a kitchen garden in balcony. You can manage the space by planting a kitchen garden in pots like hanging pots, wall planters, bookshelf planters, cans, buckets, baskets, drums, and traditional pots (mud pots).
You can also consider having your kitchen garden on terrace, as it would ensure sufficient sunlight and rain. The terrace would also provide enough space for growing different plants.
2. Getting started
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The first step should be a bit of research and thinking about what you would like to plant. Details like how much time it will take them to grow and harvest and what should be the procedure to go ahead with the project would be thought upon.
There are a few crops that are easy to grow like bitter gourd, brinjal, spinach, tomato, cucumber, pumpkin, snake gourd, and wheatgrass. You can try planting these.
3. Preparing the soil
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Soil is an essential component of gardening. You should start by testing the composition and acidity of the soil. You can do it either in an agricultural laboratory or by a personal kit.
The soil that is compatible with almost every veggie is the one with lot if compost and organic matter. Your chosen soil should not be sandy or compacted.
If the soil has the desired nutrients and humus, you do not have to experiment much with it. In case the situation is otherwise, use suitable manure and fertilizers.
Here is the nutrient rich soil mix for those who want to cut down the research and get started with their gardening jounery asap.
4. Making a good compost
This step would provide nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the required amount. It depends on what type of manure you would want to use and how do you want to culture your soil with it.
Organic compost can be made of cow dung, cow urine, kitchen waste, and vermicompost, but it will need some hard work. But Nurserylive can help you half the work required to make your own compost with our home compositing kit.
Home compost kit is an aerobic compost kit that converts your kitchen waste into compost. This kit is sufficient to handle waste generated by a family of 2-3 members. This easy to use compost kit allows you to turn your organic kitchen waste into fertilizer with sting-free process.
5. Choosing the right plants for your kitchen garden
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Every plant has a specific season. They are adaptable to certain weather conditions, and soil. So, when you do the research, choose plants suitable as per the climate of your area. It is always better to plant native species than some invasive/foreign species of fruits and vegetables.
Some plants are easy to grow by planting seeds like apple gourd (tinda), beetroot, bitter gourd, brinjal, carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, turnip, sweet corn, peas, squash, and cucumbers. For more options and ideas, you can check out Nurserylive’s Easy to Grow Seeds category.
6. Sowing Vegetable Seeds
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Group the plants that you will be harvesting, such as vegetables or herbs in beds. The best choice for this purpose is raised beds. This process of grouping leads to a reduction in weeding and wastage of water.
Grouping also helps you target compost and nutrients. It creates ample space between rows and facilitates air circulation, which repels fungal attacks.
Grouping plants also makes tending easier for a gardener. For this purpose, large rectangular planters can be used.
7. Watering
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The most important task after planting is watering. The best time for watering the plants is the morning hours as sunlight is not harsh, and the temperature is less, so water would evaporate slower and thus, last longer. In the evening, the water would log the whole night, increasing the chances of attack by pests and insects.
You should not apply water on the newly germinated seedlings as it can hamper their growth due to added pressure.
Kitchen gardening does not require much investment and the results are amazing. It is bound to give you abundant joy.
Have you been thinking of kitchen gardening for a while? Time is now. If you dream of walking in a garden which is healthy and organic; do not waste your time thinking. Begin your gardening journey right away!
Get your favourite vegetable seeds that you wanted to grow from Nurserylive and start gardening today!
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