We all are quite familiar with the term 'garden' which usually implies towards the plants and flowers which are used for the adornment of the exterior of your house and also, for many people it is an avocation. Coming to the point, a kitchen garden is a garden which has plants and fruits which are grown for the purpose of consumption and their use in foods. The wonderplace of food is the kitchen in our homes, hence this garden serves as an aid for that wonderplace. Kitchen gardens also make your life a little easier as you don't have loiter here and there in search of veggies. One can encourage kids in starting their own kitchen garden which will in turn boost their morale and motivate them too.
Kitchen planting - steps to start your own Kitchen Garden at Home
1. Right timing
Now suppose that you are a tyro in this field of kitchen gardening and you set up a kitchen garden in the winter season not keeping in mind the crops that grow in that particular season. Consequences? Lower confidence since you will not get desired results which might further hinder you from setting up a kitchen garden again.
2. Layout
'Its all about the looks' runs an adage, your kitchen garden is not going to serve just one purpose, it can become the centre of attraction of your house provided you plan its layout in an ingenious way. You need to workout the best design which will suit your place. One can also mix vegetables and fruits while growing them according to colour combinations to give the spectator a 'visual treat'.
3. Choosing the best spot
We all are aware of the fact that different plants have different requirements in their sun exposure periods as well. There are certain short day plants which do not require much sun exposure while there are also certain long day plants which require ample sun exposure. Also there are many indoor plants which require sunny corners of your home like aloe vera, snake plants etc. so put such plants there according to the requirements. So, here's the point, you need to keep in mind the spacing as well as the placing of your kitchen garden plants so that seeds can germinate successfully to the best of their full potential.
To establish your own kitchen garden at home you will need the following:
1. Open and sunny area:
If you live in an independent house then this might be a lot easier for you, but if you live in an apartment, which most of us do, then you will have to ponder a little, searching for an ideal spot where you can have your garden is a vital step. Most people prefer to have their kitchen garden in a balcony but if you have space issues then you can set up a vertical kitchen garden or a terrace kitchen garden as well. It is more sustainable and just enhances the overall look as well. You will have to keep in mind that the spot you have chosen for your kitchen garden receives ample sunlight.
2. Protection from wind:
You do not want to get your fragile plants damaged by the harsh wind blowing during the monsoon season. A permeable barrier such as fence or netted window shall suffice here.
3. Fertile soil:
Different plants have different requirements for soil as well ,but the fertility of the soil plays a vital role since the soil has to be nutrient rich so that the plant is supplied with the nutrients required for its growth. Use of fertilizers too is advised but chemical fertilizers, on the face of it protect crop from weed but they have certain side effects which might affect the health of the consumer adversely.
The most important thing here would be taking ample care of soil, surroundings and cleanliness so that your garden does not look like a dumping ground.
4. Vegetables to grow
Next and the most important point in the establishment of a kitchen garden is the choice of vegetables. If you're a tyro in this field of kitchen gardening, then you can choose the veggies which are easier to grow. You should also make careful decisions about the kitchen garden pots if you are growing your vegetables in pots so as to suit the spacing demands of your vegetables.
10 vegetables for kitchen garden
1. Chilli
Chilli seeds can be procured from dried chillies in your kitchen. Press the chilli seeds gently into a pre soaked potting mix and cover them gently with clay or mulch. One point to be noted is that you have to reduce the frequency of watering once flowers begin to appear.
2. Brinjal
Brinjal is one of the easiest veggies to grow in your kitchen garden. The potting mix for brinjal seeds is prepared by mixing 30% soil,20% cocopeat, 20% sand and 10% neem powder. For nutrition, you can add a handful of banana peels to the plant once a week.
3. Coriander
Take the coriander seeds and gently press them to break the seeds and soak these seeds overnight. Then spread the seeds on the pre prepared potting mix and then gently cover them with clay/mulch. Upon sprouting from the kitchen garden seed of coriander, you can spray them with diluted buttermilk fortnightly.
4. Tomato
Sow the tomato seeds in the potting mix at equal distance to one another and sprinkle with water post sowing them. One should add a handful of compost weekly in the soil in order to improve the yield.
5. Bitter gourd
Sow bitter gourd seeds in a nutrient rich soil. Since it is a creeper, you will have to dig sticks into the soil to support it. In order to avoid chances of infection, you should remove the leaves near the plant base.
6. Cucumber
To sow cucumber seeds, you should make depressions of about 5 mm depth. And the soil should always be moist. This plant requires a direct sun exposure of about 6-8 hours per day.
7. Mint
It is grown by cutting of the stems and then planting them into the soil
8. Spinach
Spinach (palak) seeds require well drained soil enriched with organic compost for growth. Spacing in spinach should be around 1- 1.5 feet (between rows of seeds). It requires partial shade as well
9. Radish
A well drained red potting soil is required for growing radish seeds. Spacing required is 1 inch. Water regularly and add vermi compost once a week.
10. Capsicum
Strict watering schedule has to be maintained. For initial sowing of capsicum seeds, you can use a seedling tray.
About Urja seeds
At Urja Seeds, we provide a huge variety of kitchen garden seeds online at quite affordable prices. Our huge variety and good quality of vegetable seeds, flower seeds, micro green seeds and exotic seeds will help you in having a beautiful home garden. So start your vegetable garden now and have healthy veggies daily in your meals.
FAQs
Q1: Is pre soaking of seeds necessary?
Ans: Though not necessary, pre soaking just decreases the time period of germination.
Q2: How long does it take for capsicum to produce fruit?
Ans: It takes around 60 days for capsicum to produce fruit.