Grow Your Own Veg in Containers or Pots

Who said vegetables only come from markets? Your balcony, porch and roof top are better sources of healthy vegetables!  

Growing fresh vegetables and herbs is a great way to save money at the grocery store and control what pesticides go into your body. Not everyone has a yard with room for a garden, and thousands live in apartments and in urban areas. That doesn’t mean you’re out of luck! You can still grow your own herbs and vegetables in containers on your deck, patio, or balcony and reap a healthy harvest of fresh food for your table.

Here's a step by step demonstration of how to grow vegetables in pots on your roof top, terrace, balcony and porch. It's easy and can be inexpensive if you use recycled materials and kitchen-made fertilizers.

 

Kitchen Gardening Tips:

Arrangement of Containers/ Pots

• The first step to putting plants in pots or pot arrangement is required.
• According to the size of clay pot you will get Rs 30 to Rs 150 approximately. If you want you can also choose a pot of a particular design for your garden.
• For growing vegetables, you do not need to put money into fancy expensive pots. The old buckets, paint buckets, old tubs and even plastic bottle are used to. The gardening plastic bag and even empty cement bags which only cost Rs 2 each and works well for root vegetables like radish, carrot and other veg's.
• Pot size should be the space you have just to be intact. Clay/terracotta pots are good candidates as long as they retain moisture however plastic pots can also used as they are cheap and handy.

The Seed/ Seedlings Seek

• Before planting, keep in mind how much space you have and how is the weather condition at your area.
• To begin with gardening try simple things first which are easy to grow.
• Initially you can grow basil, mint, coriander, curry leaves, chili, tomato and lemon grass. These can be grown easily and does not need much sunlight to thrive, they can be placed in living room or near a kitchen window.
• For growing these vegetables and herbs seed or seedlings can buy from the local nurseries and near-by shops.
• I would suggest to buy seedlings from the local shop instead of starting a seed as a beginner. firstly it is easy to start with and you will also save lots of time. 

The Potting Soil/ Mix (Key of Success)

• Garden soil is just too heavy when growing in pots. The normal garden soil does not work well for containers because it is compact in pot which causes air flow, cause for derange issue.
• The potting mix is available in the primary shop in Main Cities but it is too expensive. I would not recommend spending money on this once you have just starting a gardening.
• Here is a simple and cheap way to create your own Potting mix and you will get the good result. Take 1:1:1:1 ratio of Garden soil, Compost, Sand (River banks the silver coloured one) and Cow manure, mix it well and you are ready to go. If you want you can use Coco peat as well into the mixture.
• The Compost made from manure or litter, you can buy from nurseries or create yourself.

How to Plant the Plant in Containers/ Pots

• Cover the drainage holes at the base of the new container with pieces of broken clay pot to maintain good drainage.
• Fill the pot mixture of soil and compost and plant the plant in it, ensuring that the top of the root ball ends up just slightly below the rim of the new pot.
• Third of the pot should be empty, so the water flows out on putting it out to be top soil and compost.
• Water thoroughly using a watering can or hosepipe.
• Put in a semi shaded area until it will get established and then put in a sunny area.

Red Cheery Tomato is ready to harvest

How to make your own Compost

• It is extremely easy to prepare and it is also the best results. The kitchen is the most important fertilizer for garden compost preparation, in which plants are the most nutrition. You do not need to buy anything separately. The resulting organic waste from your kitchen to convert fertile soil.
• If you have a space then to dig a deep hole in the ground or else take a large clay pot. Put it under a thick layer of soil. Add vegetables and fruits, soft skin and pulp coming out of the kitchen. If this waste is too wet, add the dried leaves or newspapers. Put a thick layer of top soil cover. Repeat the process to fill the hole or pot.
• Wait until the mixture is reduced to a third of the part. This process takes approximately two to three months. Now put this into another pot covered with dry leaf in a dry location. In 10-15 days it will ready to use. For growing vegetables and fruits mixed with soil to use it. Keep repeating the process for making compost.

In my next blog I will discuss about the Making your own organic pesticide, Routine care, Gardening Tools must have, Easy growing Vegetables and more. Till then Happy Gardening to All!!

Thanks to Team ABC Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday.

to be continued ...