The urban Indian population is growing day by day and with it the green corners and the natural landscapes are diminishing at a much faster pace. Creating a small urban garden on the terrace or an organic kitchen garden, can help you create your own small place of leisure, rejuvenation and freshness. Here are some secrets of creating an amazing urban garden on your own:
- 1. For the first time gardeners
The right type of soil, nutrients, weather conditions and accurate sunlight – all matters for a plant to nurture beautifully. If you are considering creating a vegetable garden, you can start with the easier ones like tomatoes and chillies. First time gardeners should considerably begin with seedlings instead of seeds. Your plant will also regularly require – up-keeping, pruning, de- bugging and harvesting. One must remember, that a plant takes its own time to grow and reproduce and the key to a beautiful garden is just, ‘patience’.
- Kitchen garden on a terrace
Why go to the vegetable vendor, when you can pick fresh veggies from your very own vegetable garden! From brinjal to tomatoes, chillies, coriander, lime, cabbage and everything else – you can easily grow all of them on a terrace. You can also grow radish, potatoes, carrots and other root veggies, but they are going to require more space than the former.
- Food for your plants
Adequate water and nutrient supply is a must requirement for your plant. For all the essential nutrients, preparing your own organic compost using vegetable leftovers may be the best for your plants, unless specifically required. The garden should be open to at least 6 hours of fixed sunlight and the plants should be watered twice a day in summers and once in winters. To save water, rain water harvesting should be encouraged during the monsoons. Adding water features in your garden also helps your garden look more sophisticated and cooler.
- Recycle waste or unused materials
Be creative and turn old paint tins or tires into a plant pot! This not only gives a rustic look to your garden, but also helps reduce junk in the environment.
If you do not have a terrace, it’s a feasible idea to use hanging pots in the balcony/wall instead. You can create hanging pots using paint tins and old cycle chains. Many orchids and leafy plants can grow superbly well in these pots.
