Author: menaka bharathi

Watering your organic terrace garden doesn’t mean that you pour some water to the plants and forget them, there is more to it. You need to know when exactly you need to water and when not.

Keeping the soil or the potting mixture moist is a prerequisite, but how you achieve it is also important. Each type of gardening requires a different type of watering technique. In terrace gardening, watering is mainly done effectively through the following self -watering containers, sprinkler or drip irrigation system.

Watering Container Garden

When you grow organic vegetable in terrace using containers, the best option would be the ‘Self-watering’ containers. It is a new gardening concept. In these containers, the drainage holes are replaced by overflow holes.

Excess water gets collected in a collector through the overflow holes. This water can later be recycled again so that the nutrients and water don’t go waste.

The container where the plants grow sits on a perforated platform above a water reservoir. Roots of the plants grow through this medium. Extra water and nutrients get collected in the reservoir, which can be re-cycled. In this technique, water and nutrients are not wasted.

Drip Irrigation

The basic concept of drip irrigation was formed to efficiently save almost 80% of water which was wasted as part of flood irrigation. There are lots of methods to implement the drip irrigation in your organic terrace vegetable garden.

Drip irrigation can be done even using a wick and a bottle. But the concept remains the same – Gradual outflow of water.

Planning is very important in Drip irrigation. The watering needs of each plant, its exposure to heat and light, and soil types should be taken into account while constructing drip irrigation. The drip tubes are laid all around the garden to supply water to plants. Installation of micro-sprinkler heads or porous pipe (the most common and cheapest) or evenly spaced emitters is done based on the gardening requirements.

The advantage of Drip Irrigation is that it can also be automated.

Also read

Trapping The Insects That Attack Your Organic Vegetable Garden Using Insect Traps

Sprinkler

Use of sprinkler is limited in terrace gardening because it would be wasted on the terrace, however if you are planning to convert larger areas of your terrace into organic terrace vegetable garden, sprinkler can be used.

You tend to use less water and keep the soil moist throughout.

General Care Tips

• Watering the plants is a “must” activity. During summer, plants need to be watered twice and during winter, the soil has to be checked for moisture content before watering. Checking for moisture can be done by pressing the soil with the back of your hands. During rains, watering is a big no-no.

• Water-proofing must be done to the terrace prior to terrace gardening. This will avoid any leakage into the building during watering of plants. There are PVC polymerized sheets available for effective water proofing.

• There should be proper slope to drain the water for the healthy growth of the plants. A proper drainage system should be designed so that even during heavy rains the water percolates to the base of the system.

• Irrigation is required in places where water should reach deep inside so that roots can absorb it before the water is lost in evaporation.

• Some plants like onion and potato need to be watered only at certain times, over watering these crops may lead to lead development and you may end up getting no vegetables.

Quick DIY Organic Pesticides You Can Make At Home For Your Organic Vegetable Garden

When you speak of organic vegetable garden, you need to make sure that you do not use any kind of chemical, even when you know your vegetable is being attacked, instead you can trap those insects using insect traps.

In fact traps in organic farms give you the first indication of the presence of pest in the fields, in your vegetable garden, pests would not be in huge numbers as they would be in a farm. Hence trapping them itself will effectively control them.

There are many types of traps you can use, which are mainly classified into two types.

1. Passive traps – These traps do not have any kind of luring components. examples – Pit Fall traps, ground Sticky traps, water traps, flight interception traps.
2. Active Traps – These traps use some kind of components like colour, pheromones, size and so on to lure the insect towards them. examples are pheromone trap, light trap, fly trap and so on.

Lets see these traps one by one so that you can decide upon the ones you can use in your organic vegetable garden.

1. Pheromone Trap

Pheromones are chemicals that are secreted by insects to attract and stimulate one gender or all gender of its kind. Thus you know which insect you specifically are targeting.

For example the pheromones of armyworm or cutworm when placed in the vicinity of your vegetable crops easily attract the females and prevent them from multiplying further.

Advantages of Pheromone Traps

• They are affordable 
• easy to install
• non toxic
• can be used for long periods

2. Light Traps

Light Traps are  used to monitor the activity of quite a huge range of insect species.  When there is no known pheromone for a species of insects, light traps are the next option.

They are best for nocturnal insects.

They are not selective of insects and hence may harm the advantageous insects too, that why I generally do not personally recommend light traps.

Advantages of light trap

• Easy to construct and deploy
• Not easily damaged (by beetles)

Quick DIY Organic Pesticides You Can Make At Home For Your Organic Vegetable Garden

3. Pitfall Traps

Pitfall traps are made by digging the soil and placing a container in it. the container remains open so that the crawling insetcs fall into it. You can make you own pitfall trap using plastic bottle.

Fill half the bottle with detergent and water and place well equal to the surface of soil so that insects get fooled to fall into them and not walk around the surface.

eg for ground beetles.

4. Bait Traps

Fruit flies, the ones which generally pester us in summers is best caught by bait traps.

PE-bottles with small holes can be half-filled with water, some cattle urine, fruit flesh or a small dead fish and a drop of detergent or soapy water.

You can hand these bottles in trees and check once in 3 days.

5. Shelter Traps

Shelter Traps provide a cool, moist and dark refugee for the night loving insects. They are easy to install and work best to estimate and eliminate pests like slugs.

You can deploy more number of these shelter traps along your organic vegetable garden so that you would have easy minimisation of pests.

6. Sticky Traps

For aphids and leafhoppers, you can easily for for the sticky traps. These traps are mostly yellow cards coated with adhesive. For thrips – blue cards are used and for white flies yellow orange cards are used.

Where do you buy these cards, well I for one would always say go to the nearest government agricultural department office, you have provisions for all these. If there is an Agricultural University near you, that will be the best place to get guidance for the same.

Protecting Organic Terrace Garden- From Pest, Disease and More

Out-Jump Your Nutritional Intake – Microgreens – Do You Know Them

You have been explained on how to control pests naturally using different methods, here is the DIY Organic Pesticides that you can safely use on y our organic vegetables.

Natural and DIY organic pesticides not only keeps your family safe from poisoning but also gets rid of harmful critters which affect the crops.

Nothing like having a home garden to understand and appreciate the trials and tribulations of farmers who grow our food.

Don’t you think it would be quite an experience to put food on the table from our own home garden which are free from pesticides and conventional fertilizers?

In fact using the chemicals harm quite a lot of beneficial insects which otherwise act as our friends too.

Here are some homemade pesticides that use ingredients directly from your kitchen shelf, they will not only boost the resistance of your plants but also safeguard them from insects.

1. Oil Spray As Organic Insecticide

This insecticide made from neem or pungamia oil can have a devastating effect on troublesome insects, such as aphids, mites, thrips, etc.

To make this one needs to mix 1 cup of oil with 1 tablespoon of soap and shake thoroughly. When ready to apply, add 2 teaspoons of oil spray mix with 1 quarter of water, shake properly and spray directly on the surfaces of plants which are affected by insects. This oil coats the bodies of the insects and suffocates them as it blocks the pores through which they breathe.

Neem oil acts as a hormone disruptor and is a powerful natural insecticide which disputes the life cycle of insects at all stages. These are extracted from the seeds of the need tree which is biodegradable and also acts a natural fungicide that can combat any fungal infection affecting the plants.

You can buy a sprayer like the one below

Panchi Garden Pressure Sprayer Pump 1.5 Liters (Color May Vary)

2. Soap Spray As Organic Insecticide

To make this soap spray insecticide you need to mix 1 ½ teaspoons of a milk soap with 1 quart of water. This mixture can be sprayed directly on the infected surfaces of the plants and works in the same manner as an oil spray insecticide. You need to apply it in the evening or early mornings and not during the hot sunny part of the day.

3. Garlic Insecticide Spray

The pungency in garlic acts as a natural insecticide and helps to knock out insect infestations in the garden.

Take 2 whole clove and puree them in a blender by adding a small amount of water. The mixture needs to sit overnight.

Strain the liquid in a jar, add 1 teaspoon of liquid soap for a quarter of jar of the garlic liquid and add enough water to full the jar.

4. Chilli – Your Own Natural Insect Repellent

You can use fresh chillies or chilli powder for this.

Mix 1 tablespoon of chilli powder with 1 litre of water and few drops of mild liquid soap.

To prepare chilly spray from fresh chilli peppers blend 1/2 cup of peppers with 1 cup of water. Bring it to boil by adding 1 litre of water; once cooled strain out, add a few drops of liquid soap and spray as desired.

5. Mixed Organic Insecticide Spray

Take a couple of cloves of garlic, one small onion and 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, puree it with some water. Let it steep for an hour.

Strain and add 1 tablespoon of liquid soap, make the solution to 1 litre by adding more water. To get better results you should spray this on the upper surface of the leaves as well as the undersides too.

6. Tomato Leaf As A Natural Insecticide

Tomato plants contain alkaloids which is a natural insecticide which can control aphids and other insects. Chop 2 cups of fresh tomato leaves into 1 litre of water and leave it overnight. Strain and start spraying onto plant foliage.

Your growing your own vegetables journey is half way through, all details from how to start an organic vegetable garden to how to choose your veggies and designing the terrace garden and even the time of sowing chart are being explained in detail.

Keep reading for more details on the same in this #atozchallenge

So now that you are getting trained to become a good urban gardener, your next thought would be going about protecting organic terrace garden.

You need to have a basic understanding when we speak of pests and diseases – it is natural to have them around us. In our ecosystem, they exist with us and will not cause too much harm if we do not disturb them.

Protection per se means to protect – however here you have to cover 3 different aspects of protection.

1. Protection from pests
2. Protection from Diseases
3. Post Harvest Protection.

Since we are here dealing with growing your own food, post harvest protection does not play any major role. Because what we produce, we consume, no storing for long periods.

Protection From Pests and Diseases – The Organic Way

In organic vegetable farming, the first thing we need to know is – controlling pests and diseases is a blanket approach and has to be done as a wholesome package. Here is how you do it.

1. Healthy Soil

You need to start from using a healthy soil – I prefer adding neem cake to the potting mixture, which is both nutritive and keeps soil safe from pest attack.

Make sure the potting mixture is prepared in the right manner and you are not unknowingly harbouring any pests and diseases.

2. Healthy Seed

This is the second most important point. Purchase good seeds, I always prefer buying seeds from the government horticulture department. Every district in India has a supply of seeds, you can buy from them or if you are anywhere near an agricultural college, that is the best place for buying some best seeds.

One of my friends asked about online seeds – I cannot vouch for others, but at SIM Organics I personally would guarantee quality seeds, if found otherwise it shall be replaced. You can buy by mailing here

3. Crop Rotation

If you are growing the same vegetable in the same pot year after year, you would be inviting all the pests and diseases associated with it. Always change the veggies, make a chart of what you are going to plant and when and then proceed.

I would suggest simple rotation of

Legume ⇒ Root Vegetable ⇒ Fruit Vegetable 

4. Maintain Good Hygiene

It is not enough to keep the garden area or container clean, you also need to take proper care of the tools you use. Maintain proper hygiene to make sure you accidentally do not induce pests or diseases.

5. Keep Soil Aerated

Tilling soil in a timely manner is very important to make your soil free of pests and diseases. Make it a practice of turning the top soil around the crop whenever you can.

6. Timely Sowing

We have spoken about off season crops and their harvest, however you should understand that this may cause some pest attack. Be ready to face sudden (unknown) pest / disease attack during offseason.

7. Barriers

You can use nets that protect your veggies from monkeys and birds. Use some water barriers if you find too much ants spoiling your vegetables and herbs. I particularly see this in the mint plant. Lots of ants around the plant sucking off the leaves of the juicy and tasty mint extract.

8. Plant Companion Crops

Some plants have the natural deterrent effect on pests and diseases, such as the chrysanthemum and the marigold. Keep a row of these and you get the benefit of both beauty of flowers plus their natural insecticidal effect. Well, we call this the border crop though, which invites the pests to themselves – oh! yeah!

Companion crops on other hand are the ones like onion and carrot, where onion inhibits the advance of any pest on carrot.

9. Traps

Traps for insect pests and some microbes too work very well.

Mix equal quantities of hardwood sawdust, bran, molasses and enough water to make the solution sticky. Spread around the base of the plants in the evenings. The molasses attract the cutworms and as they try to pass through it they get stuck. The substance dries out in the sun and the pest dies.

Spread this bait around the plant and the cutworm dies, many other traps are possible (Hey I got a title to my T post).

You have light traps, fly traps, pheromone traps and so on, which I shall be explaining soon.

10. Biological Control

Our scientists have successfully found out many enemies of common pests. So we use the -enemy to enemy = Friend formula here.

We culture the biological enemy and introduce in our terrace to keep the pests away.

eg Control of Cabbage caterpillars: Baciilus thuringiensis

Farmer friendly kits of biological control agents are available in agricultural departments, which you can easily avail.

11. Natural Pesticide

If you do not find all the above 10 methods useful you can make a quick DIY natural pesticide at home.

I have this lined up for tomorrow, yet here is an example for your understanding

A solution can be made from marigold using water and soap. The liquid acts as a crop strengthener to help potatoes, beans, tomatoes and peas resist blight, mildew and other fungal diseases. It also repels aphids, caterpillars and flies. Garlic spray is particularly good against army worms, Colorado Beetle, False codling moth, Khapra beetle, Mexican bean beetle and Imported cabbage worm. Garlic can also kill nematodes if soil or batches of soil are drenched with garlic liquid.

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Have you heard of microgreens?

No, I am not talking about the green leafy vegetables.

Microgreens –  They have nothing to do with microbes, however you would be left amazed at the nutrient value they offer to your general health.

I can never overstress the knowledge of our tradition makers, in Tamilnadu and in Chhattisgarh too there is this custom of growing seedlings during temple festivities.

These 14 days old seedlings are the hot and happening microgreens that we are going to have a look at today.

The Tiny-Fication and MicroGreens

As a change in food, we have slowly come to accept the tiny-fication of many vegetables we consume – baby lettuce, baby squash, oh yes!baby corn and so on. Not alone are these baby sizes preferred for their cute look but also their size makes them more easily consumable and tasty too.

Now, is the time of these juvenile plants.

Hmm, so you are thinking I am speaking of sprouts (may be in a different language) well, no, I really am speaking of 7 to 15 days old plants. They are so small and young that they are called Microgreens.

What Is So Special

For one, these tiny plants contain all the frangrance, flavors and also the taste of the plant they are going to become.

Secondly – in about just 14 days they are so hugely filled with nutrients you would do anything to get.

A research conducted by USDA by Gene Lester, and his colleagues at University of Maryland, College Park, have confirmed that the microgreens actually are packed with nutrients.

The researchers looked at four groups of vitamins and other phytochemicals – including vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene — in 25 varieties of microgreens. They found that leaves from almost all of the microgreens had four to six times more nutrients than the mature leaves of the same plant.

and Thirdy – you could use them to garnish anything from Indian soups to Chinese food to Italian pizzas. They go with everything, just as the vegetable does.

Nutritional Information 

Microgreens are found to be the actual nutrient hub of vegetables. The studies are in their begining phases and yet they have been so positive.

In the paper published in ARS Magazine Gene Lester claims that the total vitamin C content ranged from 20 to 147 milligrams (mg) per 100 grams of cotyledon fresh weight, depending on which plant species was being tested. The amounts of the carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, and violaxanthin ranged from about 0.6 mg to 12.1 mg per 100 grams of fresh weight.

Red Cabbage 

In the microgreen stage red cabbage has 6 times more vitamin C, 40 times more vitamin E and 69 times more vitamin K

Cilantro 

Higher carotenoids, lutein/zeaxanthin and violaxanthin and almost a times higher beta-carotene

Amaranthus 

Highest in vitamin K1 compared to other juvenile plants

Radish 

Highest in vitamin E compared to other microgreens

Lettuce 

Highest concentration of antioxidants and phenolic compounds.

Sunflower 

Packed with protein, it has 24 to 30 percent more protein than its grown counterpart.

How To Go About It

Now that you have understood the nutritional value, begin growing your own microgreens.

• Take a shallow container, fill in the potting mixture that is prepared as I have explained earlier.
• Water lightly, and spread seeds of your favorite veggie.
• Add another layer of potting mixture – small layer would do, just to keep too much light from penetrating in.
• Close the container or tray and let it rest in dark for a day, then after you see the seeds sprouted you can put it in your window sill where you feel you get the best sunlight.

I know many of you have been repeatedly worried about not having space for growing even vertically, this is your chance to eat nutritionally.

Well, if you still find it difficult, you can buy microgreens from SIM Organics, we are just a mail away.

However, seeing the ease of growing microgreens I would strongly recommend you to grow them.

Mulching – the term used to cover the soil that is around the plant in your organic garden is becoming more and more important in terms of helping you save water (which is the most important need of the day) and also nutrients from getting wasted.

Mulches help soil retain moisture in summer, prevent weeds from growing and protect the roots of plants in winter.

What Is Mulching

There are certain herbs that you should not be without, I would say they are must haves herbs in your organic kitchen garden.

In Indian Tradition, everything from celebrations to pooja and even your day – Begins with herbs. In fact, the early morning ritual of taking the round aroung Tulsi (Basil) plant and watching the Sun is something many cannot live without.

We even celebrate marriage of Tulsi plant (Tulsi or Basil is considered to be Maa lakshmi). That much is the importance of herbs in India.

So are you ready to know what herbs you should have in your organic kitchen garden.

1. Basil

Okay, so I have bragged a lot about Tulsi / Basil. Basically there are three different kinds of Tulsi varities, we call them Karum Tulasi, Nai Tulasi and Tulasi.

You would want to grow the original Tulasi in your homes, though having all the three would be recommended.

You can grow Basil/Tulsi from seeds, the plant grows almost n any environment, just show some love and you can easily have her in the washing area of your flat.

If you do not get the seeds, just break a small stalk of the plant and plant it in your pot, it will take a little longer, but the hardy plant grows well soon.

Tulsi as you must already have known has a number of medicinal properties such as anti-arthritic, topical antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and insect repellent.  When eaten, Basil provides us healthy doses of vitamins A, K, and C, as well as magnesium, iron, potassium, and calcium.

So now you must know why our forefathers chose Tulsi to be given as prasad in the temples.

Expert Tip : Knip off the flower buds as and when they occur to induce more leaf growth.
Get seeds here

Sweet Genovese Basil Organic 100 seeds pack by Go Green

2. Coriander

I know no house runs without coriander (well, some have switched to cilantro though).

The seeds of coriander have to be broken before sowing, in fact I would recommend a brief period of soaking the broken seeds to enhance germination.

How do you break the coriander seeds?

Best is use your slippers/floaters. Hold it in your hand, spread the seeds on the ground and rub them tight and fast.You can get the seeds broken into halves. Now the broken halve is ready for germinating into a new plant.

Soak the broken seeds for a few hours and then sow them in your poly bags or earthen pots.

Make sure to sow some seeds every 15 days, this will keep your supply of coriander all the time you need it.

Coriander has very high vitamin C and is a good blood cleanser. It also has antioxidant properties and helps in reducing blood sugar levels and stress on liver and pancreas. I make sure to drink one full glass of coriander water which is prepared from coriander and jeera – boiled in water.

It not only energises, but also makes sure to detox the system. Get your seeds here

Corainder leaves seeds pack of 3

3. Mint

I can never be without mint, the aroma of mint in itself is a great alluring factor. Mint leaves can be grown in any season and any condition. Just break a small stalk of the plant and plant in your earthen pot.

It spreads well and grows giving out the minty odour to the air.

Mint is good to clear sinus congestion, soothe a headache, relax you after a hard day, or help you to stay alert without feeling wound up.  The natural oils in peppermint act as a digestive aid, help to relieve menstrual cramps.

You can use the mint leaves in all non veg preparations – of course your Biriyani will not be the same without mint leaves and also prepare welcome drink and desserts out of them.

Divya Seedsmint Culinary Imported Herb, 50 Seeds ,1 Pack

4. Lemon Grass

Lemon grass is a perennial grass and grows well in India, so once you plant this grass it is enough to let you keep harvesting for years together. The distinct aroma of lemon grass would keep you elated and de-stressed.

Lemon grass is rich in vitamin A, B complex and C. The main component of lemongrass is lemonal or citral, which has anti-fungal and antimicrobial qualities, while also providing a distinct lemony smell.

Lemongrass helps in cleansing and flushing harmful toxic wastes out of the body, as a result of its diuretic properties. Detoxification helps in better regulation of various organs of the body, including the liver and kidney, while also helping to lower the levels of uric acid. It helps in maintaining the healthy levels of triglycerides in our body and also reduces LDL cholesterol.

With lemon grass you could safely say no to the steroids used for the same. You can buy Lemon grass seeds here

Lemon Grass, 50 seeds by Seedscare ( 1 garden seeds packet )

5. Rosemary

Having a rosemary plant around is most helpful in keeping your stress levels low. The fragrance it self enhances your mood and helps in keeping you calm.

In this fast paced world and competitive work environment, it is important that you have to  have rosemary in your drawing room or your balcony where you spend some time relaxing.

The active components in rosemary are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic in nature.

It also is good for stomach ailments like stomach infections and relieves pain. It is a good mouth freshner too. You also would be surprised to know that rosemary boosts the production of red blood cells in your body. It is great for many newer diseases these days caused by new viruses.

You can buy rosemary seeds here

Biocarve Herb Rosemary – Pack of 50 seeds

6. Thyme

Thyme is a good source of antioxidant vitamin A which is beneficial to eye, skin, hair, and nail health.  It  is also anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antibiotic.

You can make thyme-infused tea for an effective natural remedy against colds, coughs, and sore throats. Rinse your scalp with a thyme-infused rinse to treat dandruff and other scalp conditions which may cause hair loss.

You can easily blend thyme with parsely, onion, garlic and ginger.

Go Green Thyme Flower -30 Seeds

7. Brahmi – Indian Pennywort

If you don’t have Brahmi at home, go get some seeds as fast as you can. There are so many benefits of Brahmi not alone for your hair, but also for your overall health.

For Hair Brahmi – Reduces hair fall, treats split ends, prevents dandruff.

How to use for hair ?

• Make a paste out of fresh brahmi leaves and massage it onto your scalp. Leave it on for 15 minutes and wash it.

• Make a mixture of brahmi, amla and henna powder with water into a fine paste.  Apply this mixture onto your scalp once you’ve had a head massage with coconut or olive oil. Leave it on for half an hour and wash well. This herbal pack is great for increasing hair growth.

See guava leaves for hair growth too.

Other Benefits

• Brahmi also makes your skin healthy and fair.
• Treats insomnia
• treats Alzheimer
• Enhances memory

GOTU KOLA (BRAHMI) LIVE PLANT

8. Aloe Vera

I am trying to keep this post short, however I really can’t stop from writing about Aloe Vera.

Aloe Vera is very good for your digestive organs and soothes any difficulty in your tummy. There are so many other benefits of Aloe Vera and I am just listing them here, because I really cant write them fully here.

1. Has Anti aging property.
2. Helps to moisturize skin.
3. Treats Acne and lighten blemishes.
4. Treats sunburns and reduces Tans.
5. Helps to reduce strech marks
6. Helps hair growth
7. Hhelps in reducing dandruff
8. Is a good hair conditioner.

Aloe Vera – Plant

The list is more exhaustive, like you could grow your own curry leaves, onion, garlic, ginger, sage and so on. I shall come up with another list soon.

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You now know a lot about how to go about growing organic vegetables in your terrace or garden. Lets know what trees are suitable for your terrace.

Know The Fruit Trees That Can Grow On Your Terrace Garden

After knowing how much toxin is being fed to you in the name of fruits and vegetables, it is high time you choose to grow them in your own garden.

Growing fruits in your garden may sound difficult and tricky, but believe me, it is not so. Some of the problems you face while growing fruit trees are

1. Finding the right container
2. Long periods of harvest
3. Knowing the right height and width to maintain
4. Plant protection

Container For Growing Fruit Trees

I would always say, go for the cheapest option available when it comes to trees. Earthen Pots are best and I am one great fan of them. However you need a pot that is atleast 1 x 1 feet in diameter and height.

If a little larger it would be even better.

So y advice is to go for the plastic bins that are available in the hardware stores or ust speak to your local water can supplier or the milk supplier. They can provide you with these types of drums at a very low price. Something like the image below.

Or You can always buy our high density polythene bags which are durable and easy to carry around.

The complete kit of HDPE bags – 20 in number, fruit seeding material, coir pith, vermicompost, plant protection organics, equipment and organic fertilizer comes at 4000 INR at SIM Organics. You can get this by mailing at admin@simpleindianmom.in

Related http://www.simpleindianmom.in/finding-right-container-for-growing-organic-vegetables-i-atozchallenge/

Fruit Trees Suitable For Your Terrace Garden

There are a number of fruit trees that will grow and keep you supplied with nutrients all round the year.

1.Papaya

Till lately we would have simply pushed away papaya as boring, but with the recent knowledge about the vitamins and enzymes present in papaya, it has become a habit of buying papayas almost everyday.

So begin your terrace fruit garden with papaya. I would suggest plant 4 papaya trees in your terrace garden. This will keep you supplied with the fruit throughout the year.

The plant/ tree is easy to maintain and bears fruit within a year. Contact your nearest office of agriculture department to get the best variety, or contact us.

2. Lemon/Lime

A hardy plant, easy to grow, lemon trees begin fruiting in one year. you can get from 20 to 40 fruits per fruiting season. The fragrance of the very plant is worth having it on your terrace.

The plant is easy to maintain and with proper pruning will be contained in a small space.

3. Guava

Guava is always my favorite fruit, and I have in my garden a variety which fruits the whole year. You can have one tree of guava, which has multiple benefits along with the vitamin C.

Did you know guava leaves are great to stop hairfall?

The fruit is rich in nutrients you generally try to get from the waxed apple, a tree in your terrace garden can yield around 30 fruits a year.

You do not have to give rigorous care to the tree.

4. Pomegranate

If you are a traditional medicine fan like me, you can not be without pomegranate tree in your terrace garden. The plant is like god send for you stomach ailments.

Go for varieties that are seeded. Seedless fruits are worthless, it is in the seeds that most properties of protection against natural diseases are present.

The only thing you need to take care is to give more water once a week as compared to other trees mentioned above.

5. Banana

You know Banana is the kalpatharu of Indian homes, From leaf to the stem and fruit it is beneficial. Growing banana plant on your terrace garden is very easy. Just take care to choose shorter varieties.

Keep heed of the wind conditions and provide proper support.

6. Sapota

This is one tree you must have in your Terrace garden. Its something like ‘plant it and forget it’ type of tree. You can make beautiful bonsai of the tree too.

7. Custard Apple

Fruiting once a year, custard apple is very nutritious for maintaining your family health. It is more of a bushy plant and you need to do some pruning to maintain the right height and girth of the tree.

8. Gooseberry

The Indian gooseberry is the best source of vitamin C. It has anti aging properties and also cleanses your blood. Gooseberries are also great when it comes to treating arthritis.

A tree gives 20 to 40 fruits the first year and more with time. You can prune the tree and maintain at required height.

Some other fruit trees that can be planted on your organic terrace garden are

• Apple
• Coconut
• Arecanut
• Plums
• grapes
• Mango
• orange

This is a small list, you can make your own trial and error with other trees you love. I would suggest to be patient till the tree bears fruits, it is patience that really bears fruit.

You need to know exactly when to sow seed for your organic garden. Now that you have learnt the basics of the potting mixture, composting and right choice of pots, the right time to sow seeds will make you a better gardener.

In India we have three different weather conditions –

The summer from March to June, Rainy Season from July to November and Winter from December to February.

ANd accordingly the veggies vary too. I am attempting to give a month by month list of veggies you can sow each month.

Expert Tips

1. If you prepare seedlings earlier you can get advantage of longer harvest period
2. Always try to win over a season by being ready with all inputs before the season commences
3. Make sure you have the knowledge of pests and diseases that may occur in that particular season.

I am starting my Sowing Calendar from April, so that if you are begining now you will have the maximum benefit from it. I shall also make a printable format so that you could print it out and use later.

Monthly Calender

Well, with that list done, I would like to reiterate that you can easily win over the season if you do the right crop practices and maintain a temperature that would be suitable.

I have cauliflower and strawberry growing in my garden in 42 degrees here. Its just practice and you can easily get your harvest any month.

I have not given any fruit crops here, You can expect that list soon too. On fact by the end of this month I would have easily educated you about a whole lot of things you can grow in one small terrace or a patch of land.

I also am planning to give a plan to insert in your veggies and fruits in your organic terrace garden.

Well, here is a list of the ideal temperature ranges for each vegetable crop which will be useful if you want to sow them in a different timezone.

Temperature Requirements

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Indigenous Vegetables or the native vegetation is what we are going to look up to today!

Today when you go to the market, you can easily get exotic fruits and vegetables, which neither grow in our weather nor in the season. However, they look fresh and colourful.

Off late we are so much into look (like fairness of skin) that we dont mind where the actual food comes from or how it is transported to such far away places and yet is maintained so fresh.

Any mall today has wax coated apples any day!

Oranges look like oranges but taste like mosambi!

Bers have paved way to apple ber!

local fruits have become nonexistent, or exists only in ayurvedic shops – our amla and guava have become medicines.

And vegetables have become zuccunis, baby corn, sweet corn, colour capsicums, beets and what not!

I would like to reiterate this – suppose you harvest tomato today, how long can you keep it fresh?

Not more than a couple of day, however we are now buying packed food vegetables and food that are at least a month old, yet look fresh.

High time we wake up friends – go to indigenous vegetables and fruits. Here is why you need to do it  – Immediately.

Read the earlier posts

How To Prepare Seeds For Your Organic Vegetable Garden

Need To Go and Grow Indigenous Vegetables

Indigenous vegetables have evolved with your local weather and climate over time, hence they are accustomed to local conditions so as to retain maximum nutrition (not for humans but for themselves which we can use too)

Native Vegetables Save Water

Native vegetation adapt themselves to the water available and the soil type that is present in your locality.

When you plant native varieties of veggies in your organic vegetable garden you will need to irrigate less compared to exotic and hybrid varieties.

You also do not have to treat the water, just your kitchen waste water and other waste water is enough for them.

Finding the Right Container For Growing Organic Vegetables and Making Your Own Organic Potting Mixture

Easy Maintenance

Indigenous vegetable crops require less to no maintenance whatsoever you usually hybrids require. You can use organic fertilizers, pesticides and other easy crop management activities to grow these vegetables.

You will get some very tasty organic vegetables spending lesser time and paying lower prices.

Less Pesticide Use

Native vegetables are adept to the pests present in the locality and hence know how to safeguard themselves from them. Also, since you are not using any chemical pesticides, other natural enemies of pests which do not harm the crop will take care of the pests.

This is not possible with some exotic hybrid varieties.

Support Local Ecology

This is a point that is always close to my heart – Save your ecosystem.

Did you know there are some very tasty and completely authentic tasting vegetables that go by their name. Wondering what I am telling you?

Well do chillies taste like chillies these days, I have some varieties that can fruit like a hundred chillies per plant but are bitter and not hot.

There are brinjals which are huge and no taste at all.

Go local, go native and you would just find how much you have been missing all these days. There is one variety of ladies finger (yay! I have them in my garden) which are so tiny yet tastes heavenly.

Your local ecosystem plays magic by spraying the right amounts of juiciness, taste and nutrients into the veggies.

Time and again my concern has been how much corporate have misled us – from what we wear to what we eat. We now feel having a cup of sweet corn in a big mall as fashion when all that it has is extra sugar and a lot of protective chemicals.

VARIETIES OF VEGETABLE CROPS THAT CAN BE GROWN IN INDIAN CONDITIONS

Designing Your Organic Vegetable Garden – A Detailed Guide

Now that you are ready with your organic potting mixture, its time to start preparing seeds. As we have already discussed, the organic potting mixture needs at least 15 to 20 days time to get ready before you can actually fill them in your pots.

So this time gap can be used to prepare seeds of vegetables. I would usually use seeds that I have collected myself from previous season crops. This is possible only if you are using traditional variety seeds.

If you use hybrid varieties you would not be able to get quality seeds and you need to buy them again.

You can get seeds from SIM organics along with terrace garden kit or separately too. You need to ping here

Organic Vegetables Seed Preparation

Prior to planting, you need to prepare your seeds so that they germinate well and this also helps in reducing the time required for the plant to grow.

There are different kinds of seeds which need to be treated differently. Some vary in size, some in their germination percentage and many are dormant seeds that need to be broken out of dormancy.

How to Remove Hard Surface

Now that you have collected your tools and container, all you need is the right potting mixture for your organic vegetable garden.

Why am I so much concerned about potting mixture? wouldn’t filling up your garden soil do all the magic?

Well, surprisingly, no!

It is the quality of your potting mixture that is going to play the major role in your organic vegetable harvest, not alone in quantity but also the quality.

It is mostly from the soil that the nutrients are taken by the plants (I say mostly because I currently am doing research on phyllosphere microorganisms and find them to be of great help in supplying nutrition to the plant too)

Quality Potting Mix

In the long run, the quality of soil will pay you double the times of what you have spent on it.

A good quality soil mic should be

• Free from stones, debris or lumps
• Rich in nutrients
• Free from disease or pest infestation
• Should contain good microbes that will help in plant growth
• Free from chemicals

Read how to get your soil tested here

Potting Mixture – Ingredients You Can Use

To attain the best potting mixture for growing your own organic vegetables, you can use the following ingredients along with top soil, or soil tested garden soil.

If you find all this process tedious, you could just mail us  to get your potting mix, all ready made and packed for you. Our SIM Organics Terrace Garden Kit comes with all that you need to start your terrace garden.

So back to the ingredients of a good potting mixture

1. Peat Moss

Peat moss, though is the most common ingredient of soil mixture, is very expensive. In India, the availability of peat moss is very limited leading to exorbitant prices.

Its ability to supply nutrients slowly and hold them for loger tme periods has made peat moss popular overlooking its high acidity. If you are not in India and would like to add peat moss to your potting mixture make sure to add lime to neutralize the pH.

2. Coco Coir Peat

This is always my favorite potting mixture ingredient and I choose coc coir peat above peat moss.

It is because it looks just like peat moss but is a by-product of coconut fibre industry. It is organic, reduces the waste of fiber industry and helps in reducing the heaps of wastes dumped.

Learn why coir pith is very useful for terrace garden here

Coir is made into brickets these days, which will expand on absorbing water. This makes it easy to be transported too.

And above all, it has optimum pH for growing plants, best water retention and great porosity for circulation of air.

3. Worm Castings/Vermicompost:

Worm castings are the best manure one can make out of all the kitchen wastes at home. I shall teach you how to make your own vermicompost in this series.

Read how to make your biocompost here

Since you would be using heterogeneous wastes, the resultant vermicompost is rich in nutrients and is an excellent soil conditioner.

Vermicomposing may sound difficult, but with practice you would find it so interesting that you would be advising people around you to follow. In fact the final product is so interesting and pure.

4. Bone meal and Fish Meal

These are nutrient rich organic wastes from slaughter houses. Bone meal is prepared by steaming bones and then pulverising them. The final product would be a dry powder that you can use in your organic garden.

Bone meal is rich in calcium, phosphorus and other important trace elements. However the unpleasant odor of these manures keeps them mostly less used.

I strongly recommend the use of this.

Cocogarden Steamed Bone Meal- Organic Npk(3-15-0) Fertilizer – 900 Gms

5. Oil Cakes

After the extraction of oils from seeds such as mustard, neem, groundnut, castor, til and so on, the remaining waste is called the oil cake.

The oil is pressed out of the seeds, however the left out waste is rich in nutrients that will help your organic vegetables grow nourished. They also help in protecting the soil and plant against pests and diseases.

Potting Mix Recipe

• 1 part of good quality red soil/top soil
• 1 part of cocopeat/peat moss
• 1 part of compost (Vermicompost/manure)

For the soil part, make sure the soil is not compact.

For ever 15 kg of the above mix, 200 grams of bone meal, and 200 grams of oil cake and 200 grams of wood ash.

Turn the mixture thoroughly making it uniform.

Store in a gunny bag and let it rest for at least 15 days before your fill the pots.

So now that we are ready with the pot and potting mixture, lets learn about seeds and seedlings and how to germinate them.

These days you have an overwhelming choice when it comes to pots for container gardening. In fact all you need to do is open the laptop and you get an array of different types of containers for growing your organic vegetables.

Ranging from plastic trays, polybags, tubes, vertical structures, earthern pots, biodegradable bags and so on.

Cappl Vertical Garden Wall Hanging Pot (Pack of 12,Black)

eTree Blue Planter, Large Plant Display, Trug Container (garden planters trug)

VGreen Terrace Gardening Green Grow Bag (Set of 2)

Oh! Did I say, at SIM Organics, we have come up with a kit that included 5 quality polybags that would suit you the best when it comes to container gardening.

Terracotta Versus Plastic Pots

I always would advice you to go for earthen or Terracotta pots when it comes for growing your organic vegetables. The very meaning of organic becomes compromised when you go for the plastic containers.

However, terracotta pots needs to be bought locally because transporting them to far off places is not easy, that is the reason we at SIM Organics have chosen to go for polybags.

I strongly recommend you to visit your local potter and get some beautiful pots customized for your home.  This way you not only will be getting the right size and shape of pot but also will be supporting the local business.

And again, you get all those china clay pots that look awesome, however the earthen pots provide better aeration to plants and retains water that s more important.

Advantages of Earthen Pots

ExclusiveLane Handcrafted Studio Pottery Glazed Vase In Light Brown – Table Flower pots Decorative Gift Items for Home Décor

Luckily I found these earthen clay pots in amazon and hence shared, hope they reach you safely.

Well as for the advantages of earthen pots

1. Is heavy so you do not have to worry about tripping off.
2. Has enough pores to let air movement to the roots of the plants (which is very useful for plant growth)
3. Is Organic (and that is the first consideration)
4. Biodegradable – Does not leave any carbon print
5. Helps Local Business
6. Can be reused any number of times.

Making Your Potting Mix

I know you are questioning me – Now what is your problem, just take soil from your garden fill the pots – and begin growing organic vegetables.

Well, its not that simple, for a start you need to test your soil for the nutrients and chemicals present in it and do the necessary changes for growing authentic organic vegetables.

You can do simple soil testing at home, learn how to do it here.

So we come back to what exactly is “potting mix”

A good potting mix is one which has the right characteristics to support your plants. What those characteristics would be

Characteristics of Good Potting Mix

• Air porosity
• Water/moisture retention.
• Nutrition.
• Support/Anchorage.
• Fluffy and light weight.
• Well draining.
• Infection/pest free
• Free from weed seeds

How to make the perfect potting mix? I think I would write about that in the next post. Not that I want to keep you waiting, but because it has a lot of details to be dealt with. I do not want to cut it short trying to finish this post.

SO wait till tomorrow to know how exactly you would – gear up the right potting mix.

Nothing comes by easy, especially when your target is to grow your own organic vegetables.

Now that you have begin learning the a to z of growing your organic veggies you sure need to know what equipment and tools you would require in the process.

Believe me, the moment you put in your heart into gardening, it becomes addictive. You might become so much as inseparable from your corkscrew weeder, thumb waterer, Trovel or the Khurpi.

In fact it becomes so addictive that you would just want to prolong using these tools, wearing the hand gloves, out with your plants.

Truphe Garden Tools Box (14 In 1 Garden Tool Box Combo Pack)

Well, as a word of caution I would like to include here that , you can very well manage to do gardening without many of these tool, however, having them comes into the category of ‘nice to have’ possessions.

Did you read how to choose the vegetables to be grown?

Essential Tools To Grow Your Organic Vegetables

Some tools are essential, which you cannot begin your gardening without, such as the hand hoe, small trowel, spade,  fork, pruner and so on. Here is the minimalist set of essential tools that you could easily buy.

Things that you need to keep in mind are

1. Always go for the best quality of the tool that comes within your budget. This will be a long term investment, so buy wisely.
2. You do not have to buy a whole set at a time, you can buy the most important tools first, then add on slowly. With time you will understand that these tools would be making your work simpler and easier.
3. Check in the local shop first for the quality of the material (if possible) and then decide upon the final buying.
4. Be ready to take enough care of your garden tools.
5. Always clean the tools after you are done with working in your organic vegetable garden.

Read here how to designing your organic vegetable garden 

Standard Garden Fork

Falcon FWF-1001 Steel Hand Weeding Fork (Multicolor)

A garden fork is a hand held tool that has three to four prongs and a head. The prongs are made up of good quality steel and the handle can be aluminium, wood or other material.

The tines or prongs are generally sharp, to facilitate digging into your organic vegetable garden.

Garden Rake

Kisan Kraft KK-GR-3135 Steel Rake (Blue)

Used in gardening for loosening the soil, light weeding and levelling of mud, the garden rake is made of steel and has to be hardy enough to handle tightened soil.

Trovels

AGRI GARDEN TRANSPLANT TROVEL – RUBBER WOOD HANDLE

Trovels are used for digging holes, planting, transplanting into ground or containers. They are made of tough blade and rubber wood or wooden handle.

Trovels are the most necessary tools and you cannot do gardening without one.

Pruners

Falcon Pruning Secateurs – Economy M-2(Total Length 200 MM,Steel Handle with PVC grip)

Pruners have many uses when it comes to gardening, they ared for cutting, snipping, trimming, pruning and so on.

I know of some friends who have this hanging around their hips in a holster (you know like a cowboy gun), that much is the use of a pruner to a gardener.

When buying a pruner always check for the safety lock system.

Garden Gloves

You surely cannot work with your bare hands in your garden to grow you own organic vegetables, you need to take care of your hands.

Surf 3 Pairs Rubber Hand Gloves Reusable Washing Cleaning Kitchen Garden ,Yellow

Khurpi

Just like the trovel khurpi is used to loosen the soil for planting, transplanting and other gardening works. It is blunt unlike the sharp edged trovel.

Khurpi / Khurpa (3″ Width) Premium Quality

Weeder

TO weed out unwanted weeds growing in between you organic vegetabe crops a weeder is necessary. This is a tool that will have to be kept handy almost every other day, because robust weeds grow when you begin fertilsing your plants.

Falcon FW-900 Steel Hand Weeder (Multicolor)

Watering Can

I remember using a used tin with holes in them to water my plants when I was a small girl, well that was quite cumbersome. You could just buy a watering can so that you irrigate your plants without damaging them.

Truphe 5-Liter Premium High-Grade Plastic Watering Can

This is one small list of tools, which is essential to begin to grow your own organic vegetables. There are others which you might fancy later and by with time.

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Modern gardens in all sense have transformed in leaps and bounds, especially after the advent of the Organic Vegetable Gardens. Growing vegetables has become more than a hobby or a profession, it has become a necessity.

Even a small space off late can be used to grow vegetables that is chemical free and healthy.

I have always been glad that we live in Chhattisgarh because people here still have not in any sense wanted to catch up with commercialized world. The people and the ecosystem is serene by all sense, an world, we are far healthier.

So, now lets design that wonderful Organic Vegetable Garden

Depending on the place you live, space you have and the time you can spend on gardening you can decide on the design of your organic vegetable garden.

Indoor Organic Vegetable Garden

I know you must be staring now; yes of course there are some veggies that you can grow indoors. When I speak of indoors, do not forget to include your yards and back work area, which in flats is mostly used only to store unwanted things.

I would say, when you go for indoors, begin with herbs. The best herb that I have found to be excellent to be growing anywhere and everywhere is mint leaves.

You can grow mint leaves in the smallest possible container – I have used even the coffee mug. There are many varieties of mint, go for the climbers, it will not only need less soil space but also can be spread on the window sil – looks beautiful and gives superb fragrance too.

Other plants that you can grow indoors is ginger, palak, greens and salad leaves, onions (only for their leaves), garlic, baby carrots, baby radhishes, cucumbers and so on.

You can use small pots, beautiful accessories like mugs or other containers that you would not be using for growing vegetables.

Or buy these beautiful grow bags, you can use them for 3 consecutive years.

Trustbasket Large Poly Grow Bags Uv Stabilized 10 Qty [24Cms(L)X24Cms(W)X40Cms(H)]

Minimalistic Approach to Growing Your Veggies

Although I would love to buy some wonderful looking pots and place them in some eye catchy location, it is not that economical, especially because of the frequent change of place.

So I always enjoy using the wasted bottles (oh, I have a lot of them), vehicle tires, mud pots and bamboo stems.

This not only will help you in designing great looking organic vegetable gardens, but also will lessen the burden on the environment to decay the plastics.

I sometimes use the wine and other glass bottles too, which are best for onions and leeks.

You can plant your greens, carrot, radhish, onions, tomato, and other herbs. I am not a fan of foreign herbs, I choose to keep everything close to the place we live in and hence never try any exotic varieties or veggies and fruits. But you sure can try strawberries (which I did this time and got real great result – Oh do try them after October, strawberries are best in winter, however I do have a couple of plants still fruiting at 41⁰ C)

You can buy these potato planters to grow potatoes too.

Garden Vegetables Grow Bag Potato Planter Gardeners’ Grow Bags – Potato Planter

Spreading Up

This is something that is close to my heart – vertical gardening.

I love to use every inch of space that is available in, vertical space is special among them.

Read the basic rules of vertical gardening here

Using your French windows, poles, walls and all the other sunny spots in your home is where vertical garden comes in.

You can grow all kinds of organic vegetables in vertical spaces.

Border You Flowers With Veggies

If you have a plot with flowers growing in them, feel free to plant some border vegetables, you know they look wonderful, you also have the satisfaction of using maximum space.

You can plant beans, radish, carrots, beets, onions, garlic, coriander, onion, cabbage, cauliflower, baby corn, spinach, mint leaves, curry leaves and so on.

bsln vertical planter pack of 3 pots

Expert Tips

1. Check the season before planting, it needs to be apt for the vegetable you choose
2. Check for space requirement, the vegetable should not cause shade effect to flower plant

Long Plant – Short Plant

Choose plants that differ in height, this will give enough sunlight to each one of them and help in better use of space and also gives greater harvest

You can use following plants

1. Baby corn + tomato + spinach
2. Tomato (climber type) + chillies + coriander.
3. Beans + brinjal + mint.

While using a pot you can make it into different rounds, from exterior to interior of the pot, tall at the centre and short at the periphery.

The 15 Days Interval Planting

This is what I practice, especially for greens. In Chhattisgarh, we get 36 types of greens, and I use a lot of greens at home and I wouldn’t be able to successfully use them if all were ready for harvest at the same time.

In fact, more than planting you should be concentrating on harvesting time. It is the nuclear family system all over the country now and you are limited to feed 2 to 3 members of your family at the max. Hence plan the harvest time, plant wisely.

You can follow the 15 day interval time of planting the same type of crop. Like for tomatoes, chillies, brinjal, cole crops, gourds (gourds, plant only after a month of the first one begins flowering)

You can make a simple one line rows in your garden

Or if you are planting in a pot

This way you get the harvest of day 1 around the 20^th to 25^th day and you can use it for one to two days. In another 2 days your next row would be ready and so on.

Are you ready to become a super organic vegetables gardener?

Well. I think we already are covering the ground now and let us begin choosing some veggies for your organic vegetable garden.

First Things First

The first thing you need to know here is (I know many of you are going to say my granny told that, guys I really feel like a granny these day, l little overdose of traditional knowledge – Phew! okay back to track)

A few veggies can be grown all around the year. And these are the veggies we most commonly get in the market which you buy withut a second thought. They are solanaceous crops like brinjal, legumes, coriander, greens, chillies, herbs and so on.

In fact except Brinjal, other crops are quite resistant to pests and diseases. You need to know that using a piece of land or a pot to plant the same plant again and again ( even the same family ) is not advisable.

When you start a garden, you begin with first making your land fertile – we have discussed the various composts you could make from your kitchen cabinet.

So, begin by making your garden rich in the nutrients. This will then help you to choose the vegetable crops to be planted.

Prepare a chart for veggies that will be planted the whole year, this way you know what necessary steps you need to take before harvesting the earlier crop and be ready for the next one.

Points you need to remember before making the chart

1. Always Use Quality Seeds

Indian Gardening Beefsteak Tomato Vegetable Seeds 40 Seeds – Rare Seeds

Quality seeds are the first requisite of a healthy vegetable garden. You would be able to get best germination, good growth and harvest. You will also be able to collect seeds for the next season.

I would seriously advice the use of native varieties, I know this is against the popular hybrid varieties, which seem to be giving great results in production, however these hybrids are hybrids, and you know how the apples taste these days, right?

It is the same for veggeis too, hybrids are hybrids!

2. Try traditional varieties – They are more resistant to pest and diseases and you do not have to worry about GMO. Traditional varieties have been evolved over time in that particular area and hence would have accustomed itself to the prevailing conditions of the locality.

Also they are sturdier, consume less water and resist local pests, which is not the condition of a hybrid that is developed in some far off country in laboratory conditions.

3. Use cultural practices to control pests and diseases ( I shall discuss this in detail later)

These include crop rotation, sanitation, proper row spacing, varying planting dates and seeding rate,  planting on raised beds, adding to soil organic matter, using mulches, irrigating properly and many others. Most of these cultural practices are effective against more than one type of pest.

4. Keeps Soil Nutrient – When you choose vegetable varieties wisely you make it possible for the soil to replenish the nutrients required by the soil to support the next crop. For example legumes are crops that enrich the soil nitrogen content. Other nutrients also get leached to soil which is helpful for other crops. Some crops act when co-cropped, which I shall be discussing here.

If you have less space try these vertical planters

Planters Vertical Garden Panels ( 3 frames + 9 pots )

How to Go About Choosing Veggies

This is easy, you need to basically know which part of the vegetable you would be using, accordingly you can plan your vegetable sowing.

1. Fruiting Vegetables – these are our tomatoes, brinjal, sweet corn, cucumber, pumpkin, chillies, bhindi and so on
2. Root Vegetables – Potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, radish, beet, ginger, garlic and so on. Technically speaking many are not roots, yet this being a lay mans guide I have classed them as roots.
3. Legumes – bush beans, peas, pole beans, brad beans, cluster beans and so on.
4. Leafy Vegetables – This group typically includes all our greens like palak, methi, and cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and so on.

So now that we have classified the vegetables, lets plan on how to go about choosing the right veggies and forming a pattern of for planting.

1. First divide the space of your garden or the planters; you can follow a four crop pattern or a six crop pattern, which I shall be discussing in detail later in this series.
2. After dividing the area/pots, identify veggies of same type and keep them together.
3. Plan the crops as follows

Plan for the first crop starting may end in 4 rows/ 16 pots ( since we have already enriched the soil)

You need to erect special structures for climbers which we will discuss later. You also can use other perennial plants like the Moringa (drumstick) lemons, guavas, pomegranates and fruit trees for years together harvesting intermittently.

This is a basic plan, I shall be giving the four crop and six crop plans in detail soon. Till then your home-work is to collect the seeds of the above plotted plants and be ready for the season.

Expert tip – greens and herbs can be sown right away, just take care to check on the water availability of your locality.

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The best time to fertilize your pot mixture or garden is before planting. I would suggest that before planning the basic crops to be planted or designing your vegetable garden, you need to build up a good microbial growth in your planting mixture.

We have already discussed in detail about the nutrients that you need to supplement the plant with for best growth of organic veggies. They are Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, Calcium and other micronutrients. So when you are going to look for organic waste to compost you would from now on look for what exactly is present in it.

For a thumb rule, just remember that anything that is originating from cowdung is rich in nitrogen. We would be discussing about the various other organic wastes you could successfully turn into fertilizer. You just need to remember this – the nutrients you get from the vegetable or fruit or any other food is what the plant is going to get too.

So with no further ado – let me go to the first source of plant nutrition which I have always promoted wherever I go – Banana Peel.

1. Banana Peel For Your Organic Veggies

Now, don’t look so surprised and I know your first thought Oh My God! I have been throwing away those banana peels everyday. Let bygones be bygones, begin today and here is how you are going to use those banana peels from today.

The very long procedure is – chop those banana peels, loosen the soil around the plant and bury the chopped peel, a little lower because you don’t want getting the fermenting smell of microbes working overtime.

Over, Just That?

Yes – it’s just that, after you consume a banana, chop the peel and bury in a pot or under a plant of your choice. Now take turns on every pot, give atleast a week before adding another peel to a pot.

What Do Banana Peels Do?

Bananas provide following nutrients to plants.

1. Potassium – Potassium helps the plant in growing fast, resists pests and diseases, important for fruit development and also strengthens stems. Thus if you have fruiting veggies like tomato or stems like onions, make best use of your banana peels.
2. Phosphorous – Helps in germination and viability of seeds, root and shoot growth, flowering, pollination and fruiting. Oops, isn’t that all that is required for some beautiful vegetable growth?
3. Calcium – We call Calcium the ‘Trucker of all Minerals’ because calcium gives all the strength needed for the root and shoot tips to push and grow out.

And all this you could provide your veggies by not throwing away the waste banana peel.

So what next – Egg Shells!

2. Egg Shells as Fertilizer

Egg Shells?  Why , How? Wait let me explain.

Egg shells, the ones you throw after you make the bulls eye or peel off from the hard boiled eggs provide nitrogen, phosphorous and calcium to the plant.

Nitrogen helps in making your plants green and healthy. Others you already know – right?

How To Use Egg Shells

Powder the egg shells and directly sprinkle around your growing veggies. This is helpful particularly in the rainy season, because calcium easily gets washed away.

Note- Personally I would prefer boiling the egg shells, drying and then grinding them to a soft powder. This you can store for any period of time without having the need to be concerned about them getting contaminated.

3. Coffee and Tea Remnants as Fertilizer

So what do you do after you infuse tea or coffee, throw the remnants away?

I know that is what exactly everyone else does too. So here is what you need to do, especially if you have rose plants and tomatoes or any kind of berries. Dry the remnants and sprinkle around the plant.

You would get some great berries and the flowering is boosted.

4. Epsom Salt

Epsom salt gives good amount of magnesium and sulphur to plants, these micronutrients are always deficient to the plants. So for your pot all you need to do is, add a teaspoon of Epsom salt to 1 litre of water. Put it in a spray bottle and spray on your plant.

5. Themor Karaisal or Cocomilk

This is something you cannot uses straight away. When you have some sour buttermilk, add equal quantity of coconut milk and tender coconut water. The ratio is 1:1:1, and let this to ferment in an earthern pot for a week. You can then uses this mixture as biofertilizer after diluting with water in the ratio of 1:10 and spray.

I always recommend this as a soil treatment or soil preparation mixture for raising the good bacteria before panting.

6. Amritha Karaisal or Amrith

This is a mixure of cowdung, cow urine, jaggery and water, needs to be fermented for 24 hours and then diluted. This works like Amrith on the soil. I know it is difficult for you to get this done at your place and hence Simple Indian Mom has come up with ready made Amrith for you. You can contact me to get them.

7. Composting In Home

Click Here to Buy TrustBin

TrustBin for a family of 2 members(Set of two 14 ltrs bins)-Indoor compost bin for converting all kinds of kitchen food waste into fertilizer. Includes Compost bin, Bokashi compost maker, Detailed instruction manual. No foul smell, waste to compost in 4 to 6 weeks, no set up required, life time support. Worried on food waste? use our composter to feed your plants!