Why should you plant a garden?

Hello All,

Here's a post for breaking some silence in the blog and getting back to my blogging routine.

Of late there are many people who get to know about my garden and ask me the following questions.

1. Wow, you have a beautiful garden, Can you tell/teach me how I can have one too?

2. Really, you grow what you eat at home? How?

3. Is it really possible to grow in a balcony?

4. How should i start off? 

5. What soil mix should i use?

6. How do i deal with pests? 

7. What are the natural options for fertilizers available?

8. Where do i source my gardening stuff from?

9. I always start off with a lot of enthusiasm, but give up somewhere, mostly due to other commitments.How do i keep the enthusiasm alive?

Let me start with why one should plant a garden. Its one of the best hobbies you can have and the rewards are priceless. While ornamentals add colour to your life, or provide flowers for beautifying your home, a veggie garden can really make you grateful and thankful for starting off with growing veggies and beautify your soul. Benefits are numerous. It works as a good exercise too and is a great thing to do for people who lose interest quickly with exercising. Last but not least, growing your own food and eating it is the most healthiest option you can ever get.

1. Wow, you have a beautiful garden, Can you tell/teach me how I can have one too?

Yes of course, I would love to. Even if i can inspire one person in my life to grow what they eat, i feel its good. More the merrier indeed! To start off, apart from all the gardening stuff you might need to procure, one of the foremost things needed is a curiosity to nurture life and care for it. Love your plants unconditionally, even if they have a pest infection and you will slowly see how the plant bounces back :)

I will go on with other steps needed to start a garden in my other points.

2. Really, you grow what you eat at home? How?

Yes, not everything that i eat. But only greens and few veggies as of now. I learn each day and hope to reach self sustainability someday. I started off just like you all, with seeds from my kitchen. Corainder, methi , green chillies and tomato. The day i saw my first tomato i got hooked on to growing more. Its pure joy and needs to be felt.

3. Is it really possible to grow in a balcony?

Yes very much possible. I have grown for the past 3 years in my balcony. Tomatoes, brinjals, chillies, cucumber, palak, methi, amaranthus (Dantu soppu in kannada), lemon, papaya, bush beans, capsicums, radishes, basil, borage are some of the veggies and greens i have grown. I had a south east facing balcony earlier. Now i have east facing balconies, but they are good too. Just 3-4 hours of good sunlight can work wonders on your plants. But that is the only prime requisite. Sun and the direction of light.

North facing balconies do not get much sunlight during winters in bangalore, but we can still grow spinach in them.All other balconies are good to grow. If you have access to some terrace space/land, nothing like it!

4. How should i start off? 

5. What soil mix should i use?

You will need some planters, seeds and potting soil to start off.

a) Planters can be anything ranging from sturdy atta covers (5kg ones), 2 litre water bottles, Thick plastic   covers, Old unused containers, broken buckets to fancy looking store bought planters.

Tomato in a 2 lt water bottle

Radish in a water bottle

b) Drill one/ two holes in the containers to enable draining of water. In case your store bought planters have many holes, use broken pot pieces or broken coconut shells to cover them before putting in your potting mix so that too much water wont get wasted.

c) To start off, take seeds from your kitchen. Chillies, tomatoes, methi and the like. 

d ) Potting Soil : A good potting mix is essential for good growth. Red soil alone when used tends to get compacted affecting the growth of plants, because even roots need to breathe.So, generally cocopeat (made from coconut fiber) is added to the potting mix to make it airy. Cocopeat does not have any nutrients and is mostly used because it provides better aeration for the soil.Well aged compost (Made from kitchen wet waste) is another a great option to add because it provides all the essential nutrients and also beneficial microorganisms to the soil. Animal manure (Goat/sheep/cow/horse) is another thing that can be added to provide richness. However, generally, animal manure and compost is not used at the same time. Vermi compost is another option, which is made from earth worms of a certain species called Red Wrigglers. But I have always used only compost for my mix.

So here are different ratios for potting soil.

Red Soil : Cocopeat : Animal manure (1:1:1) + fistful amount of neem powder

Red Soil : Cocopeat : Kitchen Compost (1:1:1) + fistful amount of neem powder

Red Soil : Cocopeat : Vermi Compost (1 :1:1 ) + fistful amount of neem powder

Neem powder gives better pest control and immunity to the plants. Also, dry out red soil completely in sun if possible before making the potting mix. This ensures that harmful microbes in them vanish.

Fill the container of your choice with potting soil . As a general thumb rule, a seed needs to be buried 2 times its length. Small seeds like that of amaranth can be neatly sprinkled in burrows made in the soil. Lots of information is available online on different ways of sowing. One can also use seed starting trays for starting seeds and then transplant. But its also good to sow directly into the potting mix made and sprinkle water over it.

Germination of seeds does not need any sunlight. In fact it needs darkness, so cover the container with a plastic sheet to create a green house effect. Within 2 -3 days, your seeds will sprout. Some seeds do take a little bit longer. If you feel the soil is too dry, sprinkle some water and cover the sheet again. Once germination happens, remove plastic cover and expose it to mild sunlight. Otherwise, seedlings can rot/become lanky.

Yogurt containers and sweet boxes for starting seeds

Once you start observing them grow a little each day, you will be filled with happiness. Spotting a new leaf, flower or bud is joy indeed!

6. How do i deal with pests?  

Pests are OK in an organic set up. They let you know that your food is tasty which is why pests get attracted to it. Mind you, we all are a part of the environment, and after all, the pests need to eat too! Why would they leave tasty food that you are growing or why should they not taste the yummy nectar in your colorful flowers? 

So, its OK to part some food to your pests, but make sure they don't take over your plant and spoil your harvests. If you spray a chemical pest repellant for the pests, then there is no difference between a commercially producing green house and your balcony. If you want to ensure safe food or care for the surroundings around you, please do not use chemical sprays or commercially available growth boosters. They are not natural.Only more organic matter (that comes from compost and animal manure) can boost up your soil permanently. 

One of the most common pests for both veggies and ornamental garden is mealy bugs. They are soft cotton like insects. Another is aphids, which are green or black in colour. Both these suck the sap out of your plant, draining its natural immunity over a period of time. The following options can be used to eliminate these:

a) Invest in a good sprayer and give a jet spray of water at high pressure. Doing this for 3 days continuously will repel them and they might not come back.

b) If they do come back, use a diluted dishwash soap solution spray. 5 ml of dishwash for 1lt of water and spray every alternate day

c) Neem oil can be used - 5 ml diluted in 1 lt of water sprayed once in 3 days.

d) Ginger, garlic, green chilli spray - Grind all the ingredients. To 1 teaspoon of paste add 1 lt of water and spray.

e) For ants, sprinkle eucalyptus oil nearby pots or soak cotton balls in them and place them around pots.

3ft tall greens from my balcony

Nature will automatically take care of pests if the general health of the plant is good. Mealybugs are eaten by lady bugs. So if you are not doing anything about mealy bugs in your garden for 2-3 days, the fourth day, you will start to see lady bug larvae if you live in a surrounding with trees. Natural predators are the best way to deal with pests.

Please inspect your plants on a daily basis so you can spot pests in the initial stages and remove them.

7. What are the natural options for fertilizers available?

Natural fertilisers will add only more organic matter into the soil, more micro organisms thus making your soil healthier. It can be achieved using natural products available in nature and are not chemically manufactured in a factory with ingredients which are supposed to give a certain effect. With continued usage artificial or synthetic fertilizers, the soil looses its original properties and is only loaded with chemicals which boost a plants growth. But mind you, its not natural and in unregulated amounts may leave behind residues in your body with consumption.This is the reason why organic methods, rather natural methods of cultivation are always best. Panchagavya, wood ash, dried cow manure, diluted leechate from compost setups, these are the best options for natural fertilizers available.

Freshness!!

 

8. Where do i source my gardening stuff from?

In Bangalore, there are plenty of plant nurseries in each area. You can pick up your pots, garden tools, saplings and soil from there. Nowadays lots of online shopping options are available for gardening material. The best part is they ship all over india. 

However, when buying seeds, please go for heirloom seeds (seeds where  mother plant is grown abiding organic principles and mother plant is not a hybrid seed). Such seeds are also the "Naati" seeds or the locally saved seeds from different farmers. They are the best because they are natural, adept to the surroundings they grow in and do very well.

Lalbagh nursery is a paradise for any gardener living in bangalore. There is GKVK nursery in yelehanka area, APD nursery in Indiranagar, Dept of horticulture hulimavu and many many more spread all over bangalore.

Some of the online shopping that i know of and have purchased from include : gardenguru.in, greenmylife.com

9. I always start off with a lot of enthusiasm, but give up somewhere, mostly due to other committments.How do i keep the enthusiasm alive?

Please start off with what you CAN do initially without affecting your schedule. Its important to stick to that time and get back to other work. Giving up due to other commitments happens mostly because gardening is an extra activity you have allocated time for and is not a part of your daily routine. 

As a first timer, though the act of start a garden is all exciting and overwhelming at the same time, try not to get carried away. Instead follow a strict routine of when to water plants, when to deweed, when to look for pests, when to repot, when to add compost and so on. This makes it more do-able. Also plan any expansion in steps, slowly but steadily.

Earlier, i used to be a weekend gardener, used to devote my saturday morning fully for this activity. But then when we planned a vacation or other work came up, garden would take a back seat.Also, my family had complaints that saturday morning breakfasts are hit badly. Thats when i started devoting 20 min of my morning time everyday for my garden. This way, i dont have to wait till weekends to attend to the plants. Also, any extra time i can spend on weekends is spent meaningfully. I plan my sowing cycles better too. Try and let me know what works for you!

If you are into social networking, it can be used effectively for keeping such hobbies alive. Some of the useful facebook pages are : Organic Terrace Gardening, Grow your own veggies, Container Gardening without boundaries and more. You can post your issues with your plants here and get useful responses from like minded individuals. Also, works great to share harvest pictures and motivate each other!

  

So, there goes a rather LONG post about how to start a garden. It might seem tough and time consuming, but its really not, if you have the interest for it. Time is something we can always create, isnt it!? Its a lot of fun and a great activity to do with your kids :)

If you have not yet started, Go plant a garden and nurture your souls! Set a beautiful example to your kids on nurturing lives and caring for them.

Cheers,
Vasu

 

A Green world

Back to blogging after quite a while now and surely the reason must be strong!

It is WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY today! A day to reinforce our thoughts and actions to preserve nature and protect her.

I wish to write about why it is important to celebrate/take note of this occasion. We have come a long way polluting nature and natural resources. We get back for what we have done, in the form of calamities and unknown diseases, yet we fail to realize that its in our hands to set things right and make it better.

I got hooked on to green living after garbage issue popped up in the city i live in, Bangalore. Once called the garden city, it has been rechristened as garbage city because of the filth that is lying around everywhere. To give statistics, the landfills where garbage is getting dumped (Mandur and the like) faced serious protests from communities nearby. That is when it dawned on the municipality and the people in general, why it was wrong to dump garbage? Why it was wrong to mix wet, dry and other forms of waste?

When i grew up, there was always a pit in the backyard of my house, where most of the leftovers would be dumped and mud/sand was used to cover it so it would not attract flies. Though it did attract rats occasionally, i remember many many years we did this without hassle. I really don't know when and how my beloved city got introduced to garbage bags. But i feel that this is the biggest culprit. People made sure their homes where clean by dumping everything in one black bag and had it collected by the garbage truck. But what about where it went? No one bothered. Result  - pollution of land and underground water in the areas surrounding the landfill, serious health disorders for children born in these areas and the bigger picture, destruction of mother earth. 

Bangalore might be safe from volcanoes or tsunamis based on its geography, but such landfills are man made volcanoes indeed. Imagine the kind of problems they can give our generation and the future ones. Its massive and its scary. Imagine, 10 such volcanoes located all around bangalore. We will only be left with polluted water, land and resources. What legacy then are we leaving behind for our future?

What can be done about all this?

When i read about all this 3 years back, I wanted to badly do something so i wont add to this mess. Though i knew i could not set everything alright over night, I badly wanted a magic wand with which i could make all this mess disappear all at once. But then reality struck me. I tried to segregate waste at my place and avoid garbage bags. But i faced numerous oppositions from my family. I was even told that i wont be able to stop anything when the world is going that way. But i held on. I wanted to reduce the amount of waste i generated. I got conscious about picking up a packaged commodity from a super market. It was hard. Made sure i never purchased garbage bags once again.

Just to give you all some statistics, below is the time it takes for different things to decompose in the environment:


Glass Bottle.......................... 1 million years
Mono filament Fishing Line… 600 years
Plastic Beverage Bottles…… 450 years
Disposable Diapers………… 450 years
Aluminum Can..................... 80-200 years
Foamed Plastic Buoy……… 80 years
Foamed Plastic Cups……… 50 years
Rubber-Boot Sole............... 50-80 years
Tin Cans……………………. 50 years
Leather................................. 50 years
Nylon Fabric........................ 30-40 years
Plastic Film Container........ 20-30 years
Plastic Bag.......................... 10-20 years
Cigarette Butt...................... 1-5 years
Wool Sock............................ 1-5 years
Plywood…………………….. 1-3 years
Waxed Milk Carton………… 3 months
Apple Core…………………. 2 months
Newspaper………………….. 6 weeks
Orange or Banana Peel...... 2-5 weeks
Paper Towel……………….. 2-4 weeks

Information Source: U.S. National Park Service; Mote Marine Lab, Sarasota, FL.

This had an impact on other areas too. I took up home composting. My folks probably thought i was some lady hitler at that point almost killing them with my stare when they mixed up garbage!  But i was strict because i wanted everyone at home to follow it. Today, I am happy i did. Now even my little one knows where wet and dry waste goes.Below is a picture of my aerobic composting set up from Daily dump.

A small shift from the places where i buy made a difference. A whole sale shop selling groceries made more sense to me than a supermarket. I have started carrying bags and do not ask for more bags from anywhere.  Yet, i still have plastic covers because of folks who get stuff in them when they visit us. Such covers, i collect and give to flower sellers and small grocery shops. Infact, now when i visit such shops, the shopkeepers remind me that i have give them covers if i have! 

Steel and glass ware seem more logical than plastic stuff. Though I am unable to throw away the plastic that already exists, I am avoiding adding more to it. And i have learnt to reuse things. An old spoon stand from the kitchen is covered with colored paper and used as pen stand for my little one. These might seem silly at first, but they are really the need of the hour. 

Another big change because of all this, is growing what i eat and making snacks at home. I would have never imagined i would bake a cake for my little one's birthday if someone told me that 3 years ago. But i did !! I am a believer in sustainable living now and strive to make chutneys, powders, pickles and stuff for my kitchen at home.This has indeed reduced so much of packaging that comes with these things. Gardening has been a boon in my life. Its such a sweet medicine for anyone who is looking for some relaxation for the body, mind and soul. Cutting and munching on a slice of cucumber from your own garden, grown from a seed you sowed is an exhilarating experience indeed. I am self sufficient with greens and a few veggies for now and I am really happy about it. There is still a long way to go, lots of things to learn and do, but slowly one day at a time, i am hopeful that i will get there and achieve sustainability.

Why I am sharing all this is to tell you all that, if you have not thought of all this until now, please do. Make small changes in your lifestyle, one at a time, which u can religiously follow until it becomes a habit, like brushing teeth. Become aware of plastics, chemicals and especially what goes into the food you eat. And first and foremost, please start segregating your garbage. Avoid mixing up different wastes. A small step from you CAN make a change. Imagine, if each of us followed segregation religiously, and made sure there was very little or nothing to be dumped in landfills, we would no longer have mandurs...Lets wake up now. 

Some of the solutions to handle different types of waste is as below:

1. Wet waste - Composting at home / community /handing over to authorized wet waste dealers

2. Dry waste 

      Milk packets , newspapers, glass bottles - Raddiwala/ Paperwala 

      Plastic bottles, plastic packaging covers, thermacol and similar items - igotgarbage.com , SAAHAS, Dry       waste collection centres of your ward.

      Old clothes - Orphanages/ To the needy

3. E-waste (Mobiles, charges, Computer parts) -  www.samarthanam.org, SAAHAS

4. Medical waste - Contact your nearby hospital 

If we can religiously follow these atleast 80 percent of the times, I can assure you, you wont have to wake up every morning to empty your garbage bin. It seems like a big task in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it and make it a routine, it easy peasy!

Earth is our home. Its beautiful the way it is. If we ever have to leave behind something for our children, let it be fresh air, clean water and beautiful natural resources. Lets minimize our greed to buy and try to reduce, reuse, recycle and reject things as much as possible. Lets give back more to this world than we got, for,  in giving lies unparallelled joy!

Cheers,

Vasu