“Dr. B. N. Vishwanath, a pioneer in promoting urban agriculture in India, said that the only way to counter the health hazards of chemical poisons in food is to take up organic terrace gardening". With the pressure on farmlands and its rising cost in the urbanisation process, there is hardly any space to have a garden.
Can I truly start a terrace/balcony garden?
Although the very thought of turning your beloved space into a garden seems daunting, fret not. Make a start and get your hands dirty! You will not learn everything on day one. It will take some time for experience to kick in and make the best out of the knowledge gained. Balcony? Terrace? Windowsill? Basically, any location which gets at least 2-3 hours or more of direct sunlight. The more the better! Apart from that you need a place where you can keep a few containers, has adequate waterproofing and a water drainage outlet, and then you are ready to go.
If your balcony is too small for containers or planters, don't let the limited space prevent you from trying out your green thumb. Consider a vertical garden!
What sort of plants can I grow?
You are absolutely spoilt for choice! You can grow commonly used vegetables on your terrace, including leafy vegetables such as red or green amaranthus, coriander, fenugreek, Indian spinach and lettuce; gourds like pumpkin, ash gourd, ridge gourd, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, cucumber, little gourd, sponge gourd, snake gourd, watermelon and muskmelon; root vegetables such as radish, carrot, beetroot, onion, garlic, ginger and mango ginger and other vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, chillies, tomato, ladies finger and brinjal. Similarly, you can grow a variety of fruit plants in big pots including pineapple, mango, orange, pomegranate, sweet lime, custard apples, banana and guava. Bringing up flowering plants is yet another interesting aspect. Spice crops such as black pepper, clove, and cardamom could also be grown on the terrace. These are just a few examples, the possibilities are numerous!
How do I start my apartment garden?
Always start small. Get one or two small pots and just grow everything in those. It need not be a planter; a container could be any object like a pot in any shape/size, an oil can, an unused helmet, a vegetable/milk crate, specific types of wood boxes, a good thick UV treated plastic grow bag, water bottle/can, used paint buckets. This will make your task seem easier since you don’t have to invest in planters.
Next, choose easy to grow herbs or vegetables. Try your hand at mint, cherry tomatoes, coriander, curry leaves. Once you have decided on your plants, head to a good plant nursery for seeds or saplings. Whilst there, also consider buying potting soil if you think it’s going to be difficult to get hold of soil near your apartment. Potting soil has the right mixture of all the ingredients to grow a healthy crop.
How much of sunlight and water does my plant need?
Different plants have different sunlight requirements. Some do well in semi-shade, some need 3-4 hours of sunlight, some require more and some require less. Seeds sown in a seed tray (or anything similar) don’t need direct sunlight for the first 1-2 weeks. Hence its recommended that you do your research on how much sunlight comes into your balcony and decide the plants likewise.
Do not over water or under water. On an average, watering every alternate day is good enough. Monitor your plants and you will notice if they look dried up or not. If you over water the plants then the soil loses nutrients.
What is a vertical garden?
Vertical gardens are an alternative for gardeners who don't have a lot of horizontal space, want to cover an unattractive wall, or just want something different. The primary area of concern is watering the plants, which has to be done using a certain technique. Although not as easy as a simple terrace gardening, since vertical gardens come at a cost. Think about your budget. Many landscape designers offer good solutions. If you want to try your hand at DIY you can make your own green wall with hanging pipes and plant herbs.
How to maintain a terrace garden?
Surprisingly not much is needed to maintain these gardens, regular watering and occasionally fertilising the plants seems to do the trick. Weeding is almost non-existent with such a situation. This is a big advantage of a “potted” garden. The only concern you might have to deal with is your growing garden once you get the hang of it. After the first harvest, stopping at just a few plants becomes next to impossible.
By your experience, you’ll find out how, why and what you should do to grow them successfully on a terrace vegetable garden. For the effort you put in (which won’t be much), the enjoyment of an abundance of truly fresh vegetables at harvest time is well worth it. Happy gardening!
