Building your own vegetable garden

 BUILDING YOUR OWN VEGETABLE GARDEN

Did you know that over 25 rounds of chemical pesticides can be sprayed on cauliflowers and cabbages? And residues can remain on the florets and leaves for more than a month after harvesting?

Pesticide and chemicals in fruits and vegetables is a growing problem today. The solution: turn to organic fruits and vegetables – grown on farms that use only organic fertilizers and no chemicals. At The Organic World, you can choose from a range of vegetables to meet all your daily needs (plus exotic ones as well!), that come freshly harvested from organic-certified farms!

Another alternative, to meet any immediate needs that you may have – and it’s a great hobby as well – is to start your own vegetable garden! Here are our top tips:

Space: Sometimes all you need is a little sunny spot on a balcony or windowsill! Not everyone has the luxury of a terrace garden or a kitchen garden – so you can always start small. The place you choose should ideally get 4-5 hours of direct sunlight, plus shade as well.

What to grow in: While earthen pots are the best option, you can always use buckets, plastic bottles, grow bags or even old bathtubs, if you have the space. Some intrepid home gardeners have even used juice cartons to grow greens.

Prepare your soil: This is one of the keys to a healthy vegetable garden. You can get your soil from a nursery; experts suggest mixing it with compost, coir, peat, natural  or cow dung before filling your containers.

Seeds: Get your seeds from a nursery. Opt for open pollinated seeds rather than hybrid ones. Make holes and plant your seed – remember don’t overcrowd! Once you sow your seeds, cover them with leaves, a process called mulching. If you have a large garden, you can cover the seeds with netting to prevent curious animals and insects from getting to them.

What can you grow? It’s always better to start with the easy ones such as spinach, mint, coriander, microgreens, tomatoes, chilies. Once you get comfortable and enjoy the thrill of sprinkling homegrown microgreens over your salad, you can move to other varieties that take longer to harvest.

Other tips: Always remember to water the plants but not over water. Look at the top soil and if it appears too dry, water gently. Keep tools like a watering can, a little rake, neem oil/water, a scissor to prune etc handy.

Happy Gardening!