Tag: balcony gardening

Which Veges to grow?

by Reema, posted in Balcony/Terrace Farming

I am often asked, what are the best vegetables to grow at home/balcony/terrace? Well, all!!

So how do you go about deciding which vegetables do you want to grow?

Firstly, always factor in your interest and preference!

Secondly, the season. There are many veges that grow throughout the year but there are also equal number of them who prefer a particular season!

Thirdly, consider the available space in your balcony/terrace.

Now comes the biggest challenge – You’ve a list of 10-15 veges which grow well in a particular season, you’ve enough space for them and you like them as well. So now how do you choose?

CucumbersAlways remember, if it is your first time, things may not workout exactly the way you want them to. So always go the conservative way. Imagine you can harvest a very little quantity everyday. So what would you do with it? I’ll illustrate.

  • What if you harvest just one cucumber? Nothing wrong with it as you can eat it right away or you can use it in a salad with few other veges.

okra

  • Now, what if you harvest only 5-6 okra in a day and next ones would be ready for harvest only after a week. What would you do? All my south Indian readers are going – we will use in Sambar or in morkutaan!! 😉 😛 Well so if you can use a very little quantity of okra efficiently, go for it or else just reject it!

 

  • Similarly with beans – What if you harvested just 5-6 pods of french beans? You can probably use it in fried rice/vegetable pulav/Biryani.

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  • But what if you harvest just 5-6 pods of broad beans or cluster beans? How would you use them? Well I don’t have an idea so I would reject such veges. But if you know how to use them, go for it!!

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Now, before you decide to plant any particular vegetable, ask yourself, What would you do with an small harvest? Save yourself the pain of growing the veges and then not able to use them properly!! 🙂

Happy Gardening 🙂

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Your Garden does not need additional water!

by Reema, posted in Gardening Concerns

Surprising as it may seem you can manage your Garden very efficiently with the existing quantity of water usage. Garden by no means is demanding, especially when it comes to water! So whether you’re facing a water crunch or you believe in water conservation, these tricks will definitely help you save water.

#1 Always Mulch the Soil: Mulching helps to prevent water evaporation from the soil thereby requiring less water. To know more about Mulching click here.

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#2 Use Fresh Cow-dung: Cow dung is excellent to prevent water evaporation and keep the soil well hydrated. Mix 1kg of cow-dung in 5 liters of water and use it to water the plants. This acts as excellent compost, mulch and water retention technique. You can also try making amrutjal. Click here to know more about amrutjal. (Disclaimer : Please do not use fresh cow dung in monsoon/rainy season. The moisture in the soil combined with humidity in the atmosphere will lead to fungal growth.)

#3 Water from Mopping the Floor: It is a great idea to Mop the floor with plain water (without any chemical floor cleaners) and then use it for watering the plants.

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#4 Water from washing clothes: You may not be aware but there are many 100% eco-friendly detergents available in the market. So you can use the water that drains out after washing/rinsing the clothes and use it for watering the plants. In fact its a great idea to connect your washing Machine’s drainage pipe to another smaller pipe that leads directly to your garden or pots.

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#5 Water from Washing Your Fruits & Vegetables: It is a great idea to wash your fruits, vegetables and other food items like cereals and pulses in a container and use the same for watering the plants.

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These are my top 5 water saving techniques. Please add your ideas in the comment section below!

Happy Gardening 🙂

 

 

 

10 Awesome Minimalist Garden Ideas to begin with!

by Reema, posted in Design Your Garden

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Garden Decor – Part II

by Reema, posted in Design Your Garden

If there is anything that can increase the beauty of your Garden manifold – Its the Fauna that it attracts 🙂 Especially the Birds, Bees and Butterflies!!

To start with, we can place the Bird- Feeders. Click on the image to know more about bird feeders.

When you have birds visiting regularly, you can place the Bird- Shelters. You may start with one and then go on increasing the number of Bird Shelters. It is not a very common thing for birds to adopt man-made shelters. But you can always try. Do not hang the shelters. Bird Shelters should be steady. Also, do not relocate them frequently. Here are a few shelters. Click on the images to know more.




Now here’s another thing – Gardens have a different look by day and by night. So if you like to spend time in your garden in the evening, beautiful lights are a must. Fairy lights are my all time favorites. Unlike lamps, which are confined to one place, we can create different patterns with fairy lights. I love them also because they can be used both indoors and outdoors. Here are a few different lights with which you can light up your space. Click on the images to know more.




Furniture: When I say furniture it doesn’t mean a whole set of chairs, tables or couch. It can be just that one single swing Chair or an easy chair. Or it can be a floor furnishings like a Yoga Mat or floor chair. The floor furnishings look best in Balconies especially if you like to exercise and/or meditate in your garden.

DISCLAIMER: SOME OF THE LINKS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS THAT I MAY EARN A COMMISSION IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK OR MAKE A PURCHASE USING THE LINK. WHEN YOU MAKE A PURCHASE, THE PRICE YOU PAY WILL BE THE SAME WHETHER YOU USE THE AFFILIATE LINK OR GO DIRECTLY TO THE VENDOR’S WEBSITE USING A NON-AFFILIATE LINK. BY USING THE AFFILIATE LINKS, YOU ARE HELPING SUPPORT REEMASGARDEN.WORDPRESS.COM WEBSITE AND I GENUINELY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT. THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE THOSE OF MYSELF AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE OPINIONS OF NOR REFLECT THE VIEWS OF ANY MERCHANTS I AM AFFILIATED WITH. I HAVE CHOSEN TO ONLY RECOMMEND PRODUCTS ON REEMASGARDEN.WORDPRESS.COM THAT I USE OR HAVE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED.  ANY REFERRAL MONEY THAT I MIGHT GET PAID WILL NEVER INFLUENCE THE CONTENT, TOPICS, OR POSTS I MAKE.

Vertical Gardens

by Reema, posted in Design Your Garden

Vertical Gardens are nothing but Gardens set up in a Vertical Space. The lack of space in Urban areas has pushed for the need of Vertical Gardens. Vertical Gardens can be seen as an effective tool to optimize the usage of available space. Vertical Gardens are meant for both Indoor and Outdoor Gardens. In this post, we will discuss about different ways in which you can set up a vertical garden at your place, plants that can be grown in vertical garden and a few pros & cons of vertical garden. We will be discussing in detail about Vertical Wall/Green Wall in another article.

There are many ways to make use of the vertical Space. A few examples are as follows:

You can attach it to the wall like these

You can place a vertical stand for the pots like these

I specially love the second idea of having a custom-made stand for your pots as it would give you a little more room for flexibility and movement along with a perfect look for your garden.

Coming to the plants, vertical gardens are meant for smaller plants. That does not mean we have to limit our options. There are innumerable flowering and non-flowering plants available (which are either small or dwarfed for) such type of gardens. Not to forget the Herb & Leafy Vegetables that you can have out here! Be careful with the placement of plants. If the lower racks are receiving less sunlight as compared to the upper racks, place your plants accordingly. Choose a mix of both shade-loving and Sunlight-loving plants.

You can get your stand designed from a carpenter or a Fabricator. Be careful about using wood for your stand. The stand may get wet/moist with the excess water that drains out of pots or because of rains, if you’re planning to place the stand outdoors.

Alternatively, you may also want to check out the wall hanging frames. Click on the link below to know more.

Planters Vertical Garden Panels Green ( 3 frames + 9 pots )

 

DISCLAIMER: SOME OF THE LINKS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS THAT I MAY EARN A COMMISSION IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK OR MAKE A PURCHASE USING THE LINK. WHEN YOU MAKE A PURCHASE, THE PRICE YOU PAY WILL BE THE SAME WHETHER YOU USE THE AFFILIATE LINK OR GO DIRECTLY TO THE VENDOR’S WEBSITE USING A NON-AFFILIATE LINK. BY USING THE AFFILIATE LINKS, YOU ARE HELPING SUPPORT REEMAGARDEN.WORDPRESS.COM WEBSITE AND I GENUINELY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT.THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE THOSE OF MYSELF AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE OPINIONS OF NOR REFLECT THE VIEWS OF ANY MERCHANTS I AM AFFILIATED WITH. I HAVE CHOSEN TO ONLY RECOMMEND PRODUCTS ON REEMASGARDEN.WORDPRESS.COM THAT I USE OR HAVE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED.  ANY REFERRAL MONEY THAT I MIGHT GET PAID WILL NEVER INFLUENCE THE CONTENT, TOPICS, OR POSTS I MAKE.
Disclaimer: The images used in this post (including the Header Image) do not belong to reemasgarden.

How to pot your plant?

by Reema, posted in Design Your Garden, DIY, Gardening Basics, Intelligent Gardner

If you’re wondering why do YOU need to pot the plant when the Maali (Gardener) can do it for you, click here.

So here’s how I pot my plant.

Disclaimer: There is no right or wrong way to do it. I am expounding a few methods which have worked extremely well for me.

Scenario #1: Planting in Big Pots For Flowering & Fruiting Plants

Pots of Size 6″ and above. By 6″ I mean that the height of the pot is 6″ or more.

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Adding both the compost ensures adequate supply of nutrients to combat the ill effects of chemical fertilizers added by the plant sellers.

Scenario #2: Planting in Big Pots For Non Flowering Plants

If you’re planting non-flowering plants like Palm or money plant, you can fill your pot using any soil and dry cow-dung manure/vermi-compost in a ratio of 1:1.

Scenario #3: Planting in Small Pots For Flowering Plants

If you’re potting small plants that require containers smaller than 6″ I would suggest using only organic compost to pot the plant. No Soil at all. (The plant that you purchase will have enough of soil in it. So utilize the remaining space in the pot for adding compost)

Scenario #4: Planting in Small Pots For Non Flowering Plants

Here, you can use vermi-compost and soil in the ratio 1:1 to pot the plant.

Scenario #5: Sowing Seeds in Big Pots

This scenario refers to your vegetable garden. Here you have to prepare your vegetable bed/planters/Containers in the same way as mentioned in Scenario #1. The only difference is, when you’re filling your top 25%, use vermi-compost and soil in the ratio 1:1.

Scenario #6: Sowing Seeds in small Pots

If it is a flowering plant, fill the pot with organic compost and soil in the ratio 1:1

If it is non-flowering plant, like your herbs and leafy vegetables, fill the pot/container with vermi-compost and soil in the ratio 1:1

Where to get the Compost

As far as cow-dung manure is concerned, I would suggest you source it from your local Dairy farm (Tabela). It is one of the cheapest and best manure for plants. To know more about Cow-dung manure click here.

You can prepare your Organic compost at home. Click here to know how to prepare your compost at home.

Alternatively, You might also want to check out the ready to use potting mix available! Click on the images to know more!


 

DISCLAIMER: SOME OF THE LINKS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS THAT I MAY EARN A COMMISSION IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK OR MAKE A PURCHASE USING THE LINK. WHEN YOU MAKE A PURCHASE, THE PRICE YOU PAY WILL BE THE SAME WHETHER YOU USE THE AFFILIATE LINK OR GO DIRECTLY TO THE VENDOR’S WEBSITE USING A NON-AFFILIATE LINK. BY USING THE AFFILIATE LINKS, YOU ARE HELPING SUPPORT REEMASGARDEN.WORDPRESS.COM WEBSITE AND I GENUINELY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT.THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE THOSE OF MYSELF AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE OPINIONS OF NOR REFLECT THE VIEWS OF ANY MERCHANTS I AM AFFILIATED WITH. I HAVE CHOSEN TO ONLY RECOMMEND PRODUCTS ON REEMASGARDEN.WORDPRESS.COM THAT I USE OR HAVE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED.  ANY REFERRAL MONEY THAT I MIGHT GET PAID WILL NEVER INFLUENCE THE CONTENT, TOPICS, OR POSTS I MAKE.

Potatoes!

by Reema, posted in Balcony/Terrace Farming

I know its not the right season to sow potatoes but this post aims to make you ready well before the season arrives! 🙂

Growing potatoes is pretty different from growing an eggplant or a tomato! So here’s how we do it!

Step 1: Select the potatoes with shoots!

Step 2: You can use the whole of a potato or just cut the portion of the potato with shoot and use it.

Step 3: Fill the soil(mixed with compost) in a bag. There are many Planting Bags or Grow Bags available. If you don’t wish to purchase one, use a gunny sack or a big cloth/plastic bag! There are many advantages of using a bag instead of a container to grow potatoes. The most important one being ease of harvesting. However if you’re not comfortable you can choose to grow your potatoes in a container. Just ensure that the container or pot is big enough.

Grow Bag
Gunny Sack
Cloth Bag

Step 4: Plant the potato with shoots in the bag.

Step 5: Now just regularly water the plant and enjoy them growing

Step 6: Potatoes have very beautiful leaves and act as a great decor

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Step 7: Have a look at the flowers!

Step 8: Potatoes take from 8 weeks to 14 weeks to grow. You can dig in slightly to find out how well they are growing!

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Step 9: Harvest it! Just pick up the bag and empty it! Take out all your potatoes! Many people like small potatoes so they harvest them a bit early. For those of you who like big potatoes harvest them only when they have fully grown!

Note: For all my friends in India: Start around mid-November! You’ll know it instinctively as all the potatoes in basket will start developing shoots! 🙂

HAPPY GARDENING! 🙂

Please Help!

by Reema, posted in My Ongoing Projects

Hi Friends! As you know, I am a Gardner and my life is all about my Plants. However I have decided to take it a step further. I am now studying Human-plant relationship! Please help me to get a better insight into this relationship by putting in your perspective.

Here’s a link to the Survey!

https://goo.gl/forms/OTXIW3sdobivlcHy1

It will take just 5mins!

Thank You!

Inexpensive Gardening – Part 1 – Pots & Containers

by Reema, posted in Zero Budget Gardening

Idea Number 5: Use some old buckets or paint buckets! I know this is the most common idea. But it is one of the best ideas as well.

buckets
This Photo does not belong to Reemasgarden.

Idea Number 4: Plastic Bottles: Don’t underestimate the power of a plastic bottle. It is one of the most important tools in gardening! You can cut open a plastic bottle as shown in the picture below and use it for growing anything ranging from Coriander to spinach to fenugreek and many more. The pictures would give you a better idea! I’ll soon be coming up with an entire article dedicated to the plastic bottles!

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Cut Open the bottles from the center as shown in the picture. Create small holes underneath for outflow of excess water.
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I had planted coriander!  Click here to view an article on how to grow coriander!

Idea Number 3: Use any container/tiffin box from your kitchen! Yes our kitchen has too many plastic containers that are either old or slightly cracked. Instead of disposing them use them as pots!

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This was a plastic box in which we got our ice-cream. So Instead of disposing it, I chose to use it in my garden for small plants.

Idea Number 2: Use a cardboard box! Our house is loaded with cardboard cartons. Just give them a plastic coating from inside and use them. Yes I can hear you asking “Will it hold? Will stay in the long run?” The answer is “NO! It wont stay in the long run. But it will stay long enough for you to experiment and know whether you’re liking gardening! Once you know you’re good at it and you’re enjoying the process there is no harm in making some capital investment in form of pots and containers!!

I had this huge cardboard box so I just covered with plastic from inside and voila!! I had my raised bed ready! Free of cost. This box contained 9 eggplants. Just be careful about one thing when you’re using a cardboard box. Don’t relocate it. Just let it stay fixed in a place. Lifting it or moving it may cause damage to the box as it is just a cardboard!You can similarly use a shoe box!

When you place the lid under the box, it makes the box even stronger and if the height of the box is six inches you can plant any plant. If shorter than 6 inches, choose a smaller plant.

Idea Number 1: Use the existing Containers effectively! The following are the pots that contain rose plants. I used them to grow fenugreek and even Okra! You can experiment with more plants!!

Fenugreek plant in a rose pot
Fenugreek plant in a rose pot
Fenugreek plant in a rose pot
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Okra in a rose pot! Click here to know how to grow an Okra in your Balcony!