Grow a Garden

Gardening can be a hobby that is relaxing and rewarding in equal parts. We speak to some garden enthusiasts to bring you the how-tos of starting a garden. 

People who are into gardening will vouch for its health benefits as it is enjoyable, relaxing, physically stimulating and also rewarding. Planting a garden on a balcony, terrace or any place else, watching it grow and then reaping its fruits, literally, can be very satisfying. Besides giving you the daily dose of sunshine vitamin i.e. Vitamin D, it can also serve as a talking point with your grandchildren and an activity that you can do together.

However, we totally understand that the uninitiated may find it daunting and restricting. So to help you get started we spoke to experts to get you some handy tips and also to some elderly practitioners to share their tricks of the game.

You can grow a garden in plastic containers & drums too

Dr. Rajendra Hegde of Vittal Mallya Scientific Research Foundation (VMSRF) who has been propagating organic gardening through his workshops at VMSRF and at ‘Oota from Thota’ events organized by Garden City Farmers group lays down some of the must-haves of starting a garden.

• Sunshine – The pre-requisite of having a vegetable garden is 3-4 hours of daily sunshine. However, if that’s not the case you can still grow some shade loving fauna.
• Investment – With a mere investment of Rs. 500 or less you can get started with few planters, ready mix soil, basic gardening tools and seeds/ saplings.
• Time – Just half an hour, morning and evening is all the gardening time you need.
• Stamina – Activities like planting, watering, weeding and harvesting can be easily managed by the elderly with slight tweaking of their workspace. Vertical gardens raised beds and stands for planters are options available to elders to avoid bending or stooping.

Dr. Hegde makes the following suggestions for starting a garden

• Start with 7-10 pots of 12-inch size and buy seeds from a known source. Grow bags are also an option for easy handling and carrying.
• Good plants to start your garden with are tomato, chilli, mint (pudina), spinach (palak), fenugreek (methi) and a couple of medicinal plants like carom (ajwain). They are not only easy to grow, but also make a nutritious diet for the elders. You can add a few ornamental plants as well.
• Invest in basic tools like the garden fork, secateurs, shovel or trowel.
• For growing vegetables, your potting mixture should comprise of one part soil and three parts compost. If growing fruits alternate the ratio.
• Sow 1-2 seeds per pot.
• To avoid pests spray organic mediums like neem oil, buttermilk, ginger and chilli paste in water every 15 days or so.
• Organic fertilisers like Biofoster should be added every 20 days till 45-60 days of plant’s growth. Beyond this period nutrition supplements should not be added as they restrict the reproduction process of the plant.
• Plants like spinach can be harvested 3-4 times before you need to plant new seeds again, while fenugreek can be harvested only once and mint multiple times.

Narayan Ramakrishnan’s organic terrace garden

Seems like quite a lot of work? Well, we spoke to a few senior garden enthusiasts to get a clear view.

Narayan Ramakrishnan, 62, has been doing terrace gardening for the last 3 years and resorted to organic gardening about 2 years back. He has been growing a variety of vegetables and fruits including tomato, brinjal, carrot, musk melon and strawberries. He spends minimum 1.5 – 2 hours daily tending to his plants which he feels are like little children that need care. “The more attention you give more returns you get”, says Ramakrishnan. While his wife to helps him he has a gardener visit him once a week to help him with heavier jobs. Ramakrishnan has the following tips to share –

Veggies from Ramakrishnan’s organic garden

• Use grow bags for ease of handling
• Set up a drip irrigation system to overcome watering issues
• Organic farming yields sweeter and better results
• Use neem spray/ turmeric powder spray/ green chilli and ginger spray/ buttermilk spray every 2 weeks to prevent infestation

Rajagopalan on his roof garden with guests

RK Rajagopalan, 80, was initiated into gardening by his late son-in-law at the age of 75. While he started with ornamental plants he is now growing various vegetables. He is a proud owner of 180 pots were other than growing the usual suspects he is experimenting with wheatgrass, sugar cane, ‘Chappan Kaddu ’, ‘Tinda’ among others.

His daily routine includes 1-2 hours of gardening. He too has a gardener visiting him once a week to help him with more laborious activities like soil mixing, repotting etc. Such is his passion that he has attended VMSRF workshops, interacts with fellow gardeners on Facebook and seeks their inputs whenever needed. He feels gardening has brought him closer to nature and can feel plants loving him back just like his dogs do. “I am sure they can feel my touch”, says this avid gardener.

Palak from Rajagopalan’s garden

Sundari Kannan, 63, is another Bangalore based avid gardener who has been gardening since her childhood with her mother. Today she has a terrace garden that she very enthusiastically takes care of and is assisted by her children whenever needed. “Gardening arouses motherly instinct in every person. With the appearance of the first leaf one gets impatient about further growth and to see a plant respond with new shoots and buds is very exciting. Also, the worry about their well-being is just like worrying for your child and the thrill of harvesting or getting compliments on how tender and delicious the produce makes your heart swell with pride”, says Kannan.

Radish from Sundari Kannan’s garden

Hope after hearing your comrades, you will be motivated to get started. However, do keep in mind the following

• Wear non-skid footwear to avoid any mishaps
• Use a table and chair for easy access and comfort
• Avoid sunny time of the day, the best is morning hours or after 4 pm.
• Wear a hat and sunscreen to avoid sunburn.
• Identify a water source nearby or arrange for one.
• Keep the area clutter-free for easy mobility
• Use higher-level spaces like ledges, step ladders, window sills for placing your plants to avoid stooping or bending.
• Use gardening tools like pickers for picking up things without bending
• Take help for laborious activities
• Take frequent breaks and drink fluids regularly.

If stuck you have plenty of help at hand as you would find various gardener groups on Facebook —- Organic Terrace Gardening, Bangalore Gardeners, Grow your own Veggies, to name a few. VMSRF also organizes Organic Terrace Gardening workshops. Check out www.vmsrf.org for more details