Tips to create your own kitchen garden in a small space

Adulteration and contaminated food have increased the demand for natural and organic products. As everybody wants to eat something healthy and refreshing organic products are getting pricey every passing day. But you do not have to worry about the sky-high prices when you can cultivate your own kitchen garden.
It may sound a bit tedious or daunting but you will enjoy it! Here is a step-by-step guide on how to initiate a kitchen garden. Where you can easily grow herbs and vegetables you consume most of the time. The good news is that you can do all this in restricted spaces.

Warm temperature and good air circulation: Firstly you have to identify the correct spot to place the pot. You need to check if the area has proper lighting. Lighting can vary from plant to plant depending on the season. However, most kitchen garden plants demand at least 3-6 hours of sun warmth.

Open area: Check out for open spaces like window sills or the areas which are less in use and have direct access to sunlight. Remember to turn the position of your plant after every few days they can access light equally and grow fully.

Other options: If your kitchen does not have even a single existence of natural light. You can opt for growing such plants in the other corner of the house. One can also go with grow lights that will stimulate plant growth by aiding in photosynthesis.

Also read | Make your entryway lively!

Planters: using earthen pots is the cheapest and the easiest way. Although you do not have to rethink about using plastic bottles or jars or even glass containers for your kitchen garden plants and herbs. After choosing the correct plant you have to see the following  points:

• The container must be at least 6 inches or taller to support the fast-growing roots. Arrange the drainage holes so that the roots do not develop mould due to water clogging.
• To retain the moisture in the plant make sure the planter has pebbles or rock for an inch at the bottom. This trick will also help to neglect the excessive drainage of water.
• Make sure your plants are getting enough nutrients that are present in the soil. To make the soil nutrient enough you can add compost to it. Alternatively, you can make a mixture of regular soil and red soil which is good for growing healthy plants.
• Whether your soil is sandy or hard clay, the quality can always be improved by adding organic matter or compost to it.

Sow the seeds: you can get seeds from your nearby nursery. Always cover your pot with a mesh after your seeds are sowed. This will help to prevent excess air and sunlight from entering the pot. Choose to grow the vegetables or herbs you use regularly. Some of them can be Coriander, basil, mint, curry leaves, lemongrass and spinach.

Watering: while watering the plants you have to look for various things to make sure. Make sure the plant is getting the right amount of moisture. Watering plants depends on where you place them and the humidity levels of that place. During summers you need to water them more often than in the monsoons. If the soils feel dry when you dip your finger into the soil. That’s an indication to water the plant.

Tips to maintain the healthy growth of plants:

• Fertilise your plant once a month. You can do it by using tiny pieces of dried banana peel, egg shells or ground coffee.
• Prune regularly for regular growth but do not cut more than ⅓ of the plant at a time.
• If you are a beginner at it, then try the small pot initially and gradually increase the quantity.