Make your own salad garden

Amarjeet Singh Batth

A salad platter of organic and pesticide-free fresh vegetables and fruits from your own kitchen garden is something that any self-respecting gardener must aspire for. A rich source of fibre and vitamins, besides important nutrients like beta-carotene and phytonutrients, salads are light on the stomach and great to keep the body cool in the scorching heat. A salad can be consumed in-between meals, as an appetiser or side dish, or part of the main course. It also makes for an excellent dessert.

Getting started

Paucity of space should not be a limiting factor to create your own salad garden. According to the availability of space, grow your vegetables in pots or ground. Pick up wide shallow earthen pots or wooden or plastic containers and place these on the rooftop. Those living in high-rise buildings can use the sun-facing balcony or verandah to place the pots.

Abundant sunlight and well-drained loamy soil full of rich organic matter yields the best crop. Add four to five baskets of well-rotten manure or vermin compost in 25 sqm area and 1-kg DAP (di-ammonium phosphate). Mix it well and see that there are no lumps. If planting in a pot, make sure it has a 1-inch diameter drain plug to release excess water. Cover the same with a piece of broken earthen pot before filling with soil mixture.

Preparing to plant

Salad requirement is everyday but in less quantity, so it is important to plant the vegetables round the year but in smaller lots. The plantation of winter vegetables like spinach, lettuce, carrot, radish, coriander, strawberry and garden beet can stretch till April-end. These, however, need to be protected well by maintaining controlled conditions.

Early plantation starts as early as January end. Place the seeds in plug trays or poly bags that protect from the cold. Farmyard manure, along with the DAP, is prepared about a fortnight before the seedlings are transplanted. The month-old seedlings (cucumber, long melon, musk melon and watermelon) are then transferred on 2-4 feet wide raised beds at a distance of 2 feet on either side of the bed. Seeds are available both as normal OP (open pollination) and hybrid varieties. Subsequently, the crops can be sown at an interval of one month by directly sowing the seeds for regular intake.

Muskmelon (Kharbuja): It requires a well-drained loamy soil. Weekly irrigation is required in initial stages. It is reduced towards fruit maturity. Ensure that the water does not touch the fruit as it may cause it to rot. The crop takes 75 days to get ready.

Watermelon (tarbooz): Avoid heavy soil that can crack due to dryness or get flooded during rains. Initial growth period requires weekly irrigation. Withhold irrigation towards maturity. The crop takes 90 days to harvest.

Cucumber (kheera): This summer favourite requires loamy soil and compost. Moderate irrigation, once a week, is good. The crop takes about 60 days to get ready. Harvest it before the green colour turns yellow.

Long melon (tarr/kakri): These grow well in any kind of soil. Just a add compost to the soil before sowing it. Similar to cucumber cultivation, this crop can be trailed on raised structures. Takes 60 days to ready.

Tomatoes: These can be grown in any soil, but light soil is the best. Choose seeds from the many varieties available. From November onwards, seedlings are transplanted on raised furrows at a 75 cm plant-to-plant spacing. These are to be protected in winter. Deep irrigation once a week is adequate almost throughout the season.

Mint: Mint is an evergreen herb used for various purposes. In winter, the size of leaves becomes smaller but it grows vigorously during summer at a sunny place with abundant moisture.

Thai basil and oregano: Extensively used as topping in many delicacies, these crops grow throughout the year. Moderate irrigation has to be done. The crop yield goes low in peak winter and summer. It is important to protect them from extreme weather.

Green onion: The soft green onion bulbs are produced from early winter to late summer. Its seeds are sown from mid-October. These are transplanted from mid-December to mid-January at a spacing of 15 cm. Irrigate moderately once a week and withhold prior to harvest.

Lemon: Available in varieties like ‘baramasi’ and ‘kaagzi’, lemon can be planted any time but it grows best in February and July. Weekly irrigate in summer and fortnightly in winter.