Kitchen garden or balcony, if you love gardening, this is the time to prep for your spring gardenGourd it with life

Shraddha Solanki

Spring is a season that symbolises new beginnings. It is the time of the year when the winter frosts bid adieu and sweet warmth sets in. It is generally a season to collect the produce that was sown in winter but spring can make for a good time to jumpstart your spring garden.

Growing vegetables at home is a popular and smart plan these days as people are worried about the pesticides and chemicals being used. Some people also grow vegetables that cannot be easily found in markets. Having a kitchen garden is a sustainable and healthy move.

It’s do-able

A variety of spring crops can be started right now. “Vegetables like spinach, bhindi (okra), radish, coriander (dhania), bottle gourd (lauki), bitter gourd (karela) and a few herbs like aloe vera, fenugreek and cilantro are some of the few things that can be planted and grown in one’s backyard in the spring season. Spring is the ideal season to sow summer fruits like water melons and muskmelons,” advises Ashwini from Khullar Garden nursery. Your vegetable garden needs the basics—light, water, fertile soil, and a co-operative weather. But there are additional steps you can take to help ensure a healthy garden and a bountiful crop. The seeds should be sown about an inch deep into the ground and covered with a layer of soil and potting mix. The perfect site for a kitchen garden is one that receives plenty of sun and has a reserved area that is partially shaded so that you can grow all your shade-loving herbs and vegetables there.

Expert speak

“The soil should have good drainage. If puddles form after a downpour, then it is not suitable for a kitchen garden. “The water needs to seep in or flow away rather quickly. Stagnant water can ruin your crop. One should look for a smooth land devoid of rocks or roots. As that would be easier to till and prepare the soil before sowing. The drainage problem can be solved by raising the ground or creating a tilt,” says Ravinder Singh, gardener.

Space no issue

With all the development happening around us there is a crunch of space and not everyone can afford a garden. “In case one lacks gardening space, starting a vegetable garden on a patio, balcony and rooftop or even on a sunny windowsill is also possible. Vegetables like tomatoes, leafy greens, peppers grow easily in pots. This is very popular and is known as ‘container gardening’. Another way to creatively save space is growing creepers like muskmelon and watermelons alongside climbers like cucumber and peas,” says Divya Gupta, Leafy Tales.

Go organic

As for manure one should always go for vermicompost or organic manure as they can be easily prepared at home and more nutritious for the plants than the chemical- laden ones. “Be careful of the kind of insecticides you use. If using ordinary ones watch the concentration levels of chemicals and do not use too much in one go. “Buttermilk acts as an excellent protector. You can easily prepare it at home; store the buttermilk in a copper utensil for a week and then spray it diluted with water once the plants start growing,” suggests Suparna Sharma, CEO, Garden Tokri.

You can get a great sense of achievement from planting your vegetable garden, but keep in mind that your labour is by no means over when the seeds are in the ground. Even a small garden of tomatoes and chillies requires a certain amount of time and care.