Pandemic Corona has diverted our routine. Most of the gardening lovers likes to start their organic garden. Before starting your garden, please think twice, is it possible to spend 10 – 30 minutes a day for your garden maintenance? If you say yes, then proceed.

Explore with few easily growing plants.. Gain your Experience.. Expand your gardening …

Slowly increase the plant numbers after monitoring your time availability. No need to install shade net. If you want, choose 35% shade nets during summer. Most of us prefers shade nets to protect garden from birds and squirrels. Please remember, this planet is not only for human beings. Refer Insect and Pest management part to tackle these creatures.

Gardening beginners avoid to start your first garden during May month in India.

All types of gardening activities should be carries out either in the morning or evening.

Choose a place where sunlight enters.

Ensure drainage for your roof. According to your budget place your containers on stands or wood or plastic sheets or any locally available materials (Should be weightless).

Placement of containers & plants: Always keep your pots / containers around the terrace with half feet distance from side wall. Avoid dumping at center portion of the building. It will increase the stability of your building because of concrete pillars and beams constructed.

Containers for plants: Reuse waste buckets, sacs, bottles, water canes, pots, grow bags. Economically, LDPE grow bags are available. 24 * 24 * 40 cm grow bags are standard size to grow vegetables.

Seeds and plants: can collect veggies seeds from your own kitchen, Eg. Tomato, Chilly, Onion, Mint & Coriander cuttings, black & green gram for growing micro greens, etc., Choose green leaf vegetables, which will give result in short span of time with less maintenance. This satisfaction improves your enthusiasm in gardening.

Seed germination: Tomato, Brinjal – 4 – 7 days. Chilly – 7 – 10 days. Gourds – 10 – 15 days. Germination of seeds depends on season, storage period (Maximum of 1.5 years) and dormancy period of seeds, pot mixture, strategy to sow those seeds, etc.,. Soaking seeds with fermented butter milk / water, rubbing the seeds with soil will increase the germination percentage.

Growing media: Fertile soil is enough for plant growth with compost. Merely, using soil as growing media increase the weight of containers 7 – 10 folds than mixing with cocopeat and other light weight media. Can refer this link for preparation of pot mix: https://saaiacademy.in/2020/09/17/pot-mixture-composition-for-vegetables-flowers-and-greens-2/

Planting or seeding: General thump rule for sowing depth: seed size : 2.5 fold of seed size. Tiny seeds (Amaranthus, Tomato, Brinjal, Chilli) – sprinkled over the media & slightly level it. 2 Bold seeds placed in to small holes @ (1 cm) depth & close the holes. (Palak, Cluster bean, Bhendi, Radish, Avarai, all Gourds).

Number of plants per 24 * 24 * 40 cm grow bags will be maintained: Tomato, Brinjal, Bhendi, Chilly, Avarai, all gourds @ 3 – 4 plants per bag. Cluster beans, Arai keerai @ 4 – 5 plants per bag. Radish, Palak, Thandu keerai, Coriander  @ 7 – 10 plants per bags.

Seed treatment: https://saaiacademy.in/2020/09/18/seed-treatment-with-bio-fertilizers-bio-control-agents/

Tomato, Brinjal, Chilli will be transplanted 25 -35 days after sowing.

Watering / Irrigation: Watering should be done before 9.00 am & after 5.00 pm. No need to irrigate in rainy days. Twice in a day irrigation required in summer & once in a day during winter. Cocopeat media, mulching with plant debris’s improves water holding capacity. If your economy permits, you can go for automatic drip too for your terrace garden.

All the insect visitors are not a pest. Friends too. View this link: https://saaiacademy.in/2020/09/20/insect-friends-to-garden-beneficial-insects/

Nutritional supplements from your kitchen: https://saaiacademy.in/2020/09/27/organic-health-drinks-nutrients-for-plants-from-kitchen-and-house-wastes/

Insect and Pest management: https://saaiacademy.in/2020/10/01/management-of-healthy-plants-from-pests-and-diseases/

Weeding: Removal of unwanted plants from the pot regularly improves aeration and health of the plants. Slightly loosening of media around the roots without disturbing root zone of the plants by using stick once in a 15 days improves the growth of the plant.

Pinching of top of the shoots of gourds 30 days after planting increase side branches and improves yield. Hand pollination of gourds are must in terrace gardening.

Amaranthus, palak, coriander – cutting of the tender stems with leaves by leaving 5 cm of plants from the media level by using knife / scissors increase side branches for subsequent cuts.

Harvesting: Green leaves – 30 days after sowing. Tomato – 135-140 days from sowing. Brinjal – 55 – 60 Days After Transplanting (DAT). Chilli – 75 DAT. Capsicum – 150-160 days. Pumpkin – 85 – 90 DAS. Snake gourd – 135 – 145 days. Bottle gourd – 135 days. Bitter gourd – 180 days. Ash gourd – 140 days. Cucumber – 45 DAS. Watermelon – 120 days. Cluster beans – 90 days. French bean – 90 – 100 days. Cabbage – 120 days. Small Onion – 70 to 90 days. Bellary onion – 140 – 150 days. Carrot – 100 – 120 days. Beet root – 120 days. Radish – 45 – 60 days.

Happy Greening

P. Dheivanai, 9382132593

SAAI Greens.

Selection of quality seeds (Seeds without hole). Coriander fruit has two seeds. So, split the fruit into two portion without disturbing the seeds. Each portion will grow.

Perfect combo of pot mixture – refer https://saaiacademy.in/2020/09/17/pot-mixture-composition-for-vegetables-flowers-and-greens-2/ induce your seed germination.

Make a row by using stick and sow the seeds in equal distance and cover the seeds with soil/ compost.

Sprinkle the water twice a day in summer and once a day in winter.

7 – 10 days you can observe the sprouting.

Ensure good drainage and keep the container under sunlight. Provide little shade during hot weather.

Wait for 4 – 5 weeks to collect fresh cilantro leaves for your culinary purpose.

Harvest the leaves always using knife or scissor, it induce new leave production.

Happy Greening

P. Dheivanai, M. Sc. Ag., 9382132593

SAAI Greens, https://saaiacademy.in/saaigreens/