Bring the outdoors in

both to decrease the amount of pesticides we consume, and to help protect the environment from toxic chemical overload. But organic foods can get a bit expensive.

Luckily, organic terrace or balcony gardening is the way to grow your own delicious, fresh produce, while having fun and learning at the same time: Win, win!

Organic gardening means you won’t be using synthetic fertilisers or pesticides, but that doesn’t mean your plants are left to fend for themselves. An array of tools bolster plant health and ward off pests.

Organic gardening also isn’t just about what you don’t do; it’s about trying to foster a more holistic and natural ecosystem.

While we can’t start growing our own rice or wheat, we can start small, even with just five pots. It is possible for us to have a company swoop in and set it up for us, or even do it ourselves with just a little time and effort on our own part.

There are many kinds of gardens one can plan. If space is an issue, then a vertical garden is the best solution. They are also visually pleasing, and can form a focus on a balcony or small terrace. These can be made with hanging pots, readymade SQUARE FOOT GARDENING is a concept where one plants a variety of plants in a small amount of space. You’ll have to put a little bit of money into constructing the raised beds and filling them with soil, but once you put in the work, the vegetable yield is consistent.

If one is tight on space, consider a windowsill garden. All one needs is a ledge wide enough to hold some pretty pots and adequate sunlight. Not only does this bring green into a home, it’s pretty convenient too, with absolutely fresh herbs and greens just an arm’s length away. For those lucky to have adequate terrace or yard space, it may even be worth investing in a small greenhouse with racks to hold a number of containers, and because of the shade netting, one can be assured of controlled sunlight through the year. It’s also easy to set up a proper drip irrigation system here.

It’s best to start with the basics. Plants like tomatoes, chillies, beans, brinjals, herbs and leafy greens are very easy to grow, and don’t require much of a green thumb. Fruiting plants require more sunlight than green leafy ones, so the amount of sunlight your balcony or terrace garden gets daily will determine what you grow.

Similarly, the kind of vegetable will also decide the container used. Root vegetables like carrots, or beets will need deeper troughs, as do tomatoes and the like. Greens and herbs can be planted in shallower containers. Apart from pots, anything food-grade can be recycled into doing double duty as a plant holder, from cut Pet bottles and tetrapacks, to wooden troughs, and treated grow bags.

Each container needs to have adequate drainage holes, to prevent root rot from waterlogging. They should be filled three quarters with organic compost mix, with a loose substrate at the bottom.

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