Reconnecting with our roots, with our nature, is one of the most joyous things the lockdown has given to us. Here is a beginner’s guide to growing your own produce by Dr. Ekta Chaudhary – a wildlife biologist and the person behind her own YouTube channel “Garden Up.”
“Growing your own food is one of the most basic things that humans need to know. We learned this as a skill during the period of evolution. Then we went from being hunter gatherers to growing our own food, and then the concept of civilization came about,”
The reason why it is so important to grow our own produce, according to Ekta is, “Over time, people made a division of work between a farmer and white-collar job. This sort of has created a separation that a person who sits in the office is completely out of touch with what or how his or her food is grown. This lockdown has given people time to think and have some time and to get that connection back in their life.”
Here’s how you can begin growing your own greens at home:
THE STARTING POINT
First, you need a lot of patience! If you put a seed today and expect it to sprout the next day, it isn’t going to happen. It is a great lesson of patience, even for children, that you will reap the benefits of your work but it will take time.
SPACE:
To grow anything, first you need to see what kind of a place you have and how much sunlight it gets. “Let’s say I have a north-facing balcony with no sun, so probably growing veggies is not a good idea for me. If I have a west-facing balcony with ample sunlight then that’s a great place to grow a lot of veggies- grow tomatoes, brinjal, ladyfingers, etc. An east-facing balcony is ideal to grow flowers like Marigold, Crossandra, Jasmine, or even an Aloe Vera and a Tulsi.”
“If you have a place with no sun, it’s best for ornamental plants which are lush green, huge foliage, like money plants and snake plants.”
POT:
Pick a medium sized pot (12-inch depth pot). The root should have enough space. The bigger, the better.
SOIL:
Any regular soil can be used. Old pots that are drying can be used as soil too. If you don’t have access to compost, you can always use kitchen waste to make it and just moisten the soil.
SEED:
Add seeds which could be as simple as rai (mustard seeds) that you have in your kitchen or could be gehu (to grow wheatgrass), tomato, where you just cut slices and put it in soil. You can grow mustard, carrots, potatoes, radishes, or mint – it is a great plant to start with. Garlic is easy too. It takes about six to seven months to grow. Just put it in soil and forget about it.
THE PROCESS
“All you have to do is water it till the soil rises up. That’s it. Then nature will take its own course. Just ensure that they receive 3-4 hours of direct sun as all foods and vegetables require a lot of it. And when the vegetables start to resemble how you get it from the shop, pluck it and use it. The difficult part is to get to that stage.” says Dr. Ekta.
Always remember:
“Any plant needs these three important things: Nutrients, Water, and Sun.
Any person growing their greens needs only loads of PATIENCE. Of course, a basic requirement is a physical requirement, but also a lot of patience!” concludes Ekta.
So get your hands dirty and eagerly watch your hard work sprout.
Stay safe and stay healthy!
Check out other such interesting stories in our digital May issue: https://globalspaonline.com/global-spa-digital-fitness-special/
