1. circle
of life
the
tao
of
vegetable
Rangashree Srinivas
T
he podalangai poriyal (snake gourd spend quality time as you would with mug, just enough water to moisten the
curry) you made for lunch tastes your child; use your hands as much as soil thoroughly. Stop when water seeps
fresh, luscious and melts in the possible; have everyone in the family through the little hole in the pot. A pool
mouth. Your teenage son gobbles it up love them. under the pot indicates over-watering.
with great intent! Impossible? Entirely
Once you have internalised these funda- Between 45 and 50 days you will get
possible - this vegetable has been grown
mental principles, work on the practicali- your first crop. Gently clip the edible
in your own garden patch!
ties of vegetable gardening! portion from the stalk with scissors, for
Vegetables bought in city markets, tend your day’s requirement.
to be wilted and are tough to eat. They
SETTING UP A
contain pesticides and chemicals that
BALCONY GARDEN Spread fertiliser mixed with sand once
in ten to twenty days as advised by a
are used to hasten growth. Home-grown Find a spot which gets four to five hours
gardening expert.
fresh vegetables are flavoursome and of direct sunlight every day.
healthier. Many city residents are opting Buy a minimum of 12 clay flower pots Lakshmi Sriram
for roof-top and balcony gardens. of roughly one and a half feet diameter, with her teenage
son, Kameswaran
Lakshmi Sriram, a veteran home-garden- depending on the space available. You
er of 20 years and a gardening consult- can expect 10kg of harvest per pot from
ant, shares her experience and wisdom every cycle.
on how to grow vegetables all year round Set aside at least five pots for the
in a little space within the confines of greens alone, to get adequate cooking
your home. quantity every third day.
EVERYONE HAS GREEN Prepare each pot by mixing two portions
FINGERS! of sand, one portion of red soil, half por-
tion of organic fertiliser and ten table- Your children
“There is a philosophy to gardening”,
says Lakshmi. People who are unsuc-
spoons of neem powder. and the vegetable patch
Children feel excited about growing
cessful gardeners think that they do Leave the pot to stand for a week and
their own vegetables, a real-time
not possess the gift of ‘green fingers’ sprinkle water every day.
lesson in science. Encourage them
because they do not understand this. to help out with little chores such as
Then plant a few seeds – a handful for
Plants are living things that can commu- planning the planting.
greens and three or four for vegetables
nicate with you if you are willing to listen.
like brinjal, ladies fingers, gourds, cauli- Gardening instills a nurturing attitude
They can calm you down and bestow
flower and cabbage. in children. They will gladly eat the
their bounty if you let them. For this you
very same vegetables they had
have to be gentle in your gardening; Twice daily, sprinkle or pour from a
shunned before!
40 Parent Circle / July 2011

2. The first harvest will last roughly three
months. When plants get smaller in size,
end of the balcony to the other and link
them to the plant. You can grow them as Need EXPERT advice?
it is time to change the crop. Uproot the shrubs too with careful pruning. n Call Lakshmi Sriram at 9444412111 or
plants and plant fresh seeds, even dif- email: sriramlakshmi@hotmail.com
ferent vegetable seeds if you wish. Let Costs A pot costs Rs 100. Each pot The Urban Horticulture Development
the sand, soil and fertiliser mixture dry requires 1.5 kg sand, 750 gms red Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural Univer-
completely before the next planting. Add soil and 350 gms organic fertiliser. sity frequently conducts one-day training
some fertiliser mixed with sand before This is available as a pre-mix in programmes on roof gardening and kitchen
gardening. For dates and details contact
planting again. standard packs costing Rs 63 at
044-26263484 / 42170506.
Chennai Horticultural Gardens,
Climbers like cucumber and snake
enough to fill five pots. A packet of
gourd need vertical space. Plant these
100 gms of seeds will cost around
seeds in the pots near the wall or the
Rs 30 – Rs 50 and last for five
balcony grill. They start climbing after
to six plantings. Neem powder is
growing 4 feet in height. When they
available in 1 kg packs costing Rs
overshoot the height of your wall, tie
20 each.
three rows of thin jute ropes from one
Vegetable
growing
season Do u Weather proof the area
for the terrace garden. Water drip-
All year round Cool weather/shady patch Non-rainy season ping from the pots can weaken the
Ladies fingers, Brinjal, To- Carrot, Cabbage, Cauli- Greens – Keerai, structure and cause seepage in the
matoes, Snake gourd, Ridge flower, Capsicum Spinach, Corian- rooms below.
gourd, Bitter gourd, Radish, (preferably November to der, Mint, Ginger u Keep the growing area clean.
Onion, Cucumber, Chillies, February) u Remove debris and dead foliage.
Cluster beans, Broad beans, u Water the plants early morning
In Lakshmi’s experience, potatoes, small
and late evening.
French beans, Cow peas onions, tinda and chow chow do not
u Everytime you use fertiliser, mix it
(Karamani) grow well in Chennai.
with sand.
u Remove pests and insects with a
strong gush of water from your hose
Organic fertiliser and seeds pipe, not with chemical spraying.
Insist on buying organic seeds and fertilisers. The seller may persuade you to buy u Change the soil, sand, fertiliser
the regular chemically treated seeds and fertilisers claiming that they aid faster and mixture once every 12 to18 months.
fuller growth. Do not succumb; organically-grown produce is full of nutrients, tastier
u Pour excess
and healthier in the long term!
Seeds Buy them at reliable nurseries. Lakshmi buys from Shakti seeds and Don'’t water. Use just
Ashoka Seeds at Natesan Street in T Nagar. You can store the leftover seeds enough to keep the soil moist.
u Use cement planters. They gen-
in your refrigerator and use them for the next planting. You can also leave the first
few plants from one cycle and harvest their seeds at the end of that cycle for the erate too much heat harmful for plant
next planting. growth.
u Grow hibiscus plants which at-
Manure Dry cow dung and goat dung are the best natural manure. Add neem
tract big black ants that can destroy
cake powder to keep away insects. A word of caution: Buy manure only from
your other veggies in days.
reliable sources like the people who keep cattle. Do not buy from the cart vendor
u Use yellow or salty water. Use
on the road as this manure is mixed with toxic wastes. Good quality organic ma-
clear ground water or metro water
nure is also available at Chennai Horticultural Gardens in Cathedral Road.
instead.
Undigested seeds in the animal’s manure grow into weeds in your pot along with
the seeds you plant. Remove these weeds immediately.
www.parentcircle.in 41