Growing Your Own Kitchen Garden

With more and more people taking ownership of what they eat, kitchen gardens in urban areas are slowly becoming a common sight rather than a rarity. The benefits of growing your own food are tremendous, not only health wise, but also economically. Gardens do not require a lot of maintenance, but patience would be needed in large supply. All things, at first, seem hard, and gardening is no exception, but if you work at it, you might even get to really enjoy it.

The first step required to start your own kitchen garden would be to just look out your window and use your imagination. Contrary to popular belief, the garden does not have to be on the terrace or on the lawn behind your house. You can start small by perhaps growing herbs in pots or bottles and picking up momentum from there. Instead of tossing that old bath tub, fill it with soil and grow some cauliflowers or other vegetables that are to your appeal. Great thing is you grow what you like (although as you continue to be more conscious to the health benefits derived, nutritional value may start to outweigh your taste buds or your kids’). Afterwards you will need to tender to the plants. That would require that you add as many nutrients to the soil as you can. Everyday kitchen waste could come in handy.

Then you should always remember to mulch your soil so that moisture is not lost from the soil. Crushed leaves or even the remains of sugarcane after it has been chewed could be used to cover the soil. This also helps in protecting the microorganisms beneath the soil that are important for healthy plant growth. Another important tip is to try as much as possible to purchase seeds that are open pollinated and not the hybrid type. It is recommended that one starts small, mints or spinach leaves are a good for the early days since they can even be grown inside the house as their sunlight requirements are minimal. Essentially kitchen gardening is all about taking charge, so be patient and after a while the daily fresh scents from your own vegetables and fruits will remain a constant reward.