Earlier there was ample space in each household and used to have a garden in the backyard. But now because of the change in scenario ample sapce is becoming a luxury and every attempt is made to consume all the space available. So to overcome this the concept of terrace garden or kitchen garden originated.
Many people are interested in gardening, but the right knowledge required is not available most of the time and so when the garden fails to take proper shape the enthusiasm is lost. If it is your first take at gardening, you can start with a small pot and single vegetable and then gradually expand to other veggies. First of all the seeds or saplings should be of good quality. The soil required should be a mix of regular soil, compost coir peat and vermicompost in almost equal quantities. One should take great care about this.
Plants like tomato and chilly are easier to grow and do not require much care, so you can start with those. French beans, chilly, tomatoes, brinjal, okra and lime are easier to grow. You can also try cucumber, ridge gourd and bottle gourd. Root vegetables like potatoes, onion, radish, carrots, and groundnut can also be grown but they require a larger area. Flower plants are also favorite for most of the people as the colourful flowers and the smell gives a pleasant feeling to each individual.
You have to be very patient. It will take a couple of months to start giving results so you should not give up and keep taking care of the plant.Watering regularly is a must. In summers, your garden requires watering twice a day. In winters you can just press the soil with the back of your hand to check the moisture and water accordingly. Try to water the plants in the evening so that most of the water is taken up by the plant and there is no evaporation loss due to sunlight. It is advised not to water the garden in rains and even one day after the rain as excess water drains all the nutrition away from the soil, so you should be alert to apply nutrients as they get mostly washed off with water.
Another important thing is enough sunlight. The terrace garden should receive at least four to six hours of direct sunlight, and in areas where the sun is too harsh, people can use a shade to prevent the plants from getting scorched. Last but not the least, you need to be very attentive to any type of disease or pest attack on the plants. A vigilant lookout will ensure the amount of damage with the help of timely remedial applications of effective organic pest control measures.
If these things are observed you can certainly be close to the nature even at your terrace. Isn’t that a good thing at the cost of very little but timely efforts taken.
