Give Your Garden THE Vegetable Hue

Gardening has always intrigued me since the day my mother bought 11 plants for me on my 11^th birthday. She said, “Tend to them, show them your love, talk to them and you will feel the happiness as they grow and flourish”. Being a child I was unable to understand all that, but I used to water them religiously. Now I have my small garden and I do understand what she meant. It makes me happy when I see a plant sprout from a seed I sowed and it is mortifying when a plant wilts.

The latest addition to my terrace garden is a tomato plant and a green chilli plant which have recently sprouted from seeds. Though I might not be able to get a product soon; I am pretty sure they will taste heavenly.

There are numerous benefits of growing your produce.

1. Fresh and tasty: those of you who have your own kitchen garden will agree with this. This is mainly because the vegetables are picked just before consumption.
2. Better Nutritive Value: growing a vegetable for commercial purposes is very different from the one for personal consumption. To avoid spoilage, they pick the vegetables long before they ripen. This prevents the veggies from attaining maximum nutrient content. Also, homegrown ones are organic with no or minimal pesticides.
3. Workout and relaxation: gardening is a kind of workout which a person enjoys; the same as dancing. When you water, weed and plough you spend a good amount of calories. It can be quite soothing to the nerves and few people even equate gardening to meditation.
4. Vitamin D and oxygen: while you work out in the sunshine you get an ample amount of sunshine vitamin; I mean vitamin D and fresh oxygen from plants.

With open spaces constricting in our households, you must be wondering how to have your own kitchen garden. No need to worry; you can grow numerous veggies in pots. Tomato (country variety but don’t forget to plant in deep pots); green chilli, wheatgrass, curry patta, ladies finger; mint, spinach, lettuce and coriander (in flat and broad pots), certain climbers like broad beans, bitter gourd (can be directed on to the balcony parapets or grills); spring onions, carrot, radish, peppers to name a few.

Well, I have started my kitchen garden, and I guess by this World Kitchen Gardener’s Day (celebrated on the 4^th Sunday of August) will be enjoying my produce. I am planning to add bitter gourd to my garden after tomatoes and chillies bear fruit. Let’s see if my husband is game for it.

Happy gardening!

Image by Pezibear from Pixabay