This article will unfold the most useful home gardening tips for first-time or beginner-level gardeners.
Gardening has always been a great hobby. Something that can provide you with chemical-free vegetables, fresh air, beautiful fragrance, and a great sense of achievement.
And during the 21st century when the use of chemicals in agriculture is at its peak Kitchen gardening (growing food for own family) is a must-do thing for everyone which will ensure that the food you are eating is not chemically treated.
But, is home gardening in India easy?
Everything new that we try always seems tough at the beginning but as time passes by, we make mistakes, learn from them and eventually become good at it.
These are my home gardening tips for India that will guide you on everything you should be aware of and will make your gardening journey smoother.
16 Home Gardening Tips – Home Garden India
After reading this article, you will not have to look anywhere else for tips on gardening at home.
Sunlight
Sunlight plays the most important role in gardening.
No plant will grow without proper sunlight and you cannot obviously buy it.
And the number of skyscrapers that are being made in India is growing day by day, which makes it hard for everyone to have access to a good amount of sunlight.
So, if you are planning to start gardening at home be it on the terrace or balcony, or in your backyard.
Then make sure the place where you are thinking of gardening receives at least 3-5 hours of sunlight.
This is one of the biggest home gardening tips that you should take care of even before starting.
Decide What to Grow – Tips For Gardening At Home
This is one of the most useful home gardening tips you will come across.
That is to decide what you are going to grow in your home garden because the different plant has a different season and difficulty level to grow.
As a beginner, you should always start with plants that are easy to grow and takes less time.
With time you will build confidence and then you can diversify your choices.
Growing Vegetables Vs Flowers
This is one home gardening tip that I got to know a few days back.
I casually asked my Uncle why don’t grow some more vegetables in your terrace garden, to which he replied it attracts a lot of pests on the other hand flowers attract beautiful butterflies, and small birds and make the environment soothing with their fragrance.
See:
I am not discouraging you to grow vegetables, my only aim is to make you aware that you should be prepared to deal with the pests.
And you will be glad to know I have talked about making organic pesticides in this very article only.
Potting Soil
The next big thing is the soil or usually called potting soil that you are going to use for growing plants in a container (pot or grow bags or recycled buckets) or generally speaking in a confined space.
This was quite shocking for me when I got to know that the soil used in containers is not the normal garden soil.
Instead, it is called potting mix or potting soil, which is a mixture of cocopeat, perlite, vermiculite, and vermicompost.
But why can’t you use normal garden soil in container gardening?
Because the normal soil gets very stiff and doesn’t let the roots grow freely in limited space.
Also, coco peat helps in retaining moisture for a greater amount of time so that you don’t have to water plants again and again.
Container
Different plants need a different size of containers.
This is a handy home gardening tip that will save you from wasting a lot of time and effort.
So, you should be clear about the plant and its property before growing it.
Like whether it needs more space or how deep its seeds need to be sowed and things like that.
For example, coriander and spinach don’t require much space so a wide but not so deep container will do the job.
But radish and carrot grow under soil, so a deeper container will be needed.
So, make sure to choose the right size of container keeping in mind the property of the plant you are trying to grow.
And one of the most crucial home gardening tips is that always make holes at the bottom of the container for drainage of excess water and passage of air.
Otherwise, the roots will start to rot.
Water properly – Most Important Home Gardening Tip
This is the place where most beginner gardeners messes up.
When you are just starting out you feel like watering your plants as much as possible.
And in doing so you end up overwatering plants which led to rotten roots and deflowering.
Make sure to water only enough that the soil remains moist, not wet.
And once you feel like the soil has become dry only then water it again.
This is where a good potting soil comes into play which has cocopeat in it, which helps in storing water for a long time.
When to Water
This is also one of the important home gardening tips to keep note of.
What exactly is the best time to water your plants?
In my experience, early morning is the best time, after that evening is the second best.
Why am I saying so?
Because when you water your plant at these times of the day it doesn’t evaporate swiftly and your plants get ample time to feed on it.
Drainage System
If you have thought of starting a rooftop garden or balcony garden then make sure that there is a good drainage system as there will be a lot of water involved.
Without proper drainage there will be a lot of complications as the water will start to seep into the ceiling and that won’t be a good sign for your house.
Basic Gardening Tools For Beginners
There are a lot of gardening tools that come into play and are required at different stages but not everyone requires all of them.
So I will be telling you the most basic gardening tools that will come in handy from the beginning stages as well.
Gloves – When you are getting your hands involved with potting soil there are quite a few things that should not go inside your stomach but with bare hands there is a high chance of it happening.
So, invest in good gardening gloves from the beginning.
Pruner – Pruning is a healthy gardening practice that boosts the growth of plants as I told in the article, “How to make money plant bushy”. Pruner is a sharp tool that is used to cut small branches and stems.
Watering Can Or Sprayer – Don’t water your plants with the help of a normal water pipe as its flow is too much for small plants and might uproot them. Get a water sprayer or can to water your plants
Control Pest Effectively
Pest are one of the roadblocks that many people don’t start with gardening.
But these little creatures should not stop you from enjoying homegrown foods.
But how do you tackle these small insects?
Make your own pesticide at home for this you just need to buy a neem oil online mix it with water and just spray to get rid of them.
Also, keep looking for them regularly and remove the infected leaves before they start to mess up your garden.
Make Your Own Organic Fertilizer
Plants require nutrition too when they are in the process of making fruits or vegetables. This is the time they require a lot of nutrition.
Fertilizers are plant foods that provide them with all types of nutrients.
But…do you need to buy it?
Not necessarily.
You can make your own fertilizer at home.
Keep a separate bag for vegetable waste in your kitchen and you will start to get a good amount of homemade fertilizer at home only.
And also, if you can anyhow get cow dung, then consider yourself lucky, because it works like charm.
Egg Shells
Egg shells are a great food for plants that require calcium and one of the veggie cravings for it is tomato.
So, if you see your tomato plants getting dried up crush a handful of eggshells and sprinkle them in the container.
Easiest Plant, You Can Start Your Gardening Journey with
For all the gardening beginners, here are a few plants you can easily start with.
Grow Microgreens
Not everyone has the time for investing in full-blown home gardening.
Because we cannot deny the amount of work it involves and the care you will be required to maintain the garden once it starts to grow.
If you are one of those souls…what do you do?
You can grow microgreens, it is easy and involves the least amount of work.
You can check this amazing article on how you can grow microgreens at home.
Homemade Pots
Get creative with pots and make your own pots at home by using empty bottles, old suitcases, or anything that you think can be converted into pots.
Make sure to have drainage holes at the bottom.
Garden Shade
If you happen to live in the northern part of India then consider buying a green net for your balcony or terrace garden.
Because the summers are really harsh and the temperature remains above 40 degrees Celsius that is enough to burn your plant.
So, if in your region the temperature remains high consider a shade for your garden.
It also helps in the rainy season from overwatering plants. So, it is always advised to have a green shade for your garden.
Conclusion
I hope this article will help you take your first step into gardening.
All the best for your gardening journey and remember to come to GardenTroubles for any gardening related problem
