How to grow fruits and vegetables at home

A little bit of space on a window sill will work just fine for small things like herbs, lettuce and one can grow smaller veggies like chillies, bell peppers (capsicum), curry leaves, mint, lemongrass, Indian spinach , radishes, amaranths, coriander in plant pots in a smaller place

 If you have limited space like a small balcony ,one can use hanging baskets or small pots which can give above ground growing space.

 If you have a garden with some soil and some space for digging then you can plant medium sized plant like potatoes, tomatoes, lemons, drumstick, brinjal, radishes, carrots, ladies finger etc.

How to grow fruits and vegetables at home

When growing our own food, our diet is more diverse and healthier, packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Food in its rawest, freshest form is not only the tastiest way to enjoy it, but also the most nutritional. The majority of the produce sold in grocery stores go through a long process of being harvested, shipped, distributed to the stores. Once distributed the produce end up staying in storage on shelf for an extended period of time before being purchased thus losing its nutritional value.

By growing our own food, we are not using chemicals or pesticides that can harm the environment or to our own health. Instead, we get fresh produce everyday increasing our immunity and overall health.

 If you have a bigger open space for gardening to keep some big grow bags or pots one can grow vegetables and fruits like cabbage, cauliflower, chikoo, fig, snake gourd, ridge gourd, watermelon, muskmelon, amla (gooseberry) etc.

 Some of the easy herbs and shrubs one can grow in limited space like mint, beetle leaves, Mexican mint (karpooravalli in Tamil, ajwain leaves in hindi), balloon vine (adamant creeper), aloe Vera etc

 One can also grow some the easy growing flowering plants in small place like roses, marigolds, hibiscus, jasmine, sunflower etc. Also plants like Tulsi plant, jade plant, money plant, lucky bamboo are good air purifiers and humidifiers.

Things needed to grow food at home

If you are growing indoors, you will really just need some appropriately sized pots, seeds and good quality soil.

 If growing outside, you will need a watering can, wooden stakes, garden wires for climbers.

 A good fertilizer to help seed grow up fast and to be of best quality.

We all know fertilizer helps plants thrive by supplying them with essential minerals and nutrients. But with all the choices on the market, choosing the right one can be tricky. Here’s a guide to some of the most common types of fertilizer and why you might choose each one:

Manure One of the most common organic fertilizers, manure can come from a variety of animal sources including horses, cows and chicken.

Compost Recycled kitchen waste – everything from vegetable scraps to cardboard – is mixed together and allowed to break down over time, creating a rich substance that can be used as an effective garden fertilizer. Compost can be made at home or purchased commercially, and may contain manure and other animal by-products.

Cottonseed Meal One of the most effective non-animal-based fertilizers, cottonseed meal is super-high in nitrogen and can help you grow thick, green grass. It works best for plants that like acidic soils.

Some of the other natural fertilizers are :

Tea bag fertiliser – used tea bags can be used as a fertiliser for plants. Just cut the bags and empty the tea contents to the soil , mix well and add to plants as a manure.

Banana peel fertilizer – why throw away the banana peels when it can be used as a fertilizer for our home garden ? Banana peels are great in potassium and magnesium source and acts as a great plant fertilizer. Just blend the peels with some water and pour to the plants or mix with soil make it as a manure and add to the plants.

Egg shells fertilizer – egg shells are great sources or protein, collagen, nitrogen, phosphorus and other minerals. They help in cell regeneration and are great natural fertilizers for plants. Just break the egg shells and mix with soil and add to the plants.