Burying the myths and letting the Urban Gardener (within you) sprout!

While the world has been locked down by this unexpected pandemic imposing restriction on almost all the things we considered “normal” or “routine”, it has though also unlocked a lot of options that we would otherwise not have considered. One of the mains being “reconsidering space”! As office spaces reduced to home desks, long runs reduced to spot running, many urban folks transformed acres of farms into little organic home gardens.

What started as an idea with some of my friends to further our gardening hobby has now turned us into “real-life” urban farmers if I could rightly put it… (apologies, if that sounded too dramatic but I always found the “IT-professional turned farmer” stories a distant dream)! Though these days, I find so many such stories reeling around me that I could not help but encourage more and more people to cultivate this hobby. Though when I did try, the usual responses I received were the preconceived notions I lived under for a long time too until I busted them first hand.

So, here I am making a humble attempt to break some of these myths. I definitely do not claim to be a professional (with only a few months in it) but nevertheless sharing some of my experiences that hopefully will break some of your myths (if they do exist)! Let’s get started…

1. We live in small homes, where is the space?

Well, let’s face this… the bigger the city, the smaller the space! While we have always seen farms or gardens sprawling across acres of land, it is not your fault when you say the above. Though, there are ways and ideas to overcome this constraint.

You could use the vertical spaces on the window or your balcony. Just put up a grill on a window or balcony and hang your planters up. Not limited to the verticals, you can always fill the smallest corners, work desks, bathrooms or even your kitchen with little indoor home plants; these not only purify the air around but add that green zing making your spaces livelier.

Personally, I have set up my little organic garden in a 30” x 15” inch within a 5 feet vertical space where I have close to 10–15 planters; each enjoying their own little space :)

My 30"x15" Garden setup using the vertical grills. Here, I have grown vegetables like Spinach, Fenugreek, Tomato, Chilly, Corriander (Cilantro), Mint, Okra, Holy Basil, a few flowering plants like Kalonchoe and Marigold and added a Spider Plant and a Snake Plant as hanging plants.

2. We have busy lives, where is the time?

At the look of it, gardening does seem like a time-consuming task where you need to spend hours to maintain them, fertilize them, water them, etc.

Surprisingly, that is not the case at all! All it requires is a few minutes of your daily time (~10–15 mins) for watering them and once a week to tend to the trimming and fertilizing needs of your greens. Now, that’s not demanding at all, is it? In return, it is considered one of the healthiest and most stress-relieving hobby after all? That said, you may want to reconsider your priorities!

3. Soil, bugs, worms… Yikes, it is a lot of mess!

If you are that cleanliness freak who wants to stay far-far away from anything messy, then this point is definitely for you.

The soil, bugs, worms are an undeniable fact though you can put on your gardening gloves and use the wide range of sophisticated gardening tools available viz. trowel, fork, weeder, etc. to keep the dust away. Though, I personally recommend getting your hands a bit dirty because believe it or not, the experience is magical… You have to experience it to believe it!

4. Isn’t this supposed to be an expensive hobby?

Now, this is a myth I can downright rubbish out.

In fact, you can start with everything that is available right at your home. An old bucket, a broken mug, a used jar or even a coconut shell — any of these can be used directly as a planter. As for the soil, you can either borrow it from the nearby garden or simply buy it from a nursery. Lastly and finally the seeds — some of which are readily available in your own kitchen. Veggies like tomatoes, chilly, bell peppers, fenugreek, mint stems are only some of the seeds you could fetch right from your kitchen.

Alternatively, you could ask a neighbor or a plant lover for a few cuttings from their garden — and trust me, every green parent would be glad to share and see their happiness grow!

Coming to keeping the pests and insects away, there are a wide variety of natural pesticides available; one of them being a simple mix of Neem Oil with a little soap water — this spray can keep the fungus, insects and pests away. Now, that is an easy one right?

5. Well, ok I get it but are there any rewards?

This is where it gets really interesting…

I can list not one but countless. However, for now I will list my “FAVORITE FIVE”!

Let me start off with a quote very aptly stated (especially true for these Covid-19 times) –

“Nature is often seen as something we can escape to when life is hard”

Now, this isn’t just a statement but if you reflect, a way of life!

1. Research proves that plants greatly reduce stress levels and increases our energy levels. This is the major reason we see plants in office areas, hospitals, schools, etc because they boost productivity while also improving the aesthetic standards of the place
2. They are natural air purifiers. Species like Snake plant, Spider plants, Peace Lily and many more eliminate the volatile chemical toxins around in turn improving the air quality
3. They are good friends… Don’t agree? It is proven that plants have a nervous system, they can experience pain and also communicate in some sorts. For example, a leaf getting eaten by an insect in turn warns the other leaves by issuing signals. The above said, a plant can enjoy a warm chat, some soulful music and your company just like a “Friend”! That’s not all… research shows that these factors also notably improve the overall growth of your plants!
4. If you have a tough time feeding your children the much-needed greens and veggies, gardening is ideal — they will definitely not want to fuss on a veggie sown, grown and harvested entirely by them… now isn’t that a great idea? Furthermore, gardening helps improve a child’s fine motor skills as also aiding their overall development. It inculcates patience and a sense of responsibility as they learn and appreciate the health benefits of each vegetable
5. Last but definitely most importantly, you can relish your own home-grown organic herbs, veggies without worrying about the toxic chemicals or insecticides. Now isn’t that reason enough?

Some of my personal harvests and techniques that I am proud to share! :)

6. Okay, I am convinced… How can I get started?

There’s no better time to get started than Now! Even if that means starting off with a single plant. You could choose from a vegetable, herb, fruit, flower or simply anything you like.

A few recommendations for a first timer would be to start off with tougher plants of the likes of Snake Plant, Spider Plant — they survive with less water (1–2 times a week) and fertilizing needs, less sunshine, and best of all act as an air purifier! If you wish to start off with vegetables, you could start with tomatoes, chilly (any variety you like), mint, basil though these do require regular watering and fertilizing requirements to tend to.

Once you have gained the confidence, the list you could you experiment with is huge and the options endless.

A lot said, all that is required is the will and the way to your own little garden…

So, Let’s Get, Set & Go Greenie! :)

Special Mentions: Lastly, I would like to extend my thanks to my fellow gardeners, friends and motivators, Sandeep and Priyank for adding their expert tips and tricks! Thank you guys! :)