How to Start a Garden from Scratch

If you have recently purchased a new home, whether it is a flat or a villa, or if you already own a home and want to start a garden from scratch on a small scale, today’s knowledge will be quite beneficial to you. If some of you are wondering why they should garden and what the benefits of gardening are, let us inform you that including gardening into your daily routine will eliminate many of life’s issues. Please give it a shot and let me know how it goes!!

Today’s material may be found in the form of Terrace Gardening or Balcony Gardening, in which we will learn how to use the roof of the house and the balcony of the flat to grow plants.

How to Pick a Location for New Garden

• If you have open space on the terrace and below, you may make the most of it by planting flowering and attractive plants below and growing vegetables on the terrace.
• If the roof is large enough, a green shade or green net can be erected to protect the plants from excessive sunlight or cold temperatures.
• Plants can be planted in the space near the balcony and entry of the apartment, depending on the duration and location of sunshine. Planting some plants within the house for decoration will boost the house’s beauty.
• The sunny spot must be utilized; do not construct any other form of structure or store any large items there; instead, reserve that space for plants.
• If you get an almirah or a tiny space like a garden to hold tools, fertilizers, and other supplies when building a house or doing any other activity, it will be quite useful.

Also Read: Great Tips to Keep Garden Green

How to Pick a Pot Pots/Containers

• We can start with a goal of 20 pots, with 10 pots measuring 9-10 inches and 10 pots at 5-7 inches. By the way, you can store as many or as few pots as you want, depending on your preference and capacity.
• Plants are best in clay or terracotta pots; nevertheless, cement pots are also popular, and I believe that for gardening on terraces or balconies, plastic pots will be the most practical.
• Because clay or cement pots are heavy and difficult to take up to the roof, you may order gardening pots online, which is a quick and easy way to send pots to your residence.
• There are many different shapes and colours of pots on the market, but I would recommend choosing simple and low-cost pots so that a larger number of pots may be obtained, because similar pots also look beautiful.
• These 9-inch pots can be obtained online for 55 to 60 rupees, but they can be found at a considerably lower price if you discover them in a wholesale shop in your city.

Pot Soil Potting Mixture Preparation

• Three qualities should be present in a good potting mix.
• The plants should have a strong drainage system, which means that whatever water is added should drain quickly from the bottom of the container.
• The nutrients that the plants require are available in sufficient quantities.
• Even if there is a scarcity of water for some reason, the appropriate moisture for the plants should always be there.
• These items will be required for potting the Potting Mixture —
• Soil from a garden or a farm
• Cocopeat
• Sand from the river Sand from the river
• Composting

Soil

• Soil for the pot combination can be gathered from any garden or field. Many nurseries in cities now sell farm soil, which you can purchase there.
• Some people utilise excavated soil for roads and other purposes because there is no garden or field nearby; nevertheless, if you transport soil from the road or other sources, you must filter it by walking with a thick hole.

Also Read: Best Indoor Plant for Home Decoration

Cocopeat

• The use of cocopeat has expanded dramatically in recent years. It is created from coconut shell fiber, which you may make at home if you desire, but for larger quantities, you can buy it from a nursery or order it online. It costs roughly Rs 40-50 per kilograms.
• It comes in cubes of 1, 2, and 5 kilograms that must be combined with water before usage, resulting in a volume increase of around 5 times. To learn more about the advantages and applications of Cocopeat, click here.
• The biggest advantage of utilizing cocopeat is that it helps the plant retain moisture. Aside from that, it’s also light, so it won’t add to the weight on the patios or balconies.

Sand from a River

• If the soil you used already contains some sand, you won’t need to buy it individually; otherwise, adding 15-20% sand will suffice.
• Sand refers to river sand, which is used to construct homes.
• Because the mixture is ventilated with sand, it is easier for the roots to spread and water does not accumulate as much in the pot. When too much water accumulates, the roots rot and the plant dies.
• One thing to keep in mind is that the amount of combination, aside from manure, should be around 70%. It is crucial to keep only 25-30% of the manure or compost for the plant to grow well.
• Keep in mind that if you live near a body of water, you should never use sea sand, even if it is accidentally used, because it contains salt, which is damaging to plants.

Also Read: Most Harmful Insects to Plants | Plants Pests

Compost

• As previously stated, the amount of compost or compost in the overall mixture must be at least 25 to 30%, but no more than 40%. It’s fine to use dung manure or vermi compost.
• Cow dung manure is also available at any dairy for 100 rupees a sack; but, if you have a relationship with the village, you may be able to receive it for free.
• 20 kg will be available for around 100 rupees in vermi compost nursery; if you take a tiny packet, it will be expensive in proportion; it would be best to take a 20 kg packet only.
• Later on, you can manufacture compost from your kitchen garbage at home, allowing you to reuse domestic waste while also saving money.

Also Read: Useful Insects Beneficial to Plants

What Is The Best Way To Prepare Potting Soil?

To make the pot, combine these ingredients in the following proportions:

• 20 percent of garden or field soil
• 30 percent cocoapit
• 20 percent river sand (sand)
• 30 percent manure/compost

If you have all of these items and want to make 10 pots, combine 2 pots of soil, 3 pots of cocopet, 2 pots of river sand, and 3 pots of cow dung (or vermi compost, or a mixture of both) in a large mixing bowl. Combine with

• Writing the percentage of each material here does not imply that you begin measuring with a scale; it will make no difference if the percentages are slightly off. You should keep in mind that, aside from manure, the remaining 60-70 percent should consist of soil, cocopeat, sand, and other similar materials.
• With more understanding, you will be able to utilise other materials such as perlite, vermiculite, cinder, and so on; at the moment, a very nice potting mix can be made with the four materials stated above.
• Examine the Pot’s Holes
• In clay and cement pots, there is only one hole, which you can enlarge slightly with any instrument to ensure efficient water drainage.
• Put some stones, pebbles, and other similar items on top of the opening to prevent it from jamming.
• Because plastic pots have a lot of holes, there’s a risk of water leaking out of the mixture over time; thus, it’s best to fill the pot completely at the bottom, which you may do with the following way. – Broken portions of earthen pots can be filled with little stone pieces by making them smaller.
• coconut fibre and shell fragments
• Aside from that, putting some pieces of fabric in the dirt will not filter it.

Which Plants Should I Pick?

Following the pot and its potting mix, we must now select the plants. You can begin with some low-maintenance plants such as basil, money plant, singonium, rose, evergreen, various varieties of lilies, and hibiscus. Tomatoes, chilies, garlic, onions, and other vegetables can be simply planted in Aparajita vines.

Also Watch: Peepal Tree | Ficus Religiosa

How to Make a Water Pour

Even if the plants are not properly watered, they will wilt and eventually die. Watering twice in the summer is recommended, but extra water should not be provided during the wet season. Every plant has a different water demand; some may go a week without water, while others require water on a regular basis. Check the surface of the soil before watering; if there is moisture on the surface, don’t water; water only until the surface feels dry.

Unique Advice on How to Start a Garden

If you want to garden for a long time, keep a diary in which you record your actions as well as any new knowledge or gardening advice that come your way in the months and years ahead.