Growing veggie & fruits is the most satisfying hobby. You get the opportunity to spend time with nature and finally, you harvest fresh vegetables for your family. It is a kind of double benefit. You can grow various seasonal vegetables throughout the year with a basic knowledge of gardening and your interest in gardening. Nobody can teach you kitchen gardening unless you love gardening and feel happy when you are working in the garden. Not just happiness, it also gives you a lot of fresh veggie & fruits at the end of the day. During this lockdown period due to global pandemic situation, it will help you to stay at home.
I mostly apply various organic fertilizers (vermicompost, cowdung compost, kitchen waste compost, bone meal, horn meal, mustard cake etc) to all of my vegetable & fruit plants. Kitchen waste compost is the best fertilizer because it is free. You can also apply jeevamrit liquid fertilizer (Do you know this?) if cow dung is available in your locality.
I have also started spraying organic PGR (plant growth Regulator) and seeing noticeable growth. Regular neem pesticide spray is the best way to protect vegetable & fruit plants. I also spray fungicide once a month or whenever it is needed.
I use chemical fertilizer only to my flowering plants. But when a vegetable or fruit plant does not perform well then sometimes I apply chemical fertilizer to those plants to promote its growth/flowering/fruiting. But that too limited to very few ones.
So here is my homegrown fresh veggies & fruits in the month of July 2020. If you do not know gardening then also you can start organically. You can use homemade kitchen compost to make potting mix and apply a mixture of mustard cake & rice boiled water fertilizer (3-5 days old) every week.
Cucumber
Cucumber is the most popular vegetable during this season. It is also considered as a fruit too. I am growing a lot of cucumbers this year. Right now, I have 7 plants and 2 of those plants are producing fruits. within 2-3 weeks all of those plants will start producing a lot of fruits. I am already getting 3-4 fruits per week.
Malabar spinach
Do you love to eat malabar spinach? Then grow two plants in two separate pots. Just pick a minimum of 10-inch size pots. Then you will get enough leafy vegetable after 2 months. Grow this plant organically, apply organic pesticide too. You can harvest its leaves & stem twice a month. I have three plants and which are more than enough for my family.
Bitter gourd
Bitter gourd or karela is a popular summer vegetable. It is bitter in taste. But still very enjoyable during this season. If you are using a big size container then only apply organic fertilizer. I have 4 plants and those are producing enough karela. I use this veg to make pakora, fries or mixed veg curry.
Okra/Lady’s finger
This plant is very easy to grow summer vegetable. I collected a few seeds just before the lockdown period and grew 11 plants. Those were producing approx 40-45 vegetable every week. Then I collected a few seeds from those plants and growing another batch of 12 plants. Within 2-3 weeks those will produce vegetables.
Water spinach
Do you know the water spinach? These plants are a rapid grower and that is why this plant is considered as a weed in many countries. But it is a popular leafy vegetable in South East Asian countries. Water spinach is known as kalmi shak in West Bengal as well as Bangladesh. I am growing this plant in containers/pots. I collected a few stems from the local market and planted a few stems in pots. Within a week, I saw a few tiny leaves on those cutting, roots started developing within a few days. So I think anybody can grow these plants. You just need to apply organic liquid fertilizer every week.
Brinjal
Brinjal or eggplant is the most popular vegetable and it is an all-season vegetable. It can be grown throughout the year. This plant can survive as long as 2 years and you can harvest throughout these 2 years if you are taking proper care of your plants. I own 6 matured plants. Each of those plants I planted during last winter. S now I am getting plenty of brinjal from those 6 plants. Those plants usually produce 10-15 fruits every month. So I never need to buy brinjal from the market since last winter.
Kadi patta
I have a 5 years old kadi patta plant grown in a pot and another one grew on the ground. So I am self-sufficient on kadi patta requirement for my family. It does not even need too much fertilizer because we only need its leaves. So any nitrogen-based fertilizer is enough for this. I prefer to apply mustard cake fertilizer twice or thrice a month.
Yardlong beans
Borboti is a popular vegetable in Bengal. Ohh, don’t you know borboti? It is snake beans/yardlong beans. In North Indian states, its seeds are used as lentils and it is known as lobiya.I had 6 plants and now I planted the second batch that too 6 plants. I think 6 plants are enough for a small family if you apply fertilizer regularly.
Culantro/ Summer coriander
What is culantro? Haha. I think you know cilantro but you do not have any idea about culantro. Culantro are stronger cilantro. It grows in the summer season. In West Bengal, it is known as bilati dhonepata. These are also easy to grow. I have a few plants in two containers.
Mint
Mint leaves are an essential herb in India. It is popular in North Indian states. But nowadays it is used in almost every Indian cuisine. I love to use those fresh mint leaves to make various summer drink. During the winter season, I make a lot of chatni to eat various delicious pakoda with masala chai. I am growing mint/pudina in a rectangular cemented pot.
Pomegranate
I have three pomegranate plants which are just one and a half year old. I did not sow those seeds. But still, those were grown from a broken pot which was used as a waste bin. When I noticed those tiny plants which were just one or two months old. I replanted those in separate & bigger pots. Now the flowering of those plants started. I hope I will get a few fruits from these plants. All those are growing in 10 inch/12 inch container/pots/bag.
Lemon
I have two lemon plants. One of those is growing in an 8-inch pot and another one is growing on the ground in my backyard garden. The plant is grown in the pot already produced a few fruits. But I expected more fruits because those plants were matured & fruit-bearing plant at the time purchasing. Now more than a year passed after planted in our garden.
Starfruits
I have a grafted starfruit plant in a 12-inch plastic container. I purchased it 6-7 months ago and I got a few starfruits from that plant. I am expecting more fruit the next year.
I have lemon, lemongrass, cilantro, thai basil, bird eye chilies, and mint leaves in small pots on my porch and I’m planning on adding a few herbs or veggies this month.