Kitchen Gardening In The Backyard: Start Growing Your Own Food

Today, consumers prefer everything online, and they are dependent on firms like Amazon, Big Basket, Flipkart etc for vegetables, groceries and other essentials. It would be self-reliance if you had the basics like tomatoes, chillies, coriander growing in your garden. Kitchen gardening is becoming more popular among several residential projects in metropolitan cities. They are popping up in the backyards of the villas and homes.

A kitchen garden is small, yet attractive, and productive. Growing your own kitchen garden offers fresh vegetables and fruits. It makes you spend your spare time in a productive way. It also brings happiness and makes you feel relaxed. There is no need for large parcels of land or agricultural tools. You can also grow vegetables in containers or make a hanging garden on the balcony of the flats or villas.

Growing your own food in the backyard of your home has several health benefits:

• It helps you eat fresh fruits and vegetables without any cold storage facilities.
• You will have complete control over when to harvest and what kinds of fertilizer to be used.
• Ripped vegetables or fruits in the garden have more nutrients than compared to the stored fruits or vegetables.

How is Kitchen Gardening Different from Regular Gardening?

Twenty years ago, weekends were different. The day moves slow, relaxing in the backyard and enjoying the little joys in life. Spending time in the backyard to relish the wary Sunday breeze. This was possible because there were less population and ample space around the home. The garden in the backyard greets you with chirping birds and the serene green leaves move along with the wind. In the midst of the green surrounding, you can spot the vegetables and colourful fruits necessary for your delicious meal. The fresh tomatoes, the soft carrots, bell pepper, coriander and the row of spinach etc., all grown in the comfort of your backyard. The first thing that comes to your mind is fresh vegetables for the delicious meal of the day.

If you fast forward 20 years, the first thing you hear early morning is the sound of the horns from vehicles. Today, there is less green cover in metropolitan cities. Most people don’t have a backyard as they live in apartments.  It is all about bringing back the essence of the old days. In an effort to bring the old essence of lifestyle, organic gardening is a treasure for a healthy lifestyle in today’s age. The best part is that the organic kitchen garden can be set up in the backyard if you own a villa. In the case of an apartment, a terrace garden will work fine.

Here are a few things to do before starting a kitchen gardening

1. Start with small and choose the vegetable plants that you’d really like to eat.
2. Ensure that the backyard area gets at least 6 hours of good daytime light and sufficient water facilities.
3. It is best to use contaminant-free soil
4. Consider using a raised garden bed, which allows you to control the soil and its nutrient.
5. Talk to other backyard gardeners in your area and get an idea of what works practically in your regions.

Why Organic Gardening?

Organic gardening is all about growing plants, vegetables and fruits without the use of pesticides or synthetic chemical fertilizers. In simple terms, it is essentially gardening in the best natural way.

As we would like to bring back the essence from the old times onto everything from fashion to lifestyle, organic gardening is also one such treasure that is taking center stage now. And, the best part is that the terrace kitchen garden can be set up in your own villa or apartment.

Organic gardening is significant because there are no added chemicals while farming. It causes no harm to the ecosystem and the people who consume it. According to the UNC Healthcare Organization, organic kitchen gardening has several health and psychological benefits such as reducing stress, good heart health.

Another importance of kitchen gardening is the constant increase in the price of vegetables. Every week, vegetable prices may fluctuate in the market. Sometimes, onions become the most expensive by end of the year. There are several instances where vegetable price saw a 40% increase in a week and among that onions are the most expensive. Additionally, the price of the vegetable doesn’t meet the quality during that period. When the demand is more than the supply for onions, it was imported from Egypt, but are we sure that they don’t contain any adulterants and meet the quality criteria. Organic kitchen gardening is the solution for all these problems.

How Much You Can Grow in a Backyard?

If you have anywhere between 300-400 square feet of growing space, it is enough to sustain a family of 4 throughout the year. You can grow a wide range of vegetables and fruits in your backyard garden. They are as follows:

• All types of greens such as leafy greens, ‘buttercrunch’ lettuce, spring mix, and kale
• Herbs: rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil and parsley
• Fruiting plants: cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, shishito peppers, and sugar snap peas.
• Legumes: alfalfa, clover, beans, peas, chickpeas, lupins, mesquite, carob, soybeans, peanuts etc
• Creepers: pumpkin, bottle gourd, aparajita, lavender, curtain creeper, bougainvillea star jasmine and many more.

How to Plan a Vegetable Garden

Prepare the soil:

After you decide what to produce based on the climate, space and preference, condition the soil for the plants using natural fertilizers. You can also purchase specially made soil to condition your existing soil.

Plant the seeds:

Sow the seeds based on the planting dates found on seed packets because growing conditions vary for different plants based on the season.

Add water and reap what you sow: 

Spray the water gently to keep the soil moist throughout the season. For this, you can use a spray nozzle to create a rain-like mist for your kitchen garden. Fertilize whenever required and harvest vegetable when they are young but pick them only then you want to use them.

Outdoor Barbecue Kitchen and Gardening in the Backyard

Growing a garden in the backyard is a good idea and offers a sense of satisfaction. How about having a barbecue kitchen and garden in the backyard. You can welcome the summer by setting up the outdoor BBQ kitchen. You can transform the backyard of your home into a perfect outdoor spot as an extension of your home. Your friends and family can spend valuable time in the backyard, which facilities all the necessary items to cook a meal or any recipes.

Grilling enhances the taste of food. This cooking technique helps to reduce fat and is better for the waistline, as well. When it comes to grilling the meat, the fat drips off the meat and the end results is healthier with fewer calories

The Centrepiece of Outdoor Entertainment

Have you ever considered having some friends over for a barbecue this summer? If so then an outdoor kitchen is a new way to entertain them. It can include a grill, a stovetop, a refrigerator, and even a wine cooler or beer keg refrigerator. Some people think an outdoor kitchen is just a place to put your grill. Just like the kitchen inside your home is a gathering place for family and friends, your outdoor kitchen is the centre of your outdoor entertainment space.

Increases the Living Space of Your House

An outdoor kitchen is like another living room where you can enjoy yourself with your friends and family.  It doesn’t have to be more spacious. It can be a 24/7, year-round living space if you are designing it with proper seating arrangements that offer comforts.

Reduce Your Utility Bills

Outdoor kitchens actually reduce your electricity bill. When you cook indoors, it builds heat in your kitchen. It will eventually increase the temperature of the rest of your home. Along with multiple burners and microwave ovens, it puts additional strain on your air condition system. Therefore, taking all the heater out at least for weekends allows you to keep your home cool, while still you cook and enjoy with your friends. It’s not just about reducing bill and enjoying with a friend, but also one feel more comfortable while cooking. Wouldn’t you prefer a cool breeze over a stuffy kitchen?

Kitchen gardening and barbequing are great ways to increase the value of your home. These initiatives will take your living to the next level because of various benefits. Additionally, summer is the right time to consider these arrangements. You can start small with gardening in the backyard, grow fresh fruits and vegetables. Then, barbequing will help you create a more fun time in a home.

Check out NVT’s Villa projects near Whitefield and Sarjapura.