Vegetables, herbs and fruits are essentials of every household. How beautiful it would be if your backyard or balcony becomes your grocery store? Home grown veggies and fruits have no alternative; they are as pure as your kitchen made food.
Edible gardening adds flavors to your food and enriches its taste. It also contributes to the ecosystem as it reduces carbon footprints especially in urban areas (Conway, 2016). Such gardens / places attract pollinators like butterflies, birds and bees. Edible gardening generates physical activity that keeps you and your family healthy and close to nature. Plants, pots and containers enhance the beauty of the backyard as well.
According to a Turkish journal, edibles in landscape design can enhance a garden by providing a unique ornamental component with additional health, aesthetic, and economic benefits. (Celik, 2017)
To start edible gardening at home, few things need to be planned. Choose the location wisely as plants need proper sunlight, adequate water and air. Prepare the best soil as it will ensure better and faster growth of plants. Using organic mulch for the plants will enhance the productivity of soil. Veggie and fruit plants require deep watering one to two times per week; it means six inches topsoil get wet. The final phase is the best and that is harvesting edibles; all the efforts, care and patience have come out in the shape of ripe fruits and vegetables.
Selection of veggies, fruits and herbs plants is an important aspect because such selection is dependent on multiple factors including the climate of the area, weather season, average rainfall etc. Taking expert advice is preferred in this regard. However, let's discuss some herbs, veggies and fruit plants that are generally grown at home in containers, pots or landscape gardens.
Herbs:
Mint. It is the fast-growing, all-season plant, best for beginners of edible gardening. It requires less care and patience as it is a cut-and-come-again herb. The best way to grow mint is to transplant a stem (runner) of a running mint plant. The ideal time to grow mint is spring or fall season, however it is a resilient plant and adjusts itself in every season. Mint leaves can be harvested when the plant gets four inches tall. Fresh mint leaves can be stored in a low temperature for a week or two.
Coriander:
It is another fast-growing, all-season herb that can easily be grown at home. Transplant the coriander seeds about half to one inch in the soil with a gap of 6 inches (approximately). Place the pot or container under adequate sunshine and water it thoroughly. Coriander leaves take 50-60 days to get ready for harvesting. They are used in multiple Asian cuisines to develop taste and smell as well as for food garnishing.
Oregano.
This versatile herb is full of scent and flavor used in most Italian and Greek dishes as well as in pizzas, stuffing, marinades and fish dishes. It is good to grow in spring or summer as they don't like frost or cold climates. Place oregano plants in a sunny area and water the soil to keep its upper layer moist. If the weather is too hot, keep them under shade for some time. Four inches tall plant is ready to harvest, cut a maximum of one-third of the plant at one time to keep it bushy.
Veggies
Tomatoes. It is a widely used vegetable and generally preferred to grow in every edible garden. It is an essential part of Asian and Italian cuisines. It can be grown at home with sufficient care and sunshine. Tomato plants should be transplanted into large size pots or containers because their roots require adequate space to grow. These plants need plenty of sunshine and deep water to grow well and produce fruits. Give support to the plants when they get 10-12 inches long. Harvest tomatoes when they become good in size and color and easy to pluck off.
Cucumbers. They are one of the easiest plants to raise among edible plants at home. They are fast growing plants and produce sufficient fruit in the season. Fill up the pot with potting soil and sow three to four seeds about 1 inch deep in the center of the pot. Water the pot and keep it in a sunny spot. When the seedlings get three inches tall, remove small seedlings and keep only the robust plant because more than one plant in a container will disturb growth and invite diseases. Cucumbers can be harvested in seven to eight weeks after planting when the cucumbers get two to four inches long.
Garlic. Garlic plants are usually grown in fall to take advantage of cold weather as they require coldness to vernalization; it is a process that needs frosty climate to germinate the seedlings and flowers from the soil. However, it can also be grown in spring or summer season by taking some extra steps. Garlic plants need water frequently; one inch of water per week. Fall planted garlic is ready to harvest in midsummer while spring planted garlic may get ready to harvest in late summers.
Onions. Onions are used in a variety of dishes in almost all cuisines especially in Asian and Italian cuisines. It is easy to grow in the garden or in a container / pot. Cut the onion in a layer of 1 inch from the bottom. Uncover its outer peel and keep it out for one day. Pock toothpicks from all four sides into the onion and put it on a water bowl by just dipping its bottom for three to four days. Plant the onion cutting into the half-filled pot with soil and then refill the pot until top of the pot. Water the soil thoroughly. Harvest the onion when the plant starts growing flowers.
Fruits:
Strawberries. Homegrown strawberries are much sweeter and juicier than available in grocery stores. They can be planted both indoor and outdoor, garden-bed or in pots. They require proper sunshine, so keep them in a sunny spot. Moisture is really very important for such plants due to their shallow roots; well-watered the plant up to one inch per week. Strawberry plants take a year to mature. Remove runners as and when needed. Harvest them when they get fully ripped and become completely reddish. These plants start fruiting in four to six weeks after flowering.
Many other fruits can be grown at home to expand edible gardens including peaches, plum, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, watermelon and many more.
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