The glory of gardening is in getting the hands dirty in the sand, basking in the sun and a heart full of love for nature. By nurturing this garden we feed not just the body, but the soul as well. I’m sure all of us can relate to the fact that organic foods are rich in nutrients. They improve the satiety levels and naturally help to regulate the bodily functions. Now, you must be wondering that gardening seems to be rocket science and is easy peasy for the ones who have mastered the skills. This is not true as there are some plants which are a bliss in our lives and can be grown easily at home, by anyone. Imagine the joy of watching the tiny seeds grow into a lush plant, then bearing vegetables/fruits bringing in the perks of homegrown produce. This feeling is indeed beyond articulation.
Eating healthy will no longer be expensive, once you’ll start growing these vegetables right at your home! Just ensure to give them compost once every week and water them in a balanced manner.
Potato
Time taken to grow: 70-120 days.
Ways to grow it:
Place a half-cut potato in a half glass filled with water. Put it in a sunny area and change the water often. After approximately a week, potatoes will begin to sprout. Sow these in the soil and water daily.
If you want to make it effortless then you’ll need some patience! As they begin to sprout by themselves if you leave them for too long. In this case, simply bury the whole sprouted potatoes in soil or a glass pot and wait. The potatoes will then bear roots and a new plant will grow in no time.
Coriander
Time taken to grow: 3 weeks.
Ways to grow it:
It can be easily grown in a pot or in the backyard. To grow this lovely herb, it’s ideally preferable to use seeds as they germinate relatively faster.
Or use the ends of the coriander having the roots to be sowed in the pot with minimum 6 inches gap, which gives it enough space to grow properly.
Basil
Time taken to grow: Approximately 14 days.
Ways to grow it:
Plant the seeds in a pot and keep it in sunlight as it loves warmth, water daily. However, remember not to leave it in standing water.
If you wish to grow it from the plant stem then remove all the leaves 2 inches from the bottom. Now place this end cut of the stem in a glass or container filled with water. Allow it to grow until the newly generated roots become a few inches long. Finally, carefully plant these in the pot and water daily.
Lemon
Time taken to grow: Approximately 1-2 years to grow into a mature plant and 3 years to bear fruits.
Way to grow it:
All you need to do is pick the seeds, make sure to clean and dry them properly. Now plant them in your garden. They love being watered every day but ensure that the soil doesn’t become soggy.
Tomato
Time taken to grow: 20-30 days to grow in a plant and 40-50 days to bear fruits.
Way to grow it:
Avoid buying seeds, use the ones from the fruit that you have already. Extract the seeds using a toothpick on a paper or simply bury half a tomato. The decomposition of the tomato will help the plant to grow.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor is the most celebrated face of Indian cuisine. He is Chef extraordinaire, runs a successful TV Channel FoodFood, hosted Khana Khazana cookery show on television for more than 17 years, author of 150+ best selling cookbooks, restaurateur and winner of several culinary awards. He is living his dream of making Indian cuisine the number one in the world and empowering women through power of cooking to become self sufficient. His recipe portal www.sanjeevkapoor.com is a complete cookery manual with a compendium of more than 10,000 tried & tested recipes, videos, articles, tips & trivia and a wealth of information on the art and craft of cooking in both English and Hindi.