The Definitive Homegrown Guide To Kitchen Gardens

Most of us spent most of the past few years cooped up indoors, in our large houses if we were lucky. For others confined to a small flat with roommates or family, it often felt like there was no escape or privacy. On top of that, dealing with corporate burnout and a declining society really did not help things. With the economic capabilities of so many people impacted, we turned our focus to survival. For the privileged, healthy eating habits and nutritious cooking became the need of the hour, in addition to the rising trends of banana bread and dalgona coffee.

So the need for nutritious cooking, coupled with being restricted in an apartment all day, kitchen gardens became a great way to channel our restless energies into something more productive; something to nurture and grow and have little moments of peace sprinkled through our days. If the idea of a kitchen garden is something that has always intrigued you but you really don’t know where to start, take a look at our starter pack guide to kitchen gardening!

I. What Should You Grow

The best things to grow depend on your location. Not just what city you’re in, but also where in your house you’re planning on growing your plants. Whichever place in your house gets the most sunlight is the best place to be growing your veggies. It doesn’t have to just be your kitchen, it can be on your balcony or a window ledge outside your bedroom. If it’s a wall that gets the most light, you can even consider getting an attachment for a vertical garden, which makes for a great accent wall and conversation starter.

Choose one or two plants, to begin with, to make it a low-intensity situation, and you won’t feel too terrible if you accidentally kill them (it happens to everyone). This ties in with where you’re planning on growing your garden since vegetables require a lot more sunlight than herbs –– 4 to 6 hours for vegetables as opposed to 2 to 3 hours for herbs.

For herbs, mint, fenugreek (or methi), and curry leaves are all great ones to start with that work in Indian climates, and that you can use on a daily basis. There is nothing better than fresh mint leaves in that cup of chai in the morning and it tastes better knowing you’ve put in all that hard work. And imagine how good that organic, homegrown methi paratha is gonna taste with some ghee.

There are tons of veggies that are great for the Indian climate and they happen to be some of the ones we use most commonly! Chillies are one of the easier options, and they don’t take up too much space. Tomatoes are slightly more advanced since the soil can be a little finicky to deal with, but fresh tomatoes are unbeatable. No more soggy messes from the grocery store, please. If you do have a bigger area, try growing brinjals! Keep in mind that they do require more sunlight than other veggies though — a full 5-6 hours.

II. Where Do I Get My Plants From

Any plant nursery near your house will be able to get you started with seeds, the relevant type of soil, and the kind of pot that you would need to grow your budding kitchen garden.

Alternatively, there are tons of places online that will sell you the same things you need, albeit at a slightly higher cost. Lazy Gardener has great summer veggies grow kit, with which you would get 3 vegetable seeds — brinjal, cucumber, and okra, along with small seedling cups, peat discs, and a nutrition pouch. You will have instructions too, not to worry.

All That Grows has gorgeous non-hybrid, open-pollinated and non-GMO herb seeds for you to grab and grow. With a pack of ten herb seeds with everything from basil, oregano, and thyme, your next Italian meal is just a grow away. They also have a kit for growing microgreens, with 4 varieties of microgreen seeds with Pak choi, Radish Purple Sango, Broccoli, and Wheatgrass. You can even customise your own grow kit, which is honestly a great gifting idea for anyone with a burgeoning green thumb. If you want to go slightly hatke, Nuvedo has a great one-and-done grow kit for mushrooms! These don’t even require a pot, just a ledge of a window or a kitchen counter. They provide everything to start your mushroom-growing journey from spawn to sprout.

Ugaoo is also a great place to buy grow kits that focus on salad veggies, with everything from lettuce to beetroot, to amaranth leaves.

III. Learn From The Best

Once you’ve done your research on your kitchen garden and got all your tools and seeds, the time has come to actually start planting. Check out these Indian content creators who will give you a helping hand in starting your kitchen garden journey.
Sumesh Nayak’s 1500-square-foot garden in Bangalore will give you hope and advice that no matter the size of your space, you can grow a veritable urban jungle with a little love and care. Aditi Khattar’s Greenish Affair will give you start-to-end advice on growing your kitchen garden and is also available for bookings to help you start out.
Madhavi Guttikonda grows the most amazing vegetables in her vast gardens in Vishakhapatnam, from red jackfruit to dragon fruit, with a focus on organic farming, and sustainability. For quick hacks and tips, Divya Kanwar creates quick reels to show you her best tips and tricks of the trade, join her on her mission to ‘grow whatever she can.’

If you enjoyed reading this, we also suggest:

How A Kerala Based Couple Built An Eco-Friendly Home With Reusable Materials

In Search Of Sustainability: Indian Labels Are Turning To Plant Dyes & Organic Fibres

Join These Homegrown Climate Change Activism Groups