The enthusiasm one may have for home gardening may face a serious blow when a crop planted with care and love bears no harvest, or worse, dies. There could be many reasons for our failure to keep our plants alive and see our gardens thrive.
Agronomist Dilush K. Rathnapriya says that some of the key factors to consider are climate, place of cultivation, and shade. He explained that plants with deep roots will not survive in shallow pots, while plants that grow in a cold climate won’t thrive in warmer climates.
His knowledge and expertise come from over eight years spent in the field of organic cultivation and organic fertiliser production. Rathnapriya is also an agriculture graduate from the Open University of Sri Lanka. He spoke to The Morning Brunch about the best plants for your home garden and how to grow them.
How can people decide what plants are most suitable for their garden?
Mainly, the suitable crop type depends on the climate, place, and shade available in the area where the crop is to be planted.
You have to get an idea about the climatic and shade requirements of the crop that you are planning to plant. To simplify, cool temperature-loving plants like carrots or strawberries will not give good outcomes in high temperate climates and vice versa.
When it comes to the location, you have to choose the plant according to the area in the garden that you are planning to cultivate. You can’t grow papaya in a place where only smaller pots can be placed, like on a balcony; you have to either go for the rooftop with a deeper pot or onto the ground. And you will not be able to grow larger crops in hanging pots due to their deeper root system.
Before you decide on the crop for your planned garden, you could first have a go through the requirements of a specific crop by browsing the internet and looking for results matching Sri Lankan conditions; it would ease your selection. But the most important thing to consider is your preference – yours and the rest of the family members. Otherwise, there will be a harvest in your garden with no interest from the members of your family. It will be a complete waste of your effort in trying to have food security.
In my experience, I have seen that a majority of home gardening lovers do not have this idea and they have no time to browse about it. This is an agronomist’s role. A few partners and I have initiated a project named “Saru” which facilitates home gardening, addressing the difficulties of urban gardening people in Sri Lanka. It will be initiated in the Western Province first.
We have seen many innovative ways of growing plants, especially in smaller spaces. What are a few that people can adapt and use in their own gardens?
The most effective method of utilising smaller spaces is by finding vertical space wherever possible. The main fact that should be considered in this regard is the root space available for cropping. We can use new methods to increase the surface area by implementing staircase structures, other than cultivating in the base bed method. By that method, you can have vertical space for roots that enables a variety of crops to be cultivated. This method is suitable for any crop other than deep rooting plants.
You can also utilise your window frame for rooting crops such as carrot, beet, radish, or a similar root crop where light permits. The window step should be wide and strong enough to hold a single raw pot with soil.
To utilise your space at a maximum level, there is no need for complex, expensive structures; just fabric pockets, pipes, and any kind of hanging item would facilitate this vertical concept. Plant towers, plant pockets, and plant tubes are a few other examples of such vertical gardening types.
