Urban Leaves India: Growing Tomatoes, cabbage,Kohlrabi in a Balcony

Saturday 7 August 2010

Growing Tomatoes, cabbage,Kohlrabi in a Balcony



For eight years I grew up with natueco knowledge and experience of growing food on a terrace.
Pl see http://natuecocityfarming.blogspot.com/2009/02/farm-on-terrace.html  for the details of  my background. However it was only when i came into contact with Monisha and started conducting workshops at MNP telling people they could do it at home that I started working on my small balcony at Dockyard road.

Monisha taught us to compost kitchen waste. I combined a bit of my natueco GYAN and devised a method for myself. My kitchen waste first goes into my basket, ( Aerated ) not covered, in my balcony, which gets good sunlight.After it dries, it goes in my earthen pot. A layer of red earth or Amrut mitti from the terrace is sprinkled every three- four days in it. I turn the material in the pot every Sunday. Sprinkle Amrut Jal in it if I feel it has gone dry. Not otherwise.
I have harvested some lovely compost from it once , in which I have planted tomatoes which are now flowering. In fact there are five tomatoes.... and I love to see their growth day by day!
Had planted some lettuce, spinach, chillies, lemon grass, kohlrabi and cauliflower  in Amrut Mitti.

Have documented the progress in photographs..
I harvest about a sprigful of spinach per week from a single tub. Today I used it in my favourite raw spinach salad. it was crispy and sweet! : )
Will keep up with the updates. Do post in your experiences too.

Love
Preeti Patil

16.2.2010
After a wait of three months at last I harvested my tomatoes and Kohlrabi today.
They were so beautiful and delicious. Worth all the waiting!

Love Preeti