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These days buying vegetables from the market has become a very big hassle. There is always a high chance of the vegetables being infected by insecticides and pesticides. As a result, people end up buying outrageously expensive organic vegetables from the market. While buying organic vegetables is always an alternative, one can easily avoid this extra expense by making a small kitchen garden at home. In this kitchen garden, one can grow plenty of vegetables like green chillies, spinach, eggplants, ladyfingers, cucumbers, and even tomatoes.
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The best part is that one doesn't have to worry about the insecticide and pesticide part as these vegetables are pretty healthy. However, deciding to create a kitchen garden in summer might cause its own set of setbacks. If anyone is planning to make a kitchen garden at home, then here are some tips and tricks that might be helpful.
Also Read: Start Your Own Organic Kitchen Garden
* Heat-Tolerant Plants
Summers can be extremely hot which is why one must be very mindful while choosing the type of plant that they would like to add to the kitchen garden. Only plants that can thrive in extremely hot and humid weather can do well in the kitchen garden in summer. Some examples of plants that one can add include eggs, plants, okra, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, basil, rosemary, and mints. Most of these plants are heat-loving and do not require a person to especially look after them all the time.
* Watering
Watering plants from time to time is a very essential part of having a kitchen garden. In summer especially, plants require more water than usual. However, it is also important to remember that every plant in the kitchen garden has different water requirements. For example, tomatoes need to be watered every couple of days. But during extremely hot summer days, one should water them at least once early in the morning to make sure that there is enough moisture in the soil.
* Shade
If a plant is summer-friendly, then it doesn't mean that it can be kept in the sun for long hours at a stretch. One must make sure that the plants also have an adequate amount of shade during the afternoon when it becomes really hot and sunny. Plants do not need hundred percent protection and one can use simple clothes, umbrellas or even a slightly taller plant to cover the shorter plants in the kitchen garden. This will ensure that plants get the required amount of sunlight, and at the same time remain protected from unnecessary heat.
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* Compost
It is very important to ensure that the soil for the kitchen garden is healthy and has a considerable amount of moisture. This is why it is very important to keep on adding organic compost such as straw leaves, grass, clippings, and other things in the soil from time to time. This helps the soil replenish all its nutrients and helps in retaining moisture during hot summer days. Only fertile soil can give healthy produce.
* Water Saving Methods
Conserving water while having a kitchen garden at home is very important. It helps one in making a mindful and sustainable choice. Drip irrigation for example is an extremely impactful water-saving technique that can directly deliver water to the roots of a plant. Another great water-saving method is rainwater harvesting which is a systematic method to collect, clean, and store rainwater that can be used for irrigation purposes.
* Container Gardening
Container gardening is the perfect option for people who have limited space and do not have very high-quality soil available for growing plants. Container gardening is a very controlled method in which one can easily manipulate the quality of the soil, moisture, and the placement of their plant because it is so small. It's quite easy to manage during summers as it also offers mobility so one can shift it from one place to another quite easily.
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* Frequent Harvest
Harvesting the plant frequently encourages better yield as it gives the soil the time to be replenished. So one must keep on rotating the type of plants that they're growing in the kitchen garden from time to time as it helps in keeping the soil healthy. Regular harvesting will also promote the development of better-quality flowers and fruits in the kitchen garden.
* Keep A Check On Pests
One must always keep a peculiar eye on any signs of diseases or pests that might be present in the kitchen garden. The chances of proliferation of pests and other bacterias in the plants are pretty high during summer time. One must try to avoid using chemical pest disinfectants or insecticides and only use organic pest control methods. However, if a person keeps a careful watch on their plants regularly, then chances are low that there will be any pest outbreak in the kitchen garden.
