Start these Veggies today before Monsoon Ends

The soothing monsoon showers after the hot Indian Summer are excellent for growing edible plants in your garden. They need plenty of sunlight and water daily, and what better way than naturally providing it to them during this period. You will notice your plants thriving and blooming in Monsoon. Eventually, these flowers will turn into nutritious and healthy home-grown veggies.

As delightful as it sounds, we understand your fear of killing your beloved plants by sowing them in the wrong season, which is why we brought you a list of a few edibles that you can grow easily at home during these months. Also don't miss out on some key notes to growing these plants towards the end of the article.

Tomato:

Tomatoes are a part of our everyday diet. Take a 9-inch deep pot and add garden soil, cocopeat, and vermicompost in equal proportion along with fertilizers. Place some slices and cover them with about 2 cm of soil and water thoroughly. In about 20 days, seedlings would start appearing. Repot them into a bigger pot and keep them in a spot that receives 3-4 hours of direct sunlight. Tomatoes need moist soil at all times after germination. In about 70-80 days, your tomatoes will be ready for harvesting.

Quick Tip: For fertilizing, you can use 20 ml of Seaweed solution in 5 liters of water and add it to the soil. It will provide the essential nutrients to the plants.

Cucumber:

Cucumbers need ample water and sun regularly. Before you bring cucumbers (a climber) to your urban spaces or garden, make sure to provide support to grow them vertically. Take some cucumber seeds, place them on tissue paper and cover it with another layer of tissue. Sprinkle some water on it and keep it in a ziplock. Within 5-7 days, seeds will sprout and would require a bigger pot to grow. Use moist and well-draining soil for sowing cucumber seeds. Sow them about 2-3 cm deep and 5-8 cm apart. They thrive in temperatures of 16-32° C, especially during the monsoon season. About 50 days from sowing, the cucumber plant will start blooming. If there are no pollinators such as bees visiting your garden, you might have to hand pollinate them. Make sure that you water them regularly to prevent cucumbers from having a bitter taste.

Okra:

Okra grows best in slightly acidic soil. Adding organic compost to the soil will essentially prepare it for Okra. Sow the seeds about a centimeter deep and 5-6 inches apart. Okra needs watering and about 5-6 hours of sun daily. The pods will be ready to harvest in 30-45 days. After you pluck their fruits, another pod will come out soon from the same spot.

Green Chilly:

Spice up your monsoon garden with some green chilly. Chilies need both shade and sunlight to grow. Hence plant them in a small pot so that you can move them around easily. They have shallow roots. A container that is 8-10 cm deep should do the job. Use the seeds of chilies that have matured on the plant. Keep the seeds in the sun and let them dry for 2-3 hours before sowing. Place them in about 2-3 cm deep soil and water it thoroughly whenever it turns dry. Your fresh new chilies will be ready for harvesting within 50-60 days.

Eggplant/Brinjal:

Another easy-to-grow plant during this season is brinjal/eggplant. Sow their seeds about a centimeter deep. The seeds should be separated by at least 7-8 cm apart. Brinjals love sunlight, so make sure you provide them with 4 to 6 hours of direct sun. If you are living in North India, the monsoon season may not allow much sunlight. However, in the southern part of India, which has moderate levels of sun, it is a good time for planting brinjal/eggplant.

Key Notes:

1. These edibles require about 4-6 hours of sun everyday. Grow them only if your home receives plenty of sunlight.

2. Edibles are heavy feeders of nutrition from the soil. Add good quality fertilizers to the soil every 30 days.

3. Use well draining soil for veggies. By well draining we mean that water should not stay for more than 2-3 seconds above the soil.

4. The recommended pot-size for veggies is about 10 inch deep.

5. For watering, the soil shouldn't always be moist nor it has to be completely dry. Water these edibles when the top 2 inches of soil looks dry.

You can also check out our Youtube Channel for videos on gardening and plant care. Also, while you are here, how about visiting our Garden Up Store for aesthetic planters and home decor products.