… of harvesting fresh produce with your own hands, vegetables that you have grown painstakingly in your own home, in your balcony garden.
… of cooking a simple lunch with vegetables gathered from your very own home.
… of knowing that you can pluck the veggies fresh whenever you want to cook them, that they’re there for you, waiting, and that you don’t need to buy them in bulk and store them in the refrigerator for days on end.
… of knowing exactly what has gone into your food.
… of knowing that you are feeding food as fresh as it comes, to your family.
… of knowing that you will be able to survive on home-grown vegetables, at least for a few days, if you happen to be stuck at home for some reason.
… of knowing that your daughter knows that tomatoes and coriander and spinach grow on plants, and not off supermarket shelves.
… of being able to teach your daughter, first-hand, the value of home-grown food, love and compassion, the work that goes into growing something.
… of communing with nature, feeling like you are a part of something primitive, part of an ancient tribe that believes in self-sufficiency at least to a certain extent.
… of knowing that this kind of self-sufficiency, in terms of food, is something you could get used to, that there is more to come, that this is just the beginning, not an end.
… of knowing that there is nothing sweeter and fresher than home-grown food, that nothing could beat that.
… of wonder at the potential that such a little thing as a modern apartment balcony holds, in terms of growing food, of daydreaming over the possibilities.
… of knowing that you have taken one step further in the direction of ensuring better health for yourself and your loved ones.
Got to love that feeling, right?
The Girl Next Door 
Oooh lovely post! I’m just starting out for exactly those feels. I know nothing about gardening so fingers crossed!
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@Rachelmjkim
Good luck! 🙂
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You have a luscious garden there 🙂
Even I like to nurture my balcony garden with flowers and veggies and the joy these greens brings in every day is incomparable 🙂
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@Dreamzandclouds
Thank you! 🙂 We are still beginner gardeners, though, if at all we could be called that.
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yes to that! 🙂
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@Dreamzandclouds
🙂
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Wow…that is such an awesome kitchen garden you have TGND..
I tried growing coriander and green chillies…but nothing came out of soil other than a few leaves.. 😦 it’s all my fault though, for lack of care for them..!
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@Prachee
We all do that at times, don’t we? All the very best for kitchen gardening the next time around. 🙂
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You mentioned you have tomatoes too. I am growing them too but oh, these tiny green worms! 😭 I sprayed my plants with a chilli garlic mixture and I seemed to have burned the leaves off. It’s dried up with several green tomatoes. I feel so upset.
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@Princessbutter
We haven’t had that particular problem with our tomato plants so far. Touchwood.
You might want to try out some organic bug spray.
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Wow, wow and wow TGND 🙂
All that green is so so beautiful and that feeling of growing all those veggies at home is indescribable 🙂
Now that the hot summer is gone here, I should seriously try my hands at this !
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@Freakyveggie
You definitely should!
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Wow! Love, love, love this! So inspiring. I really wasn’t the kind who had patience and discipline to water plants regularly, which i why I kept none. Slowly, I find myself changing as a person. I think I will actually like to take this on… someday maybe 🙂
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@Pepper
Well, I must admit that I am kind of lazy with regards to watering too. In between Bubboo, trying to take care of my health, trying to do a little freelance work here and there, and taking care of home, I sometimes have no time to water the plants. So, whoever has the time does so – we all take turns, me, Amma, Appa and the OH. It works for us. Plus, the plants that we have are really low-maintenance.
I hope this inspires you enough to set up at least a teeny-tiny kitchen garden. 🙂
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Oh wow, this is awesome! The coriander looks delicious. I can just imagine the lovely aroma 🙂
I tried growing coriander and methi once but it didn’t survive for lack of sun. I’ve recently moved and I’m trying to grow basil now. *fingers crossed!* 🙂
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@Perspectivesandprejudices
I have heard that basil needs a lot of sun, too. 🙂 Anyways, good luck!
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How lovely! I’ve tried growing spinach by just planting the roots of the bunches I bought in the market. The plants did quite well, though not as great as yours look. My problem is that my balcony doesn’t get any sunlight at all for about 4 months a year. This has discouraged me enormously in my gardening attempts.
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@Aruna
Well, Bangalore doesn’t get much sunlight either, except for in the summer months. I don’t know where you stay, though. Sunlight hasn’t been a problem for our plants so far, I don’t know how, touchwood.
Thank you! We used seeds for the spinach.
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Absolutely! Got it. What all do you grow at home TGND?
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@Aarthy1823
🙂
Counting only the edible varieties of plants, we have lemon, lemongrass, omavalli, coriander, tomatoes, strawberries, spinach and aloe vera.
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Tgnd, what a lovely harvest. This is something i am dreaming to do as well but not sure how to begin. Only the greens as of now to start with. I read on internet but seems difficult to get the palak n coriander sprouting. Can you share any tips or info on this. I can email you
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@My Candid Side
Thank you! 🙂
Well, to be honest, we are just beginners. We are still experimenting, trying to figure out what works for us and what doesn’t. I will definitely share tips as and when I have any to share.
As of now, we just used good, rich soil mixed with organic compost, filled pots with it, and sowed seeds a few centimetres below the top level. Watered the pots regularly – not too little, not too much either. And our balcony gets little sunlight every day, not much. Just that did the trick.
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