Windowsill vegetables

In crowded Mumbai, Sunita Mohan became a farmer. Now she advises people on farming.

Twenty years ago, Sunita Mohan moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in copywriting. Instead, she became a farmer. Mohan started a blog called The Urban Gardener, where she talks “about growing vegetables and fruits about the ornamental plants and wildflowers in my garden, about the many creatures that call my garden home, about the changing seasons and what grows best when, about the preparation, work and harvests, about my own particular way of gardening and growing.” The blog helped Mohan build a network of enthusiasts. “I started getting requests for help and advice,” she says. “Some requests were so sincere and, in some cases, so panic-stricken, that I just had to help out.”

 

Last year, Mohan bagged her first project to help set up a garden on the terrace of an office building. “The brief laid emphasis not so much on the design as the plants,” she says. The client was keen to grow fruit, herbs like basil, thyme, sage and seasonal vegetables.

For Mumbaikars, Mohan, 44, advises on gardens. “One can choose to grow smaller plants on windowsills and balconies. A building society could even use its terraces to grow food for the residents,” she explains. Mohan is a self-taught expert. She studied books on gardening and farming. This was, she claims, “as good as any university”.

Growing in multi-levels is convenient in restricted urban spaces. Mohan advises that since herbs and vegetables take up little space, and climbers and creepers are easily guided on to grills, Mumbaikars should opt for them. One can grow plants of different heights and light requirements in one pot. Her vegetable patch has tropical orchids, anthuriums and heliconias along with non-tropical broccoli and dill.

Working on other people’s garden projects and her own farm, apart from spending time with her family, Mohan’s blogging has slowed down. “To make up for the limited projects which I can take on,” she says, “I’m planning workshops on how to grow edible plants. I hope these will give people the confidence to grow some basic plants at home.”

Children deserve to have a garden, Mohan says, even a windowsill one. “Even if they don’t become immediate enthusiasts, the experience of being around plants, seeing them tended to, getting their own flowers and blooms, stays with them and has a positive impact.”

Is there money in urban gardening? “It’s not bad,” says Mohan, “but you must keep in mind that there is a lot of work and research and knowhow involved.” A small edible garden can be designed for Rs 5,000.
  

PLANT A HOME GARDEN
You will need

• Pots, saucers or trays
• Soil
• Coco-peat
• Seeds or seedlings
• Well-composted manure
• Neem oil
• Spray can
• Secateurs or strong scissors

1. Identify the growing space: window-sill, balcony, terrace. The sunlight available should guide you on what to grow. Most vegetables that develop from flowers (tomato, chilli, etc.) love a lot of direct sunlight. Some herbs prefer partial shade.

2. If space is limited, grow dwarf varieties or use shelves for a multi-tiered space. Be careful about the weight. Use lightweight plastic or fibreglass pots.

3. Mumbai soil is clay-like. Add coco-peat or coarse sand and a lot of organic matter. Most plants like to be watered thoroughly and then allowed to dry out a bit. Overwatering leads to fungal problems or rotting.

4. Some basic plants are curry, chilli, aloe vera, tulsi, mint and lemongrass. Basil and tomato are easy to grow. Current seasonal vegetables are okra, brinjal, beans and gourds. Low-maintenance flowering plants are zinnia, marigold, cosmos, pentas, ixora, vinca rosea and portulaca. Grow in masses for a dramatic effect. Bigger plants like hibiscus, bougainvillea, canna, etc., are also easy to grow.

5. Spray with diluted neem oil regularly to keep pests under control: 30 ml neem oil in 1 litre water to which a drop of liquid soap has been added, to help it stick to the plant. Build up the fertility of the soil regularly by composting kitchen scraps and adding.