My Balcony Garden #3: Why I Grow What I Grow

For a city apartment, I must say that my balcony cannot be considered small. But when you want to grow many many plants and wish for space to have an ornamental garden as well as a food forest, then the available space pitifully does not measure up to your requirements. And that's when the question of making choices stares you in the face. What do you do in such a situation, such that you get maximum mileage out of the situation? What plants would you grow, and leave the rest for another day, and another space.

Chrysanthemum, Petunia and Impatiens

What have been my priorities in plant selection? I have tried to balance all my needs. This is what I have grown in the available space:

1. Flowers.

That is the one reason for starting my garden. I love the colour and cheer that a flower brings. Nothing can match the pleasure that it brings. It does not matter what the variety of the flowers. As long as they give plentiful blooms for many months at a stretch I am happy. Therefore I avoid plants that will only flower once or twice a year e.g. the exquisite brahma kamal that flowers at night for a few hours only, every few months. I grow impatiens, begonia, hibiscus, marigolds, chrysanthemums, jasmine, periwinkle etc.that will mostly flower all year round.

Brahma Kamal

2. Ornamental leaves.

Many of these plants are said to be air purifiers, and therefore very useful to have around. They are easy to maintain and can be grown indoors too to give the place a green cover. Some will also grow just in water. Spider plant, money plant, philodendron, snake plant, peace lily are some of these.

Spider Plant

3. Herbs

When you just need a few leaves of something suddenly, your garden is the best place to satisfy that need. Herbs are required in small quantities every now and then. However, these are often not readily available in all grocery shops, and when available, sold in a quantity which is also more than your requirement for that dish you are going to make.I therefore find it sensible to grow my own Thai basil, oregano, rosemary, lemon grass, turmeric leaves, celery, mint, curry leaves etc. I get the freshest leaves, and as clean as they can get. Holy basil is of course one of the first plants that adorn my garden. And aloe vera, not found easily in shops.

Pudina and Thai Basil

Curry Leaves

4.Edible leafy greens.

Leafy greens are one of the most nutritious foods that you can eat. I have found that tender leaves of most vegetable plants are edible, and that has been a great finding. I like to ensure that there are some leafy greens that I can pluck daily for adding to a green smoothie, a green chutney, or simply just eating it raw. Apart from the herbs, Malabar spinach, lemon leaves, pumpkin leaves, methi leaves, colocasia leaves etc is what I grow. I also have lemon grass which I use in my morning tea daily.

Malabar Spinach

5. Indigenous plants from my hometown.

I am from Manipur, and my little garden allows me to grow some plants not found in Bangalore. It is therefore my connection to my childhood home and cuisine and place .It is such a feeling of warmth savouring the distinct taste of those ingredients, taking you back to memories of a place across space and time.I grow Asian chives, and the chameleon plant and some plants of which I do not know the English equivalents.

Chameleon Plant

6.Growing for fun.

Since the space is limited, there are one time experiments of growing a certain variety just to enjoy the process and see how they do in a container on a balcony. Under this category I have grown papaya, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bhoot jhalokia, chillies, pumpkin, bitter gourd, giloy, betel leaves, water hyacinth etc.

Papaya

Pumpkin

There are so many plants that I would have loved to grow. But life is all about making the most of a given situation. And so I am happy with my little garden. It is also not that every plant I have grown has flourished or has survived. But I have learnt that plants do not ask for too much attention and that it is easy to grow them, to propagate them. If you use old containers and compost your own kitchen waste, it is also not a drain on your pockets. The pleasure and wow moments that it brings and the goodness you get to eat is worth whatever energy and time you invest in nurturing it. I am sure you too have some plants around your home. Take care of them.