LOW COST URBAN GARDENING - PART 7

SMART WATERING

Watering is an important part on container gardening.
The crops only have a limit space for roots to absorb water and nutrients.

Look my eggplants, they grow well on five liters lubricant jerry cans.

 

You can see a clusters of green tomatoes in five kilograms paint bucket.

The limited space is not a serious problem.

If we give them enough water and nutrients, they will grow well.

We usually use residual water from our kitchen sink.

When we wash vegetables, meat or rice, we collect and save the residual water from it.

It really save our clean water.

In Central Java, Water that used to wash rice is called 'leri'.

It have white color like as aqueous milk.

That water has so many nutrition that very useful for plants growth, especially vitamin B (to keep off the plants from stress).

We will dilute it, and ready to apply.

So... it will be an additional 'fertilizer' for our crops.

We also collect rain water for watering our crops.

To reduce the evaporation, we usually use newspaper as a mulch to cover the media.

To save the water, we give watering just on the media.

Flush enough water to the media, not too much.

We only give a little amount of water twice a day during the dry season, in the early morning and late afternoon.

At this time the weather is really favorable for the plant to absorb and keep the water, low evaporation. 

No watering during rainy season, except indoor plants.

We have ever tried simple drip irrigation using plastic bottles, but it's not effective for us who have a lot of containers.

Friend, what will you do to be 'smart' in watering? 

I hope you enjoy this series.

Actually, I want to share you more and more.

See you in the next monthly series.

LOW COST URBAN GARDENING - PART 6

UNDER-PLANTING

Maybe this term is so usual for gardeners.
They usually grow short plants under the higher crops.

Look, I also practice this method on my terrace garden.
On a container, I have three varieties.
The main crop is tomato, and the additional are lettuce also a pot of garlic chives. 

How about this one....
I will pull out the red amaranths soon, and cook it.

They have different period on harvesting stage.
I planted the main crops on the center of containers.
The main crops means plant that have longer period on production life time, than the 'additional' crops.
 

The additional crops are harvested earlier before the main crops.
When the main crops need more space, the life time of additional crops is over.

 So, we use the space effectively.

LOW COST URBAN GARDENING- PART 5

GET THE CHEAP SEEDS

There are so many way to get cheap seeds.
First, save our own seeds.

I usually keep the vegetable plants that have best performance to produce the seeds for the next season.

I think most of gardeners save their own seeds from their gardens.
Of course... it's the easiest way.

Second, select and save seeds from mature fruits or pods that we have bought from markets or groceries.

We can cook the skin, but we also have seeds to be grown in our garden.

So many vegetables are sold with their stems, such as kangkung and katu (Saorophus androgenus).
Look the katu stems..., we can plant the stem soon on the ground, and two weeks later we can find the shoots appear from the leaf axils.
Simple way...

We also save the spring onion or green onion stem base.
Plant it, and get the new veggies in our garden.

Save the rizhome on the humid place, and let it bear the shoots.
So... the rizhome is ready to be planted.

Third, share and exchange your own seeds with your friend.

In our community, we usually share and exchange our excess seeds.
So we have more varieties of seeds, then we have more varieties of vegetables in our garden.
What will you do to get your cheap seeds, friend ?

LOW COST URBAN GARDENING - PART 4

COMPOSTING

Make your our compost... it's a must!

All organic materials from our garden will 'back' to our garden.
We use kitchen scraps and garden scraps for compost.
We can use plastic bucket, pallet, pile or box as a compost bin.

All organic materials from our home and garden be a great compost.
After pruning  or trimming, we always get an abundant scraps.
So ... we harvest materials for compost.

We produce 'scraps' every day, and mostly are organic.
I provide two trash bins in my kitchen, for organic and inorganic scraps.
I separate the trash earlier.
So it make me easier to make compost.
How about you friend?

 

LOW COST URBAN GARDENING - PART 3

REUSE

Don't rush to dispose your used goods.
Maybe you still get so many benefit from them.

Select and grab that can still be used.
We can use so many plastic bags, tins, paint bucket, rubbish bin, and many more.

 

All be more useful if we use them for our containers.
Even the unusual container be a unique and interesting pots.

Look.... the mineral drink packages, milk cans and so many plastic pouch  become great thing for seedling pots.

 

All reused materials for seedling.

 

Paints buckets for cabbages and carrots.

Will you reuse your old materials?

LOW COST URBAN GARDENING - PART 2

FIND UNUSED SPACE

I'm sure we will find so many unused space in our home.
Sometime that's really unexpected place.

 

Where...
1. Porch
2. Wall
3. Fence
4. Roof
5. Balcony
6. Windowsill
7. Other...

You can find other space on your home.
Have you find your new space?

LOW COST URBAN GARDENING - PART 1

I live in mini urban area.
Me and my close neighbors formed a small community on urban gardening.
To be self sufficient in our own vegetables needs is our simple goal. 

Actually it's not easy to invite them to joint in this community.
We have our own work (busy women ???) and only have a limited land.   
We try to beat all of our limitation. 
We always encourage each other.
Sharing each other...

Although we haven't rest land anymore.
But we believe, we still have rest spaces for gardening, everywhere...
So... we become more creative in gardening. 

I'm sure that you have been seeing one of our community member with her extra-ordinary garden on my older post.
Right now, I will share you all about our community by this series.
Please enjoy our experiences in urban gardening with a low cost.