Donald Eaton
Amit Khanna Staff answered 3 months ago
Starting a terrace garden can be a rewarding experience, providing you with fresh produce, flowers, and a green space to relax. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
Step 1: Plan Your Garden
Assess Your Space:
Measure the size of your terrace to understand how much space you have for gardening.
Check for structural integrity to ensure the terrace can support the weight of pots, soil, and plants.
Sunlight and Shade:
Observe how much sunlight your terrace receives throughout the day. Most vegetables and flowering plants need at least 4-6 hours of sunlight.
Identify shaded areas for plants that require less sunlight.
Water Source:
Ensure there is easy access to water. A hose or a nearby tap will make watering your plants easier.
Step 2: Choose Your Plants
Decide What to Grow:
Vegetables: Tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, spinach, herbs (basil, mint, coriander), and beans are good choices.
Flowers: Marigolds, petunias, zinnias, and geraniums can add color.
Fruits: Strawberries, lemons, and dwarf fruit trees (if space allows).
Consider Plant Types:
Annuals (plants that complete their life cycle in one growing season) vs. perennials (plants that live for more than two years).
Climbers and creepers for vertical gardening.
Step 3: Gather Your Materials
Containers and Pots:
Use a variety of pots, planters, and containers. Ensure they have drainage holes.
Consider vertical planters, hanging baskets, and railing planters to maximize space.
Soil and Fertilizers:
Use high-quality potting soil. Mix with compost or organic manure to enrich the soil.
Fertilizers: Use organic fertilizers, such as compost tea, fish emulsion, or commercial organic options.
Gardening Tools:
Basic tools include a trowel, watering can, gloves, pruners, and a gardening fork.
Trellises and Supports:
Use trellises, stakes, or cages for supporting climbing plants like beans and tomatoes.
Step 4: Prepare the Terrace
Waterproofing:
Ensure your terrace is waterproofed to prevent water leakage. Use trays or saucers under pots to catch excess water.
Layout Design:
Plan the layout based on sunlight, accessibility, and plant requirements.
Place taller plants towards the back and shorter ones in front for better sunlight exposure.
Step 5: Planting
Potting:
Fill containers with potting soil, leaving some space at the top.
Plant seeds or seedlings according to their specific planting depth and spacing requirements.
Watering:
Water the plants thoroughly after planting. Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Step 6: Maintenance
Regular Watering:
Water your plants regularly, preferably in the early morning or late afternoon to reduce evaporation.
Fertilizing:
Fertilize your plants as needed, based on the type of plants and soil conditions.
Pruning and Weeding:
Prune plants to remove dead or diseased parts and encourage healthy growth.
Regularly weed your garden to prevent competition for nutrients.
Pest Control:
Monitor for pests and diseases. Use organic pest control methods like neem oil, insecticidal soap, or introducing beneficial insects.
Step 7: Enjoy Your Garden
Harvest:
Harvest your vegetables and herbs regularly to encourage continuous production.
Enjoy the flowers and the green space you’ve created.
Expand and Experiment:
As you gain confidence, try growing different varieties and experimenting with new gardening techniques.
By following these steps, you can create a thriving terrace garden that provides fresh produce, beautiful flowers, and a relaxing green space in your home. Happy gardening!
Anvi Staff answered 3 years ago
If you plan to start a terrace garden at one go, it will cost about Rs 20,000, which will be the investment on seeds, saplings, containers and the soil bed/manure. The set-up cost will reduce if you begin small and stepwise, invest a little every month, and use recycled containers.
There are 2 ways to set a terrace garden, either you can cover the entire surface with soil to convert it to a lawn or you can put plant pots and grow plants in them. As terrace have some space constraints as compared to a normal garden, planning the space usage accordingly is necessary.
Planters or pots can be best for terrace gardening initially. So get pots from your nearby nursery or search for any unused containers at the kitchen. Fill in the pots with the required soil mix according to the plants you wish to grow. Prepare the potting mix with organic manure, sand and soil with compost.
For the roof’s safety, it is advisable to use plastic pots instead of terracotta or clay pots. The flip side is that plastic pots are easily damaged by intense sunlight. However, one can be creative and put used barrels, urns, water cans to good use, as containers for the roof garden.
Also, before you begin with gardening on your terrace — and if you plan to coat the terrace with soil — ensure that the roof is totally waterproof and free of any leakage. The terrace has to be properly waterproofed before setting up the terrace garden or else there may be leaks in the roof. If there is no proper slope provided in the terrace the water may be stagnant in between the plants during rains.
Some flowering plants you can grow on your terrace garden are: Begonias, Chrysanthemum,Pansy, Fuchsia, Hydrangea, Petunia, Ferns and Herbs.
Plants that Grow Without Sunlight are: Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema), Cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior), ZZ plant (Zamioculcas), Monstera (Monstera deliciosa), Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana).
Vegetables suitable for Terrace gardening are: Tomatoes, Radishes, Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, Cucumber, Capsicum and Eggplant.
By growing your own garden, you are the one to decide what goes on your plants and into your soil, allowing you to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals polluting our environment and waterways. Organically growing your own food is sustainable and nourishes your soil by using safe and natural fertilizers and products.