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Homemade Vegetables: What Do You Need To Set Up A Garden In Your Home Or Your Apartment?

 

T is a moment in which the homemade and the cultivated with our hands acquired a critical value. Because of the fear of agrochemicals, the price rises in the grocery stores and the ecological conscience, having a garden at home is possible; even on the balcony. Only some advice is needed on where to locate the garden, what requirements each plant has and how to take care of them.

Even INTA, the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, encourages this practice with useful guides and free courses for those who are a little more animated with the Pro Huerta program.

Valeria Churba has a degree in environment, carries out urban agriculture projects, and says: “In the organic garden workshops that I do in companies, houses and schools, people see that it is not as difficult as they make us believe, it does not take so long So many cares are a series of steps to follow and it is about being connected with nature, only that way they want to take care of it “.

Churba develops educational initiatives aimed at providing tools for more sustainable life and therefore produced a series of tips to start a garden at home. The first thing to keep in mind when choosing a place is the availability of sunlight. At least 4 hours of sun are recommended for most vegetables and fruit trees.

The Indicated Station To Start A Garden

The garden can be started at any time of the year. The important thing is to grow the plants that correspond with each season. Most vegetables are annual plants and have short life cycles. They can be classified into three groups: autumn winter crops, spring summer crops and those that can be grown year-round.

Cabbages such as broccoli and cauliflower and some legumes such as beans and peas are specific to fall/winter. In spring/summer, it is time to put the fruit crops in the garden: tomato, eggplant, pepper, cucumber, and squash. The root crops (radish, beet, carrot), lettuce, chard, and celery can be sown at any time of the year.

Tips for beginners

The orchard in winter grows more slowly than in summer. It is a good time for beginners; you will not have to face significant challenges such as pests and weeds that come more actively in the summer.

Homemade Vegetables21
arugula

ideal plant

Arugula is an ideal plant for the inexperienced; it can be planted throughout the year and harvested 30/45 days after sowing. 

sown broadcast

It can be sown broadcast, that is, place the seeds without piling up a sector or generating parallel grooves where the seeds are spread as if it were salt between the fingers.

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The Garden On The Balcony

Orchards on balconies, terraces, and patios need containers or pots. Almost all vegetables can be grown in these containers. Each plant has a requirement of space to build, the size of the pan, or the area between plants, will depend on each one. The more space the plant has to develop, the higher the production obtained.

For example, it is advisable to use a pot of at least 20 cm to grow lettuce and 40 cm for tomatoes. It is essential to know the space, water and light requirements to combine plants in the same pot.

How to care for and maintain the garden

The orchard does not demand much work, especially in the autumn/winter season. Daily watering is not necessary. In general, all plants are simple to grow. Some require more care or specialized treatments such as peas that have to be tutored (accompanied by a cane or rod that serves as a column), or the tomato that in addition to tutorials is advisable to cut the buds that appear.

The aromatic plants are perennial and are grown all year round although in winter they do not become and they can even weaken their leaves. With the spring they develop again actively and, apart, they help to prevent pests.

A common mistake is not to place the plants in sectors or pots with good drainage. The roots are damaged if the water stagnates. Before putting the soil in the pan, you have to place someone or some similar stone that helps the drainage.

The garden in gardens

The garden can be made in gardens, on the ground directly, delimited by bricks, wooden planks or in beds and wooden boxes. If it is located in height offers different benefits: it is more comfortable work, is neater and more aesthetic. Also, it makes access to domestic animals more difficult, and its organic maintenance is more straightforward.…

How To Produce The Seeds Themselves

To create the seeds themselves, it is essential to select the best plants. Tomatoes and peppers, for example, provide the seeds together with the harvest of the fruits and in other cases, the plant is allowed to produce its seeds after flowering, such as lettuce, parsley, leek, celery.

They can also be purchased in any nursery, and organic varieties are recommended. The important thing is to set the expiration date because over time they are losing germinative power.

How to replace fertilizers

Having a composter at home is the best way to fertilize plants organically and make a contribution to the environment by reducing the amount of waste. You can also buy earthworm humus in the nursery.

From the garden to the kitchen! Sow and harvest in your home

Rebus car in the refrigerator of your kitchen can be quite an international experience; it is likely that a significant amount of fruits and vegetables saved come from sister countries such as Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic. This, despite the innumerable benefits of consuming vegetables harvested locally and having access to a home garden.

Experts say that having a kitchen full of fruits and vegetables from the country may be the healthiest alternative for you and your family. Agronomist and agricultural agent of the Agricultural Extension Service, Rudy Santos Garcia, explained that “one of the greatest benefits of having a home garden is the control of the use of pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides. For example, a pest that you can handle without using toxic products can occur and, in this way, make your home garden assimilate to an organic crop. “

When harvesting your own food or buying fruits and vegetables produced on the Island you have the advantage of consuming foods that are at their best ripeness, in which the flavor and preservation of it is more excellent, contrary to the fruits and vegetables that They come from abroad, which due to the time they took to get to your kitchen are probably no longer at their point of maturity. On the other hand, the taste is different and less tasty. Also, consuming what is produced locally is a way to support agriculture and the economy of Puerto Rico.

Having and maintaining a home garden provides additional benefits, according to the agronomist, “it is an alternative to exercise, avoid stress and keep you emotionally healthy. Also, by involving children you will be providing new knowledge and strengthening agriculture in the long term, “explained the agronomist.…