Like I have been postponing on writing a post on how to start a kitchen garden, I am sure few of you who are reading this have already postponed starting a garden of your own. Oh and I am sure you have plenty of valid reasons for postponing. Few people have lots of space both terrace and land and few like me have lots of passion but less space. It doesn’t matter. So if you have been toying with the idea of gardening and always wanted a push, here it is.. “Just get off your butt and start diggin!”
To start a vegetable garden, you need lots of stuff. Here is the list of things that you need to begin with.
- Seeds/Plants [ Vegetables, Flowers]
- Pots/Seedling trays
- Potting mix/Compost [ Cocopeat, Perlite, Vermiculite]
- Watering cans/sprayers
- Fertilizers( Organic or Inorganic)
In this Part I of multipart series, I am going to share what you need to buy and where. I have spent hours and hours of phone calls/searching the net to find what I want. It is really frustrating to not get what we want and sometimes this can stop one from continuing gardening. Hence I thought I would first write a post on where to get what.
I will also try to put exact address/map where ever possible.
We will go through the list of items one by one.
Seeds/Plants
Fortunately In Bangalore, there are plenty of places that you get good quality seeds of different vegetables and flowers. Here we will see the list of places that sell them.
Lalbagh:
It needs no introduction. It is a great landmark and to get there just call an auto and tell him to take to Lalbagh. Take the double road gate and after going little further inside Lalbagh, on your Left you can see NurseryMen Co-op. They sell all types of vegetable seeds and flower seeds. Vegetable seeds range from Rs 10 upto 100. You also get whole lot of accessories there. They have plastic pots, propagation trays, organic pesticides, Horse Manures, Compost, Neem cake, and a lot more. Make a visit once and you will return with goodies for your garden.
Gandhi Nagar Area:
This is a stretch near Majestic Bus stop. Nearest landmark is Sapna Bookhouse. There around 10 shops and all of them selling seeds, fertilizers and other gardening related items.
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=seeds&sll=12.976807,77.578052&sspn=0.002431,0.004823&ie=UTF8&radius=0.16&rq=1&ev=zi&hq=seeds&hnear=&ll=12.976807,77.578052&spn=0.002431,0.004823&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
New Tharagupet:
You get seeds, fertilizers here and esp if you want in large quantities.
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=fertilizers&sll=12.960858,77.577016&sspn=0.009724,0.01929&ie=UTF8&radius=0.65&rq=1&ev=zo&hq=fertilizers&hnear=&ll=12.960858,77.577016&spn=0.009724,0.01929&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
Lalbagh:
See under seeds section
Indo-American Hybrid seeds – Garden centre
See under seeds section for address;
Potting Mix/Compost
You get good potting mixes in the following places
Lalbagh
Accessories
You get all kinds of accessories like watering cans, sprayers, cutters secateurs, shovel, etc.
Lalbagh
Fertilizers/Pesticides
New Tharagupet,
Gandhi Nagar.
With all the information provided above, it should not be difficult to find anything that you need related to gardening.However, the information I have provided is not exhaustive.
In case you know of a place that sells gardening materials but not listed here. Please send me the info and I will make it available here. So that others get benefited out of it.
More on Part II
gg
Join the forum discussion on this postRelated posts:
GG – DoH location is not correct, it is still further down towards Bannerghatta side near Meenakshi Temple.
Thanks Jayadeep. I will fix it tonight.
Hi GG,
I don’t know whether you got hydroton or not, but the address which I had given you earlier do not have it in the stock anymore, however I found the Ratanshi agro, Mumbai ( 022-23723296) imports it from Europe, I called them up and they told me that they can send it to you once they receive the MO for the same. Let me know if this works for you, if not I can send it to you.
-FG
Dear Geek,
You almost read my mind and have made this blog to suit my needs.
In past one week, I have been reading blogs and other websites with such information and collecting them in a word document.
In case you need I could mail it to you.
I shall take some of the information from your blog with your permission into the document.
You are doing a great job with such information sharing.
Thanks a lot
hello,
I am garden enthusiast from delhi (though my garden is limited to two small balcones)
wanted to know if we can order small quantity of seeds from annadana.com
thanx
sp
@Sangeeta,
The way annadana.com operates is, you purchase a membership package from them ( like Homegardener, Marginal farmer, …) you get seeds as compliments. Say for homegardener package, they give 15 packets of seeds you choose. What is the quantity you are looking at?
Thanks
gg
Hello,
Actually i have checked with annadana.com their seed packets contain 80 -100 seeds for tomatoes & brinjal & 500 seeds for lettuce way too much for me , i just want 5-10 seeds for toms -brinjal & may be 15 -20 seeds for lettuce
regards
sp
Hello Sangeeta,
I couldn’t think of any vendor who sells only 5-10 seeds in india. In some markets, you might get seeds in loose.( There are few seed companies abroad that sell a pack of 15-20 seeds). Also, you need to consider the germination percentage of the seeds. Not all the seeds germinate. Usually it is about 70% but it is highly dependent on the variety, weather etc. You are better off joining with a friend and sharing the seeds.
gg
Dear GG,
Thanks a lot for all the information.Its very kind of you to share your knowledge with others.It will save a lot of time for me.I want to ask you a few questions regarding growing roses.
a.Can the soilless mix of cocoa peat vermiculite ,perlite be mixed with the soil
which you get from nurseries?
b.What is the minimum size of container for the rose plant?
c.Can organic fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer (rose mix) be used together for the same plant?
d.The potting mix is quite costly (Rs.45 per K.g).After how long repotting should be done?
Once again thanks for the information.
@Kalyani,
Thanks for the comment.
a) Mixing soilless mixture with soil will completely defeat the purpose soilless mix is for. Esp when Perlite and vermiculite is mixed with soil, they become mushy and they lose their waterholding and porosity property. Coco peat can be mixed with soil and it will losen the soil.
b) I have button roses in 6inch container and the bigger ones in 10″ dia and 12″ deep container.
c) Organic and Inorganic fertilizers can be mixed. Ensure they dont result in too much fertilizer being added.
d) Ideally, repotting is not something that need to be done periodically. It depends on the plant and the rate at which it grows. The sign that a pot needs repotting would be a) thick roots visible on the surface of the soil and roots come out through the water drainage hole. The plant will have pot bound roots.
Hope this helps
gg
Hi GG,
Current blog is the greatest help for new bees like me. [:)]. Everything is available in Bangalore but to find the proper place is real pain. Waiting for Part II ..
Regards,
Binita
@Binita,
THanks. Part II is in the making …
gg
Hi gg,
Can we grow lemon in container??
Hi Binita,
Yes, by all means. Though I havent grown one myself, I have seen many growing lemons in container. There special varieties as well.
gg
Hi GG,
Thanks to you, I got some cocopeat blocks. Looking forward to your soil mixes post
Regards,
Asha
hi GG, Glad to see you with very useful post. I’ve a news from my side as well, friend of mine (jayveer) purchased seeds in online -http://seedsandmore.net/ and trying few rare varieties of flowers. Latest update is, the seeds germinated well, just thought of sharing with you.
-MK
@Mahesh,
Do they ship seeds to india? Glad to hear that he got them germinated.
gg
Hi gg,
Nice post. Do the ‘Annadana Seed savers’ have any outlets here in Bangalore ?
This is a wonderful resource. Thanks so much, gg!
hey gg!
im not able to get chemicals for my deep water hydroponics .i have potassium nitrate and calicum nitrate im not able to get sulphates etc ..will potassium nitrate and calicum nitrate do?
Mahesh,
Just the nitrates aren’t enough. You need to get all of them.
gg
Please add me to your mailing list
Hi,
You can subscribe to the comments when you write a comment and also use http://geekgardener.in/feed/ in your RSS reader to get updates when a new post is published.
gg
Hi GG,
Why do you use soil-less potting mixtures? Are there any advantages that they have?
Your blog is very informative. I am sure you will inspire lot of people. One of them is myself
Shankar,
Thanks. The reasons I use soilless are
1) easy to work with
2) light weight- easy to carry
3) doesn’t stain the floor.
4) Infection free(mostly).
Glad you found this blog useful.
gg
Hi,
I came via Bhagwad’s blog.
I appreciate your generosity to share the knowledge.
( I got rebuffed many times , when I sought some tips. I even searched for good mali, but could not get one where I live.. All I got was smug smiles.)
I am encouraged to use my terrace with kitchen garden plants this year..
Thanks.
Hi Pattu,
Welcome to my blog. Good to hear that you are gonna start terrace gardening. Post the pictures as you progress..
gg
Hi GG,
Your blog is very informative. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
I stay in mumbai, i want to start a balcony garden in my home.
Where can i get all the required materials in Mumbai?
Please help.
Thanks
Archana
Hello Archana,
Thanks for visiting my blog. I am not too sure about shops in Mumbai. You can contact
Ratanshi Agro – Hortitech
175, Dr. Ambedkar Road, Opp. Byculla Rly Station (East)
Mumbai-400027
Maharashtra
Phone No 022 – 23723296
Let me know how it goes. Also you can get in touch with my blogger friend from Pune: http://fungardener.wordpress.com/ . He might be able to help you out.
Thanks
GG
Hi GG,
Thanks a lot.
Archana
Hi gg,
your blog is fantastic! For a long time i have been thinking of gardening, but did not know how to start with. My few attempts to grow spinach and few other things were not successful. The soil in the pot will become too wet, pests leave holes in the leaves, etc.
Now I am inspired after reading thro’ your blog. Keep up your good work.
I live in Chennai. I do not know where to get these pot mix. Please let me know if you have any info. on this. Also any of the blog readers could help me.
Is it possible to get small quantity for 2 or 3 pots? Thanks for help.
Arul
Hi Arul,
Thanks. You can make your own basic potting mix quite easily. Just mix red soil + sand + compost or manure in equal proportion. Its as simple as that. I am not too sure where in chennai you might get ready made potting mix. Check with Chandramouli of http://inartliesmyheart.blogspot.com/ . He might be able to help you. He has an eye for gardening materials in chennai
.
gg
Hi everyone..
I’m more than happy to come across your site. I’m stunned by the amount
of information that it presents.
I’ll soon come up with many doubts, queries, etc. Hope you guys are there to help me out.
By then i’ll read your previous blogs.
Ramya
Hi Ramya
Welcome to my blog. Please do ask any questions you might have and also check out the posts/comments to see if they have been already answered. This will save time for both of us.
good luck
gg
good luck everyone!!
Hi GG,
I too live in Bangalore and I am fascinated by your blog…haven’t stopped reading it for the past 3 hours…I have a terrace garden and love to potter around. Right now am trying to find large cement pots to grow my bougainvillea…i want a bougainvillea profusion and I believe the pot size matters a lot. What size of pot would u suggest for one plant and where can i get really large cement pots in Bangalore. Also, when is your next gardening workshop – i def want to be there!
Anaheeta
Hi GG,
Good to see that knowledge is shared in your blog.I have done some work on bio degradable plastics & would love to apply them in agriculture. Would need your thoughts. Regards, Samuel
Hi Suresh,
Good to hear that. Would love to share my thoughs on that. Let me know.
GG
Hi GG,
Inspired by your blog,I too started thinking of vegetable garden. We went and bought some plants (roses and jasmine) and seeds (spinach, chilli, okra). I replanted the roses and jasmines into new pots and I use only the red soil (didnt use sand or compost) in the pot yesterday. Do I need to put some fertilizers this point in time? And for seed starting, where can I get the soilless starting mix in Bangalore. I live near KR Puram. Thanks Sheeja
Good to hear about your initiative. You can add compost at the top. For soilless mix, you can contact me: admin@geekgardener.in
Fantastic. Usefull.
I am new to Banglore. Living in BTM layout. Needs Palak seeds. Help me with nearest available seed selling point and phone no.
Hi Sarachandra,
You can drop by my place and pick the seeds. Map: http://tinyurl.com/geekgardener
Very informative article.Nice that you share the knowledge .When you share it multipliess.
Hi GG,
IT WAS GREAT FINDING UR BLOG.I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF STARTING A VEGETABLE GARDEN IN MY BALCONY BUT NEVER HAD THE COURAGE OR RATHER INITIATIVE OF STARTING IT BUT AFTER JUST COMING ACROSS ON UR BLOG I BEEN GREATLY MOTIVATED TO DO SO AGAIN BECAUSE I HAVE MANY TIMES BEFORE HV GOT PLANTS FRM NURSERIES BUT AFTER SOME MONTHS THEY ALL DIE OR GET INFECTED SO NOW I WANNA START GARDENING BACK AFTER READING UR INFORMATIVE BLOGS.THANX FOR THIS SITE WHICH I KNW WILL REALLY HELP ME IN THE LONG RUN.
Hi,
Glad to hear that you got motivated after reading my blog.
The reason why plants die and wither away after we buy it from the nursery is that we dont take care of the plants that well like the nursery men do. the plants are fed properly with nutrients and pesticides to prevent them from insects and diseaeses.
Hi Arul,
You can get even one pot with garden mix from Horticultural agency located on Radhakrishnan salai . When you go from US consulate into Radhakrishnan salai it is on your lefthand side.
Some time back I purchased one pot for Rs 60/- ( pot – Rs30 & soil mix for Rs 30/-
Wish you a happy gardening
ramalingam
Hi Anaheeta,
Welcome to my blog.
For container size, it really depends on the kind of plants. Bougainvillea being a perennial shrub. I would use a large container of say about 20L+ volume. You can also grow them in smaller ones but they might need frequent repotting.
Which part of Bangalore you are from?. There are few cements pots sellers on the road side near Bannerghatta, Banashankari etc. I will let you know regarding the gardening workshop in the coming posts.
Happy gardening.
GG