Thankyou so much for the pocket handout which for sure will find its place to both novice and experienced gardeners. Also thanking the team which made it happen.
As you rightly pointed out this sheet will minimize the gardeners mistake of sowing things in non-seasonal timings.
Also it would be great if the team can come up with a similar chart for common pests/insects attacks and the recommended remedies to handle it. This is the second biggest hurdle we gardeners face.
Thank to you and your team for giving the sowing chart. It will really come in handy for beginners with veggies like me.
Please tell me, is it OK to plant okra or other veggies in large thick plastic bags (the ones you get your stuff from malls) ? it will help to reduce the weight on a balcony. Drainage holes can be made accordingly.
While your query is addressed to GG, I am taking the liberty to 'intervene' & hope it is OK with both of you. I have been growing different vegetables and ornamental flowers on the terrace in plastic sacks that are the 'leaking' kind because drainage is no problem there. I am satisfied with the results. However, as it gets really hot in Delhi in the summer, the 'leaky' sacks are likely to lose too much water. I am therefore in the process of trying out the non-woven plastic bags of the kind you get with your shopping. I have also used some 10 kg bags of atta. I feel that these bags will not lose too much water by evaporation from the sides. However, for that reason the drainage has to be particularly good to avoid 'stagnancy' of water. This is what I am trying: First, I punched a few holes in the bottom of the bag. Then I layed a 1" to 2" layer of broken bricks as the bottom layer. Thereon I layed a very thick layer of dried leaves/grass clippings. Finally I put in my topping mixture. To take care of any fungal infection I drenched the whole thing with water containing a little Bavistin. So far all is well. I have not grown Okra in sacks but I see no problem therein. If I were you I would wait for GG's advice regarding this as I am as much of an amateur as you seem to be !!. Regards.
By all means, please intervene :). Your answer is spot on and I would like to add little more to it that is specific to enthumaali's question.
Hello Enthumaali,
Large bags are good for growing Okras. I am assuming, by bags, you mean the ones you get from clothing stores and such ? or groceries?. Anyways, if you use a bag that has wide opening at the top, then you have to fill the media properly so that they bag gets a shape. This is very important if you are planning to move the bag (with plant)now and then. You will observe the wide cracks in the top of the media as the media settles on the sides. You can also use nursery bags that have 12" dia and 15-18" depth. Another best option is to use 5/10kg rice sacks. These sacks, though they are made of woven plastic, they are lined with polythene on the inside and so they don't drain. You still need to make drainage holes.
For Okra, prefer a bag that has more depth. Okra grow's upto 8feet and needs lot of support and anchorage. If the polythene is too shallow, it will result in the plant falling quite often. I used 8ltr bucket and my job daily was to lift the fallen pots.
That said, do lots of experimenting with bags. You might get some new great ideas. Feel free to experiment and we are all here to learn :D
I don't want to ruin the topic going here. But it is preferable to start a new thread on questions that is not related to the thread. What say?.
Just to continue with what you have said (before you start a topic on growing vegies in sacks !) I would like to mention a few points:
1. Regarding the matter about giving a shape to the sacks: I rolled up the top edge of the sack like you roll up the sleeves of your shirt !
2. I have very successfully used the 5 & 10 Kg woven plastic bags in which we get vermicompost. These have no polythene lining and the woven nature takes care of the drainage.
3. These days a new kind of bio-degradable material is being used for packing grains. I have very satisfactorily used 25 Kg. rice sacks of this material. These also do not need any holes for drainage as the material is porous.
I am having trouble pasting the link to my picasa album here but have still tried. If it works you will see all that I have said above properly demonstrated.
Are you shifting this discussion to a new topic? Please do. Thanks & regards
Halleluja !! As you must have seen, I have finally succeeded in posting the pics. Please see an enlarged version of some and you will see how I rolled down the top edge of the sacks to give them a shape. Regards.
One tip I saw in youtube demonstrated by a terrace gardener in Kerala is Cement bags. He folds in half and folds it inside for thickness and the bottom he tucks the corners inside. I will try to post the link to the video. It was on youtube and the video is in Malayalam.
Thanks Jamey ! I will just go and try to do this with a sack ! Have you noticed the other sack in the video? The top edge is rolled down like I also do it. Regards
This is great chart. I have a request, can you also consider putting together a fertilizer chart both organic and chemical(NPK's). What I mean here is, which fertilizer to use at what stage for a particular plant.
I have a request, can you also consider putting together a fertilizer chart both organic and chemical(NPK's).
that isn't a small task : )
It'd be nice if people added their input here about their experiences, with respect to the sowing chart,..relevant temperatures & other info - that way it'd keep getting polished up
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