Thanks for showing interest to know about me.

geekgardener

My real life name is Manikandan Pattabiraman (shortly ‘Mani’) and ‘geekgardener’ is a handle I chose for myself when I started this site . I am a self taught farmer/grower living in Bangalore, India. I started the company Geekgardener Greentech to promote Urban Vegetable Gardens and the store Garden Guru to make all the gardening material available to gardeners.

In may 2013, I decided to move out of my 10+ year software career and work on urban agriculture full time.

Needless to say, I love growing plants and dedicate most of time doing so. I started gardening in Chennai , when I was in 3rd grade. I used to help my dad plant saplings of tomatoes, brinjal etc. Eventually it became my passion and my home was loaded with 100 odd pots growing veggies and ornamentals.

Gardening took a break once I started my college and my career which involved travel. In 2008, I restarted my gardening and this time I started this blog as a result of the frustration.At that time, I could’t find any information on gardening/materials availability on the internet that was for the indian context. Most of the materials were from abroad and materials referred in them weren’t available in India. This made me start a site just for gardeners both novice and experienced. Eventually many started requesting for specific crops. I started adding more posts about vegetables that includes step by step pictures from the start to end of the crop.

I also regularly conduct trainings on Kitchen Gardening/Terrace gardening in Dept of Horticulture, Bio Centre, Hulimavu. Bangalore. Occasionally I write articles for magazines. I do take training classes for apartments/corporates on request. I can be reached at admingeekgardenerin for such events.

My area of expertise includes Hydroponics, Urban vegetable production, Gardening in Limited spaces and Living walls.

Send me a note if you, like this site, have a suggestion, etc.

Geekgardener Gardener

Cheers

Geek Gardener.

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203 Responses

  1. Mohan says:

    Hello there!

    I am a new entrant into the world of gardeners. I stumbled upon your blog when I was searching for seedstarting. I found the information quite useful.

    I was also trying to see if you can get seedstarting kits anywhere in Bangalore. I’ve bought a few seeds of pansies and stock flowers and am hoping to raise them ab initio. I saw in some of the snaps that you have put up that you have used plastic trays for small plants. I am not sure if the same would suffice seedlings. Do share some pointers, if you please.

    Regards,
    Mohan

  2. geekgardener says:

    Hello Mohan,

    Welcome and Good to hear that you found my blog useful. In bangalore, you can get seed starting trays or trays with cavities. But if you are looking for a complete seed starting kit ( that might have a transparent dome to retain moisture and provide bottom heat), I doubt its availability in bangalore. Atleast I wasn’t successful in finding one.

    There is a place in bangalore called New Tharagupet. There are lots of fertilizer shops who have this cavity trays. Find the one that suits and have fun.
    You can also try Lalbagh

    Regarding the trays, i have used both plastic trays and cavity trays for seed starting. I feel if the plant is not too sensitive to transplant shock, any decent tray should be fine.

    Let me know if you cannot find one. May be I can help.

    Hope this helps
    Thanks
    gg

    • vani says:

      Hi GG,

      I have been following your blog keenly.
      I stumbled upon it while googling for certain garden tips and found the blog extremely helpful and motivating.

      I have a question and wish you could answer – I have recently sowed certain bitter gourd seeds (variety that is grown in the cold mountain regions). The seeds germinated and the sprouts that have shot up look abnormally long – almost 3/4th of a foot with a tube like stalk.

      I have sown the seeds in two different containers at 2 different times (10 days gap) – the ones I sowed first have come out like a normal seedling and the leaves are just developing. I don’t even know if this is a weed that is growing or the plant that I want!!

      The seeds I sowed second – I soaked these in water for a night unlike the first ones. These have germinated with those long tubes within just 3 – 4 days. This I am sure it the seed that sprouted because the dicot of the seed came out along with the sprout – but is this growing correctly, I have never seen seedlings with such long tubes earlier, I am so confused about the 2 different seedlings here from the same set of seeds. Please help.

      Thanks
      Vani

      • geekgardener says:

        Hi Vani,

        Welcome to my blog and I am glad you liked it.
        Regarding the problem you are mentioning, I think there is not enough sunlight for the seedling and hence it gets tall, spindly and lanky. Try placing the pot in bright sunlight when you see the sprout coming up from the surface. The two seedlings that you are talking about are in the same spot?

        Thanks
        gg

        • vani says:

          hi, i think u are right. i had covered the seed starting cup with a plastic cover, so may be the lanky sprout came out taller in searchof light and water.
          however, unfortunately, the saplling was tall and lanky and just broke:(
          they were in different containers sowed at 2 different times.

          Thanks again.

  3. Tarun says:

    Hello Geek Gardener:

    I stumbled across your blog while researching on organic gardening in Bangalore. I currently live in B’lore and would like to start an organic vegetable garden. I see you have had some success with container gardening and would like to ask for your tips/advice etc. Would you be interested in seed/plant swapping? Sometimes seed packets usually have too many seeds for a single gardener to use, and I’d hate to see seedlings go waste when someone else can use them 🙂 I am trying to start a seed/plant swap club for gardening enthusiasts out here.

    Also if you don’t mind, can you please email me the resource info from where you procurred vermiculite and perlite?

    Thanks in advance and Happy Gardening….. May all your fingers be green thumbs 😀

    Tarun

  4. geekgardener says:

    Hey Tarun,

    First of all, Welcome to the world of Gardening. Its good to know people with similar interests. I would love to share/swap plants/seeds. Infact I have been to trying to find folks who are willing to do that. I usually store the seeds or give it away to friends.

    I got vermiculite from Chennai and Perlite. All I have is their addresses, which I dont have right now with me. I am now in the US for a work assignment and should be back in couple of weeks. If you want I can give portion of vermiculite I have, once i am back.

    I am in the process of putting together a website for gardeners in Bangalore and seed/plant swap might be a great start to it. Any help from you would be welcome.

    Happy gardening to you too.
    gg

  5. Tarun says:

    Thanks for the quick reply GG. I have just planted some Balsam, pansies and columbine this morning (an experiment since i am not sure pansies will grow that well here!) So hopefully when you get back I might have some seedlings to share. I would also like to help in the website endeavor. Do send me an email and we can try to get it going. I recently attended a workshop on terrace/container gardening conducted by AME in Banashankri. We can probably rope in the experts from there to help with the info. Do let me know.

    Also do check out the concept of Square Foot Gardening. Seems interesting. Let me know your thoughts 🙂

    Touch base with you soon and thanks for the offer of sharing your vermiculite.

    rgds
    Tarun

  6. geekgardener says:

    Tarun,

    Good luck with your experiment and can’t wait for the seedling ;). Interesting to know about the Workshop. We definitely can get very good pointers/tips from AME folks. Damn.. I missed out the Flower show in Lalbagh on 15th Aug.

    I have been eying on Square foot gardening(SFG). Its really neat way of getting the most out of your garden. I would love to practice that, but unfortunately I dont have a terrace now.All I have is four balconies and I am trying to use the maximum space from that. SFG is something i would like to try and see. I also have the soil mix for SFG( called Mel’s mix).

    While I am here, I have asked my friend to water all my plants and he is doing a great job. I am little bit relieved.

    Will let you know once I am back and for the vermiculite..hey ..thats no problem at all.

    Cheers
    gg

  7. Tarun says:

    I did go for the flower show and exhibition at Lal Bagh. Was pretty interesting since the theme was Hampi and there was an exhibit of a stone chariot which was made of roses and anthuriums. Really beautiful ….. Also there was an exhibit of I think the IIHR and the theme was organic gardening. Took some great snaps too 🙂

    Which geographical area of B’lore do you reside in? I can totally relate to your concern about your plants. When I travel I HAVE to make arrangements for my plants to be baby sat 😀

    Cheers
    Tarun

  8. geekgardener says:

    Thats great. I had been there during Republic day Flower show but I missed this one.

    I am residing in Bilekahalli, Bannerghatta road and How about you ?. I used to have a big terrace before when I was living near KR Puram. Now I have balconies and obviously the space is little lesser I have to make some shelf based arrangements to accommodate more pots..

    Are you going to garden in containers too?

    gg

  9. Tarun says:

    I do have some garden space in which I planted flowering plants. Now I would like to grow some vegetables and so I am trying to start off in containers and will eventually clear out some seasonal flowering plants once they are done w/their lifecycle. I like a riot of colors in my garden…….

    I live near the Sarjapur/Outer Ring Road Junction. I am exploring how I can also add some vertical dimension in some balconies – like growing Zucchini (eat a lot of that), beans etc. Just need to figure out the sunlight requirements too. Where did u pick up the rooting hormone? From Lal Bagh?

    Rgds,
    Tarun

  10. geekgardener says:

    Tarun,

    Nice to hear that. Regarding rooting hormones, the ones i have are

    1. Keradix ( Humic acid; i think 2% )
    2. Quicroot. ( I assume it is IBA; not sure about the concentration)

    I picked up keradix from chennai Horticultural society.
    I havent really tested that rooting hormone on hardwood/semi-hardwood plants. Once i am back probably I might go cutting hunting.
    I did test quicroot on softwoods like chrysanthemum and coleus(very easy). It worked well.

    gg

  11. Mohan says:

    Hello there GG,

    Thanks a ton for the information you have provided.
    I can’t wait to start seeding pansy and stock but a few people suggested that late winter would be best to seed them. There is a garden centre called Indo-American Hybrid Seeds where they have wonderful hybrid varieties of Areca and philodendron. I bought a few of them too.

    Have you tried using Lechuza planters I bought a few of them for the indoor plants and have just planted in them. I’m keeping my fingers crossed till I see them thrive. Even thought these planters are a bit expensive, they come in wonderful colours and blend into indoors extremely well. I should say that planting in these Lechuza planters is a cakewalk. Hopefully my plants feel the same way too 🙂

    Regards,
    Mohan

  12. geekgardener says:

    Hey Mohan,

    Thats a good news and great to hear about your purchase. Keep the momentum going!!!. And thanks for posting the address and phone number. I heard that they sell vermiculite as well but at very high price and hence I offered Tarun a portion of what I have. I am working on a post on where to find what for your gardening needs. Its mostly about websites that ppl can refer and garden text/audio/video materials available on the internet. Will post it once its baked completely.

    And about IAHS, I have been there and that is a great place to find all sorts of plants and pots but beware that their price tags a bit dear. I did some purchase with them before and sorted out for cheaper altenatives. I see them selling an nice variety of coleus for like 50+ rupees. For rare plants and seeds yes I would go to them but do check if you can get them other nurseries.

    Thanks for sharing about Lechuza planters. I was not aware of them. Any information on the pricing and where I can buy them would be very helpful.

    We all should meet up sometime to inaugurate our first plant/seed swap event ;).

    Good luck with your seed starting. I can totally understand that feeling .Hey Where do you stay and what kind of a garden you have? Very curious to know 😀

    gg

  13. Mohan says:

    Hello there,

    Thanks for the info about IAHS. Yes, I did realise that the stuff there is a bit pricey but what I noticed was that the way they care about plants was really good what with all the spacious setting for numerous plants, huge fan to maintain a draught, good hybrid varieties of plants et al. The quality of the grown-up plants was also better than some of the nurseries near my house. But having said that, I haven’t visited many nurseries since I’m still a newbie in gardening.

    I reside in BTM Layout, near Madivala lake. We can definitely meet up to swap the seeds/plants. I currently have pansy and stock seeds in stock.

    I’ve recently been attracted to indoor plants but I do have some space in my terrace for growing plants in containers. I still haven’t given it a serious consideration but it may be possible to have a terrace garden too, specifically for the lovely colours of the flowering plants vis-à-vis the green indoor plants.

    Lechuza planters are available in Green Carpet (www.greencarpetgardencentre.com) in Koramangala, very close to Shanti Sagar and Vysya bank near Sony World. It is basically a house with converted garage space for selling planters and other garden accessories. The lowest price of a Lechuza planter – Mini Cubi (9 cm in diameter and 18 cm in height) – is Rs.1100/- whereas a Classico (70 cm in dia and 64 cm in ht) is between Rs.7600/- and Rs.8600/- (price varies with colour with choco design, black and espresso costing more). Like I said it is quite pricey and therefore I bought only a few smaller ones for my desktop; but the shape, design and ease of use are unmatched. One of its models called Delta has even got a Red Dot award for its design. If you are returning from the US, you can as well buy a piece or two. I’m sure they would cost half the price over there.

    Regards,
    Mohan

  14. Tarun says:

    Lechuza planters look so cool!! Thanks for the info Mohan. Went to the building to pick up some ayurvedic medications for my FIL and just strolled into their store. At that time I did not know what all they dealt with. So the next trip will def be more productive.

    Also came across this and would like to implement it – now need to find a potter who can make something similar – http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2008/03/24/using-ollas/

    Good luck Mohan on the seeds planting. I was getting too impatient to wait for the pansies so decided to plant them 🙂

    I might attempt to plant some ginger today.

    Cheers
    Tarun

  15. geekgardener says:

    @Tarun,

    Ollas look cool and sound very interesting too. Would be great if you can find someone who can make that for you. The other reason why ollas are cool is you can add a soluble fertilizer/compost tea and it will permeate very slowly.This will make a poor man’s slow release fertilizer.

    @Mohan,

    I remember the Lechuza planters now, When I used to work in the ITPL, they used to have these planters all over and they have a small glass tube sticking out ( I think for water level ). I didnt know it was Lechuza then. Now I know 😉
    Thanks for the Info. They sure are trendy .

    Good luck to you both on your seed starting/planting. I am jealous of you guys and can’t wait to head back and start gardening again 😉

    BTW What kind of soil do you use for your pots ?.

    Happy gardening
    gg

  16. Tarun says:

    I use a mix of regular soil, vermicompost, sand and coir pith. I made mistakes eariler and just used regular soil, so those plants are not doing too well since the soil has compacted and become very hard. One major project planned for the next few weekends is to carefully take these plants out and change the potting mix.

    Mohan, have you planted any vegetables too?

    Happy Gardening to all 😀
    Tarun

  17. Mohan says:

    For peace lily, anthurium, syngonium and gerbera daisy I used Lechuza planters that comes with what they call Lechuza-Pon, which comprises pumice, zeolite, lava, and fertilizer. For a couple of other plants like Areca and philodendron, I have used the potting mix that I bought at IAHS. I still have to wait and see how the plants thrive. I thought of adding vermiculite, perlite and vermi-compost a few days later to the potting mix. I also bought some neem oil but I’m not sure if it would be needed any time soon.
    Moreover for the pansy and stock seeds I’m not sure if coir peat alone would suffice or, as per the instructions at the back of the seed sachet, I still have to use leaf mould, sand and fertilizer. Since the seeds themselves contain nutrients I think they may be overfed by adding these.

    Tarun – No, I haven’t planted any vegetables. I was hoping to plant red and yellow peppers since I love them in salads and they are way too expensive in stores. I would probably wait till I plant the pansy and stock seeds and if they grow well, I would probably be more confident to plant vegetables 🙂 Apart from zucchini and beans, have you planted any other vegetables?

    Regards,
    Mohan

  18. geekgardener says:

    @Tarun,
    I had made the same mistakes too , using just the regular soil and also I wasn’t aware of vermiculite and perlite then. Now I add perlite, vermiculite, compost and soil mix(lalbagh/IAHS) and coirpith. The resulting texture is really good and repotting is very easier that way. Good luck with your repotting 🙂

    @Mohan,

    You have a nice collection there!.

    You are right, Using just the coir pith alone is good for seed starting but once it germinates you need to either transplant it to a different medium or feed it with a mild fertilizer solution while watering.

    Here in the US, I see the medium is mostly soilless. They use mulch and pine bark mix plus other ingredients.

    Do you guys know if we get mulch/bark chips? the good thing about them is as time goes by they decompose, adding humus to the soil and also improve the soil texture.

    I tried the following vegetables
    1. Ladies finger (Success)
    2. Tomato (Success) [ Is it a Friut or vegetable 😉 ]
    3. Chillies (Success)
    4. Brinjals (Seed started well, but end result was failure since I did not transplant them into a right sized pot.]
    5. Potatoes.(Success).

    and now and then I seed start Fenugreek(methi) and harvest it in 10 days time. (its so easy to start and maintain).

    I want to try bell peppers and Tarun if you happen to seed start them do post your experience.

    gg

  19. Mohan says:

    I dont know if and where we get mulch and bark chips but check out the following link: http://www.sivanthijoecoirs.com/contact.html, which says coco chips are replacement for barks and could be used as mulching agent.

  20. Tarun says:

    Mohan- I have grown regular chillies, methi, basil, and spinach. I am still trying to figure if my balcony has enough sunlight to grow zucchini and beans. I will be planting some brinjal, garlic, capsicum, okra and ginger soon. I love bell peppers too. Grill a lot of veggies :

    GG – Did u start the potatoes w/eyes from a sprouting old pot? And how deep was the pot u grew them in? I am curious 😀

    Tarun

  21. geekgardener says:

    Sorry for the delayed reply guys.

    I am back in India and it took this long for me to get an internet connection to my home.

    @Tarun
    I didnt really intend to grow potatoes. one day my mom found a potato with a sprout and she thought it was too precious to cook and so it ended up in my garden. I had potted it in 12″ dia pot that was equally deep. I filled half of the pot with pot mix and planted that potato and kept adding soil as the plant grew. I got some 3 potatoes from that pot and one of them was really big and had a very transparent skin. There are several pages in the web explaning how to ‘chit’ a potato.

    @Mohan: How are the pansies coming?

    gg

  22. Tarun says:

    Welcome back….. I was wondering last week if u were back or not. Ok so I had success w/the balsam. The pansies are just begining to sprout, also had planted some ginger – so they are sprouting too. But the zinnias and columbine didn’t germinate. I think the seeds were too old ……I am getting some tomato plants from my neighbor today 🙂 So looking fwd to some ‘maters in the garden.

    Good luck in the next venture and keep us posted on what’s going on 🙂

    Happy Gardening!
    Tarun

  23. Mohan says:

    GG,

    Hope you had a good time in the US.
    I planted 10 seeds of pansies as a trial run and only 4 of them saw the light of day 🙁 Therefore I decided to halt further seeding for the time being and wait till I tend properly to the other plants.

    Have you planted cherry tomatoes? Or do you know if they can be successfully grown here? Looking at the unavailability of that variety in shops, I wonder if I should try my luck with them.

    Mohan

  24. geekgardener says:

    Hi Mohan.

    The trip was very good.

    Regarding the pansies, are those from IndoAmerican seeds or from Lalbagh. because the germination % tends to vary a lot. I had tried chilli seeds both from IndoAmerican and from lalbagh. It was so evident that the extra price you pay for the seeds in INDAM was worth it. I got almost 100% germination using their seeds. So you might want to give it another try 🙂

    Would you believe If i said that I exactly ordered cherry tomatoes( and mixed coleus seeds) from grocoseeds.com. Unfortunately their shipping is so slow that It reached the hotel after I left the US. Now they are with my friend in US. Hmm… So I have to say no for your cherry tomato question and Also I am not sure if it will grow here.

    If you have/get them You should definitely try it and enlighten us.

    EDIT: Looks like you can grow them here.I had a look at Namdhari seeds webpage. Go to the section
    INDETERMINATE Grape and cherry in the following link.
    http://www.namdhariseeds.com/tomatotable.html

    Happy gardening
    gg

  25. Mohan says:

    I used Namdhari seeds for pansies. Raising plants from seeds require a lot more care than what I thought was needed and provided.

    Thank you so much for the pointer on the cherry tomatoes. Looks like Namdhari sells those seeds; need to see if they have them in their shop in BTM Layout. I will be sure to keep you informed of the success (or the lack thereof).

    Mohan

  26. geekgardener says:

    Mohan,

    Any luck in getting the seeds for Cherry tomatoes? The other day I happened to pass by BTM and I saw Namdhari’s shop. Correct me if am wrong, it looked to me like a vegetable shop/super market. Do they sell seeds too?

    gg

  27. Mohan says:

    Hi there GG!

    Ha ha, I didn’t realise that it was just a vegetable shop. One of my neighbours told me that there was Namdhari’s supermarket near Udupi garden and I thought they might sell even seeds since some of their supermarkets do. Never been there though. And I haven’t had a chance yet to look out for the seeds. This weekend I would have some spare time to hunt out; I’ll let you know by Monday.

    Nice to see your spinach sprouting leaves. Please do keep us posted on how they shape up.

    BTW, from your home page, I am not able to see a link to your “About” page from a few weeks. I don’t know whether this behaviour is particular to the OS or to the browser (I use Firefox/Safari on Leopard OS). The only link visible on the left side is to Parks Brothers’s Weblog.

    Regards,
    Mohan

  28. geekgardener says:

    Hi Mohan,

    Take your time on seed purchase. If you could get those Cherry tomatoes it will be great. It will be good to try those varieties here.

    Yeah the spinach is growing well. But I feel they are little slow. I think the reason could be the lack of nutrients in the soil. Mel’s mix is supposed to have 1/3rd of compost but the one i added is Bio Farm organic fertilizer and I am not sure what they use to make that compost. I am still keeping my fingers crossed to see how they fair.

    Thanks for the info about the “About”. It ain’t your browser/OS. Thats just me.
    I was playing around the options that wordpress provides and as usual messed it up ;-). Now it should be back up with more stuff. So you are Mac fan! eh?

    gg

  29. geekgardener says:

    Mohan,

    I was so curious about the cherry tomatoes that I called Namdhari seeds this morning. Its a bummer that they don’t have it in stock right now. Also, Its pretty darn expensive. The person I spoke to, mentioned that 1 kg of those seeds sells at INR 90,000.( No Its not a typo). The regular 10gms packet that we get is around Rs 700-800. Looks like its not as easy as i thought. We are better off getting these seeds from US or buy cherry tomatoes and get the seeds from it.

    I also heard that Namdhari Agro fresh in Koramangala sells vegetable/flower seeds as well. So just in case you are planning to buy some seeds you might want to try that one.

    gg

  30. Mohan says:

    Hi there GG,

    Thank you so much again for the information. You are very enthusiastic about planting cherry tomatoes. Their sweetish taste is tempting but certainly not at the sky-high cost of Namdhari seeds! It does sound sensible to get them from abroad.

    Thanks for the pointer on Namdhari Agro Fresh (near NGV). Yeah, I heard about that when I went to buy Lechuza planters; will make it a point to visit there the next time I decide to buy some seeds.

    May be spinach requires more fertilizer than usual to pack up so many nutrients in their leaves.

    Good to see the links back on your blog.
    Well I turned into a Mac fan slowly and gradually ever since I purchased an iPod a few years back, even though I work on Microsoft technologies 🙂

    Mohan

  31. Sunita says:

    Hi GG! I’ve been trying to visit your plot at Blotanical but there’s some mess up. you could try contacting Stuart about it (just go to the Help button and check around… leave him a message. He usually gets all these little hitches fixed real fast)
    Anyway, I was trying to get in touch with you to say how much I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. And it’s great to see the Indian flag flying at Blotanical. There seems to be too few of us around over there.

  32. Lokesh says:

    Beautiful. I love your blog. Is there a rss/xml feed URL i can use, rather than check the site often for updates ?

  33. Preethi says:

    Hello gg,
    Just happened to see some of the old posts on cherry tomatoes.I have some seeds left from the online order via thompson-morgan…anyone interested ? I can send them across 🙂
    regards,
    preethi

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Preethi,

      Yeah, I was going mad about growing cherry tomatoes and found a place to get them too. Its so nice of you for that offer. I would love to try them out. If you are interested I can trade them with ‘Yellow pear cherry tomato’ variety that I bought from Dept of Hort. Hulimavu. Any info on what variety of cherry that you have?

      thanks again.
      gg

  34. Preethi says:

    Hello gg,

    This is the one I have. ‘Tomato balconi red’
    http://www.tandmworldwide.com/seeds1/product/399/1/

    I am not sure of how well they will do here since my plants are just in the four leaf stage. But some of the others that I have tried from T&M has done well last year …. I would love to have the yello pear variety that you have. Will also search for some other varieties that I might have from last year.

    Thank you,
    Preethi

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Preethi,

      I read about Tomato Balconi Red. Excellent… From the description, its a variety meant of container growing. I am already excited about it :D. Does T&M deliver it to India? I am planning to get seed samples of many different varieties of tomato from Dept of Hort. I currently have yellow and read pear for sharing. These seeds are not hybrids and not chemically treated as well. Dept of Hort. is purely organic.

      I am curious to know about your garden. Do you do container gardening or on a piece of land?. I am totally into containers.

      gg

    • Hey, thanks for the website!

      I’ve just ordered one packet of Tomato seeds from them (Tomato Tamina).

      Let’s hope they deliver it soon 🙂

  35. Preethi says:

    Hi gg,
    T&M delivers to India, but the seeds are expensive. And a few of them havent done well at Bangalore, especially the flowers. But most of them have done well.

    Please do send the Dept of horticuture directions since T&M is an expensive option for me though I do order quite often since I go crazy seeing the varieties they have. If you let me know the address to send to, I will send the tomato seeds over.

    I have a small garden since we live in the ground floor. I work at IBM, but love gardening. My garden is now in shambles since I have two daughters and the younger one is just three months old now.

    regards,
    preethi

    • geekgardener says:

      Hello Preethi,

      I kind of figured how dear the seeds from T&M are from their website. Good to know you had success with most of them. I am sure you know about Namdhari seeds. They are very good and the prices are reasonable. I once used to buy from IndamSeeds(Indo American Hybrid Seeds) and they are quite expensive and the number of seeds you get for the amount you pay is very less. Namdhari is good in that. You get 1gram (usually) for INR 30 on most of the flower seeds and trust me they have very good collection.

      Dept of Horticulture, HuliMavu. is on Bannerghatta road. You can come from Shoppers Stop(BTM) to IIM and continue on Bannerghatta Road. You will cross HSBC office on your left and if you go further, you will see AECS magnolia school on the left. Keep going further. On your left you will see ‘Guru garden’ something. Right opposite to it on the right you will see Dept of Hort. Next to it is Coconut Development Board.

      It must be very difficult to manage everything and still show interest in gardening. Amazing…
      I have a balcony and a small terrace for gardening.I am very interested in achieving self sufficiency in terms of vegetables.I know its a very difficult goal to achieve but what the heck.. dreaming is still free.

      I will send an email to you about my address.

      Happy gardening.
      gg

  36. allygeorge says:

    Hi,
    Got to see your blog and am loving every line that I read. I am a working mom(IT industry) and a beginner, who just started off with gardening and I have about 30 Potted plants. Its my desire to have a vegetable garden as well. Please give me sufficient pointers on Planting soil, seeds, cuttings, nurseries in Chennai. We stay in a flat and so I can only do Container Gardening.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hello Ally(hope i got it right).
      Welcome to blogging world and my gardening blog too. I am happy to hear that you liked the contents. Having a vegetable garden is very rewarding. For nurseries in chennai, I think readers like Arundati, Chandramouli(inartliesmyheart.blogspot.com) might be able to help you as they are also put up in chennai. For seeds, I am sure chennai has many places and bangalore has much more than that too(Mostly due to the climatic differences). For container soil, I use cocopeat+perlite+topsoil+sand+compost. Or sometimes simply redsoil + sand+compost. It depends.
      Please feel free to ask any question you have or share any information you have. I love to share what I know and learn what you know.

      gg

  37. allygeorge says:

    It my humble suggestion that it would be of more ease if you can add some categories! and yes, even i have the same theme for my blog 😉
    http://allygeorge.wordpress.com

    • geekgardener says:

      Thank you so much for the great suggestion. I have been feeling very guilty about it every time I write a post. I concentrate on ‘tags’ but fail on categories. Will work on that. Your blog reminds me of mine when it started. and Joshua is so adorable 😀

      keep blogging.

  38. Ally George says:

    I am all smiling, reading about Joshua 🙂 Thanks a lot.

  39. Bharath says:

    Hi ,

    Some problems and a lil luck. Firstly the luck – got hold of a hardware guy who mixed and matched stuff from his store, and presented what looks like a very workable 1/2″ tank nipple.

    As for the problems, was tough drilling – the smallest bit in the hole-saw drill bits kit, comes upto about an inch ! So struggled to fit in the half inch nipple, into this hole. Also, the drill bit kept on slipping off while drilling (possibly something I did wrong – :-/ )

  40. Anil says:

    http://www.annadana.com

    has a good collection of openpolinated varieties. tomato & chili, sweet corn, squash…

    they accept donation as in membership, 1500Rs for home gardner
    you get 15 variaties of your choice
    brinjal – ~100seeds
    capsicum/chili – ~80seeds
    sweet corn ~ 30seeds
    lettuce – ~ 500seeds
    squash – ~25seeds
    tomato – ~100seeds

    you can do a online transfer & email the form & the transfer details to the email.
    they will courier the seeds in 2-3 weeks time ( sent from seed bank in Auroville )

    check availability with seedbank@annadana.com first

    http://www.annadana.com/actu/new_news.cgi?id_news=227 has the forms & catalog.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Anil,

      Welcome to my blog. Thanks for the info. I am already a member and get seeds from Annadana. They are such a wonderful bunch of people doing an amazing job of saving heritage seeds.

      gg

  41. Anil says:

    oops missed the DOH part before posting, incidentally DOH got seeds from Annadana

    http://www.annadana.com/actions/karnatak.html

  42. Dear Manikandan,
    Nice to the blog and also article in today’s DNA. Sangitha told me many times about you.I represent Sahaja Samrudha- organic farmers group. Personally i love gardening and conservation of rare vegetable varities. I would like to meet /discuss/ visit your garden.
    pl send your email id/ contact no
    Krishna Prasad
    9880862058
    prasadgk12@gmail.com

    • geekgardener says:

      Hello Krishna Prasad,

      I am so happy that you visited my blog. I have heard about you from several people. I will be happy to meet/discuss with you. I will send my details to you in a another personal email.

      geekgardener.

  43. Balachandran says:

    Hey GG,

    I’m glad to have read abt you in DNA newspaper today. I’m someone who have started believing in bio-diversity and global warming. With a 4 and 2 year old at home, I also believe gardering at home is probably the safest way to feed them!!!.

    I’d like to get started with some vegetable farming. Can you help me where to get the organic seeds??

    Regards
    Bala

    • geekgardener says:

      Hello Bala,

      Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. I will be glad to be of some help to get you started on gardening.
      There are couple of places where you can get organic seeds from. Annadana foundation is one and another is Department of Horticulture, Hulimavu. Let me know if you need any help.
      gg

  44. cheluvaraj says:

    Hi GG,

    yesterday i read an article in DNA, great work. we too started our terrace nursery and vegetable garden. just started 3 months back. planning to buy a 4.5 acres of dry land and start my Natural farming soon. we started putting all the resources and started documenting the progress here. green.in

    cheluvaraj

    • geekgardener says:

      Hello Cheluvaraj,

      Thanks. Terrace gardening is fun isn’t it. Esp when there are more challenges w.r.t to space. I am sure you will have more fun farming in acres of land. Good luck with your endeavor. Nice website and pictures of terrace nursery.

      THanks
      gg

  45. Sudharssan-Arvind says:

    hello mani bhaiya (a.k.a) geek gardener

    this is sudharssan and arvind….. we read your blog and its really cool. also ur photo in the newspaper!

    keep up the good work….u`r doin ur bit in the struggle against global warming.
    truly a genius.:-)

    bye.c u.

  46. Asha says:

    Hi GG,

    I stumbled upon your blog and so excited to see a gardening blog based in Bangalore! Hope to read your gardening adventures regularly.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hello Asha,

      Welcome to my blog and I am glad it is of some help. Do watch this space for more posts to come !

      Happy gardening.
      gg

  47. Benazir says:

    Hello,

    Where can one learn the basics of gardening in Bangalore?

    • geekgardener says:

      Hello Benazir,

      With internet you can learn a lot from http://www.youtube.com and you can post your question here or to my email. I will be more than happy to answer if I can. Also, I am planning to start weekend training on gardening soon to spread the awareness and to make kitchen garden a part of every household.

      gg

  48. sridhar says:

    Hi GG,
    I live in Chennai. I grow plants in front of my house. I am interested in Verminculture. Where can i buy earthworms in Chennai.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hello Sridhar,
      You can check with Green lands chennai. Last I had a conversation with them, i was told that they have a huge vermicomposting unit and I am sure they will be able to help you find earth worms

      gg

  49. Manjula says:

    Hi GG,
    I was so happy to come across a site where we can discuss gardening ! bangalore really needs it! I have a terrace garden where I have been growing tomatoes, basle, beans, chillies,coriander, curry leaves & seasonal greens. I’ve picked up quite a few tips from your site, thanks.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Manjula,

      Good to hear from another gardener. Looks like grow most of the veggies we need daily.

      Happy gardening.
      gg

  50. Rashmie says:

    Wonderful blog with great pics and tips! I will definitely keep coming back to read up more and more…

    Thanks for sharing all this practical information…

    Rashmie

    • geekgardener says:

      Hello Rashmie,

      Thanks for visiting my blog. Do watch this space. I am going to write a series on kitchen gardening…
      gg

  51. Sahana says:

    Hi, i would also like to join your bandwagon. i have a small veg garden where I grow brinjals, amaranth, beans, runner beans,ivy gourd (tondekai) and seemebadanekai (i dont know the english name). I have lots to share by the way.

    • geekgardener says:

      @Sahana
      Glad to hear you are growing many veggies and You are most welcome. seemebadanekai is called Chayote. Very nice to hear that you have lots to share. I will send you an email shortly.
      gg

  52. Asha says:

    Hi GG,

    I wanted to jump the gun and ask you a quetion on potting mix because some of my seedlings are ready to transplant.

    Would it be fine to just mix cocopeat and compost as a soil mix? How essential is it to add Vermiculite and Perlite?

    The carrot seeds and some tomatoes sprouted beautifully (Some tomato seeds got dug up by rats 🙁 ) – now I need to move them – wanted to try some with the soilless mix on my terrace.

    Would appreciate it if you could give me your opinion.

    Thanks,
    Asha

    • geekgardener says:

      @Asha,

      I am so sorry for the delayed response. I am not sure how much of help this response is now. Cocopeat and compost is just fine and there is no need to add vermiculite or perlite at all. They are for water holding and aeration/drainage. If we watch our watering schedule properly there is no need for it.

      Again sorry for the delay.
      gg

  53. vani says:

    I have a question and wish you could answer – I have recently sowed certain bitter gourd seeds (variety that is grown in the cold mountain regions). The seeds germinated and the sprouts that have shot up look abnormally long – almost 3/4th of a foot with a tube like stalk.

    I have sown the seeds in two different containers at 2 different times (10 days gap) – the ones I sowed first have come out like a normal seedling and the leaves are just developing. I don’t even know if this is a weed that is growing or the plant that I want!!

    The seeds I sowed second – I soaked these in water for a night unlike the first ones. These have germinated with those long tubes within just 3 – 4 days. This I am sure it the seed that sprouted because the dicot of the seed came out along with the sprout – but is this growing correctly, I have never seen seedlings with such long tubes earlier, I am so confused about the 2 different seedlings here from the same set of seeds. Please help.

  54. Revathi says:

    Hi Gg,

    Inspired by your blog, I have sown tomato seeds for the first time (these seeds are lying with me for more than a year). I want to grow them organically and so tried to source Panchagavya from TN. But I understand no courier agency is prepared to handle liquids. Fortunately, I found that Vital Plant products do send their products all over India. I found a reference to their product called N.L. in one of your posts and now my question is Should I buy N.L liquid or the Nisarga liquid, which they describe as a manure and pesticide containing PG? Are both the same? Thanks

    Revathi

  55. Asha says:

    Hey Thanks for your response GG. I went ahead and started some plants in sacks on my small terrace without the vermiculite and perlite. Happy to report that they are doing well. The tomato plants are coming up well. Will post pics soon.
    Btw, my first trial with coriander was not too great. But my second trial is coming along quite well. Pretty enthused about this!

  56. Hi GG,

    You’ve just got to help me out. I love having plants inside my house and the little space outside my door. Mostly potted. But no plant seems to like me. I bring them home, follow all the instructions given to me at the nursery. And when they die on me im so heart broken. The only two guys who managed to survive is the aloevera and the cactus. PLease help me.

    Preethi

    • geekgardener says:

      Hey Preethi,

      Welcome to my blog and Yes I will help you. From what I hear from you, it appears that plants that need less water have managed to survive. Do you water all the plants regularly? .. Just kidding.. You see few plants grow indoors and even those need some sunlight occasionally. Check if the plants you got are indoor type. Also let me know how much sunlight your space gets. It will help.

      Good luck
      gg

  57. deepak says:

    hi, i bought some good hybrid marigold flowers, can u tell me how to preserve its seed for next season, and pls tell the step bt step procedure (with pictures) how to take seeds from the marigold flower and and how to plant them. i will be vey thankful to u sir,

    • Shaheen Miranda says:

      Once the flowers are dead, let dem dry a little n den pull out d petals carefully n u will find seeds attached to dem. Remove seeds n store in a dry bottle or even a small plastic or paper bag n use wen reqd. Hope dis helps.

  58. Hi GG,
    🙁 Actually i have no place where there is direct sunlight for a long time. My kitchen window gets some sunlight and there is this place outside my door that get sunlight for some time 🙁 Could you please suggest some plants that i can keep here?
    Thanks
    Preethi

  59. Radhamani Suresh says:

    Hi

    I am from Chennai and want to know where I can get earthworms from for vermicompost

  60. Sumathy says:

    Hi GG,

    Wish you all a very happy new year.

    I happened to see your blog when I goggled for organic gardening. It came as a nice new year giift! I am really excited after reading your blog! Thanks for the wonderful tips and also pictures. Looking forward to your plant/seed swapping site and weekend classes.

    I love indoor plants and flowering plants. Recently got some cow pea seeds from my mum-in-law and planted them in a pot. They came out well and now am excited when I saw your pictures of tomatoes and other vegetables. Planning to start a vegotable garden. I have not started to blog yet.

    GG, thanks for the wonderful tips. Now I want to buy NL and try out.

    Happy gardening!

    Regards,
    Sumathy

    • Revathi says:

      Hi Gg

      Eagerly awaiting your weekend classes on vegetable growing and seed swapping site.

      Revathi

      • geekgardener says:

        Hi Revathi,

        The website is getting ready and is taking a good shape. So is the weekend training plans. So much to do and so less time!!…

        gg

  61. Mukesh Sancheti says:

    Hi Geek Gardener,

    Hats Off to U in your clear cut approach towards Global Warming and smart Gardening..

    I’m a software engineer working for Amdocs ( Pune ) and my intentions towards Hydroponic Farming has got more boost while sneaking thorugh your blogs..

    It’s really great of you to share so much valuable information and i would appreciate if you could throw light on these !!

    I’m planning to quit my job and seriously pursue my interest towards Hydroponic Farming in my land holdings near Pune.

    I would jump at the oppotunity of having to meet you in person if you could take some time off your busy schedules.

    Can you please provide your phone number so that i can sincerely look forward to pursue my interest !!!

    Happy Gardening .. Genius !!!

    Regards,
    Mukesh ( 8055933317 )

  62. jyoti says:

    Hi GG, i am a new gardener. i am specially interested in home grown veggies. they taste amazinggggg! i usually grow regular veggies. now i want to try exotic ones like brocccoli, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, basil, parsley etc. will these do well in harsh climate of rajasthan? also, please suggest some shops in bangalore which sell these seeds so that i can order them on phone. these seeds are not available here in jodhpur. thanx!
    PS: i too worry abt global warming. a hell lot!

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Jyoti,

      Good to hear you are passionate on growing exotic veggies. The veggies you mentioned such as broccoli, lettuce grow in cold season and tomato can handle summer but not too much. I am not too sure about the temperature season wise in rajasthan. Also, I am not too sure if shops in Bangalore, sell seeds online.
      Let me know what seeds you want, I can purchase and send it to you and you pay me. Will that work?
      I know how frustrating it is if the seeds that we want are not available.

      Thanks
      gg

  63. Jennifer says:

    what an informative blog…seriously planning to use my terrace now to grow some veggies etc…continue to keep us informed of all ur endevaours

  64. Revathi says:

    Hi Gg,

    Would you mind sending me a few red cherry tomato seeds, if you have any extras?

    Revathi

  65. Sahana says:

    Hi gg,

    I was away for some time as my MIL had a knee surgery. I would like to meet you and I guess we live pretty close. Can you please write me a mail?

    regards

    Sahana

  66. Dheiru says:

    Hi,

    I have planted 2 seeds of lady’s finger and waiting for them to grow. I had successfully grown tomatoes in my Window grill. Somehow they caught fungus and the tree withered away. Am hoping to grow lots of vegetables now starting with lady’s finger. This blog site was a real help. 🙂

  67. Milind N Patil says:

    Hi GG
    It’s wonderful effort that you are doing via the blog. I was interested in agriculture, but Iam located in Mumbai and you know land is so precious here, then i had chance to know about hydroponics. Saw your update on growing tomatoes using hydroponics, can you please send me the detailed procedure about the
    a) growing medium
    b) growing technique you have used
    c) how do u supply the nutrient and oxygen
    d) how have you prepared the nutrient mixture (i.e components)

    I plan to grow them in my balcony using sunlight.
    I will be grateful if u can share this info.

    Regards
    Milind N Patil

  68. Shashank says:

    Hello GG,

    Great tomatoes.

    Currently I am growing gourds and would like to share my experience and some pictures with you.

    Could you send me your e-mail contact.

    Regards,

    Shashank

  69. indrani says:

    hello,
    your website is very intresting. im new to gardening and your website is very useful. i actually need more details on the basics like where to buy the seed trays from: the name and loc of the shop, the soil mix and where it can be bought. I would be really glad if you can provide me your telephone no. as i have many queries and hope to get them cleared before my enthusiasm dies out. its very difficult to get gardening stuff here in visakhapatnam, hence i requested the details clearly so that next time when im in bangalore i can easily shop around.

    many thanks,
    indrani

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Indirani,

      Sorry for the delayed response. In my blog, I have listed the places in bangalore. So once you are in Bangalore you can get all the gardening stuff in places I have mentioned in my blog.

      Thanks
      gg

  70. indrani says:

    Hello,
    I actually found most of the stuff i asked in you in my previous mail. I went through all your post over the last few years and i found the information i was looking for. Your website is very very intresting and informative. Your writing style is even more amazing. I love the way you lace your post with humour.

    I actually want to sow some broccoli. Do you think this is the right month for that ? Can the method we use to sprout moong dal (soaking overnight and tying in a cloth) be used for other seeds as well? Will the seeds which have germinated this way take well when planted in the soil thereafter?
    Does broccoli need a shade net?

    And also for everybody who would want to order seeds online, i found some websites:

    http://www.biocarve.com/
    http://www.indianmaali.com/

    Regards,
    Indrani.

    • geekgardener says:

      HI Indrani,

      Thanks for taking the time to read my posts. Broccoli is a cool weather crop and if the temperature is too high it wont go into flowering too early ( bolting). Growing under shade net is an advantage as broccoli doesn’t need full sunlight.

      Seeds can be soaked overnight and sown the next day. They will come out just fine as long as you don’t disturb the radicle (first root) that comes out. I have germinated beans, bitter gourd, Okra, Tomato, Pepper this way! and they have yielded the best..

      Thanks for the links..
      gg

  71. indrani says:

    Hello again,

    Your website has fulled my enthusiasm to start off a vegetable garden. I ordered seeds online.I almost got all the seeds i was looking for except the pear tomatoes.
    Also called up Varsha Enterprises and ordered for seed trays, coco peat and compost. They have agreed to send to me in Visakhapatnam. Slowly but surely, i guess things are taking shape.

    Just wanted to thank you.

    Regards,
    Indrani

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Indrani,

      Its your passion+energy that is driving everything that you are doing. I am very happy to hear that my blog was of help. Don’t worry about the pace. We are gardening for ourselves and there is no need to hurry here :-). Anytime I have to setup a garden or array of pots or something, it takes lot of time. starting from buying materials to putting them in one place. Its only Joy at the end :)..

      You are most welcome!.. and do keep us posted on your progress.

      GG

  72. indrani says:

    Hello,

    I have just recieved seeds for the following and would like to know if they all can be soaked(how many hours?) before placing in coco peat for germination and any other precautions to be taken or any advice which will help. Can you also mention the season to best sow these:
    1. Lettuce 2. Celery
    3. Leeks 4. Pak-choy
    5. Squash 6. Red-Round Radish
    7. Parsley 8. Cherry Tomatoes
    9. Chinese Cabbage 10. Sweet Corn

    All these seeds are lying around me and i dont have a clue how to go about starting them off. You have given me enough enthusiasm to start off and hope you have the patience to help me through this whole process. Im really sorry to bother you.

    Regards,
    Indrani.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Indrani,

      Congrats. You have a good collection. The following seeds need no soaking.
      Lettuce, Celery, Leeks, Pak-Choy, Radish, Chinese cabbage.
      Squash and corn can be soaked over night.

      Most of them are cold weather crops except corn. tomatoes and squash. Lettuce especially cannot handle too hot weather.

      Hope this helps.
      gg

  73. pallavi says:

    hello….
    how ru?? iam a beginer in the world of gardening…….. i came across ur blog while surfing for indoor container herb gardening…. i found ur blog very informative and inspiring… so i decided to start my first try with garning by planting corriander!!! lets see how they turn up…
    i live in hyderabad where it is pretty hot these days. should i keet my corriander container indoor or can they tolorate direct sun for two-three hours??

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Pallavi,

      Welcome to my blog. Its better to keep the coriander in shade during the hot noon hours. They can handle morning sun..

      gg

  74. vishy says:

    Hi GG

    I have an started an setup for 1000 sqft poly house for lettuce
    garden i want to exchange some info with you please email me
    vishwanath108@gmail.com
    ASAP
    thank you
    jai kisan

  75. Jumana says:

    hi…sorry don’t know your name yet!
    Just would like to say that i’m relly enjoying your blog, very neat and useful!
    Just keep going 🙂

  76. Jumana says:

    Oh, yaa
    would like to ask about two things :):
    1. i have some petunia pots and would like to get many out of them, so what can i do?
    2. Did u try to grow ginger, i heard it’s easy!!

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Jumana,

      You can propagate petunia from cuttings. You will soon end up with so many of them. Also you can save the seeds.
      So far I haven’t tried Ginger.

  77. indrani says:

    Hello,
    Can we use the fresh green peas we get from the vegetable vendors as a pea “seeds”? Will they germinate?

    Regards,
    Indrani.

    • geekgardener says:

      No Indrani,Those are fresh peas harvest when the pods are not completely mature let alone dry. They wont germinate.

      gg

  78. indrani says:

    Hello GG,

    Thank you for advising me about the peas.

    Im about to purchase some planters. The available depths are 9 inches and 7 inches. Is 9 inches sufficient for vegetables or do they need more? Im guessing that 7 inches would be suitable for the leafy greens. Would this depth be enough for any vegetables at all?

    Pls advice.

    Regards,
    Indrani.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Indrani,

      9 & 7 inches are ok for veggies like radish( round), palak, methi, knolknol etc. For bigger veggies you need more depth. If not depth, you need to provide more volume like in grow bags or huge trays.

      gg

  79. indrani says:

    Hello GG,

    Can we use the seeds of lemons which i had bought from the market for germination? ( The lemons were yellow in colour and not green).

    Regards,
    Indrani.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Indrani,

      I guess you can use their seeds to grow them. But usually, you get grafted plants that are more resistant and early yielding.

      gg

  80. Milind N Patil says:

    Hi GG

    First of all thanks for helping me in my venture in hydroponics. I have got hold of the chemicals required in howdresh site for tomatoes. Also purchased a pH meter and Electric Conductivity meter. Now Iam planning to start, before that can you please post photos or elaborate more on your hydroponic tomatoe growing system.

    Regards
    Milind Patil

  81. Varun Shoor says:

    Hey,
    GG, I just hit on your blog through google after attempting to look for lettuce seeds. Its seriously amazing to see you do all this with so much passion and then spend time to share it with us.

    I have been toddling with attempts to grow my home garden and could not find the right resources or motivation. Being a software programming (Linux & PHP here 🙂 I am happy for the huge amount of knowledge you have created for people like me to consume.

    Is it possible for you to email me so that we can communicate over email? Couldnt locate your contact info on the blog (you should share it).

    FYI, after going through all the comments and material, I believe you are starting a revolution here 🙂

    Regards,

    Varun Shoor

    • geekgardener says:

      Thanks Varun. I am glad to hear that this blog is of some use to you. I didnt put out my contact info in the fear of SPAM. I will send you a PM.

      gg

  82. indrani says:

    Hello GG,

    Its so nice to know that you would be conduction a session in gardening at Namma Santhe. I would have loved to come and attend but at such short notice i was not able get tickets to bangalore. Wishing you luck with the program.

    Regards,
    Indrani.

    • geekgardener says:

      Thanks a LOT indrani. It is because of the motivation from gardeners/readers like you we are what we are. This particular session is of short duration ( 1 hour).
      However, I will be conducting training sessions in future and will inform everyone well in advance for the same.

      Thanks again.
      gg

  83. indrani says:

    Hello GG,

    Congratulations…!! Im hoping that the sessions went on well. Your blog inspired many and to actually meet and attend a session by you is a terrific opportunity. Hope there was a good turn out.

    Regards,
    Indrani.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Indrani.

      Thanks. The session went well. The turnout was around 10 but all of them who attended were really interested and made the session much more interesting. It was a good opportunity to meet many gardeners. There will be more trainings in the future and we will let you know well in advance. Ok?

      Thanks for all the motivation..
      GG

  84. Ashish says:

    Hi,
    Just found about this site. You can order seeds online. Has anyone tried ordering from here:

    http://www.indamseedsonline.com/

    Geekgardener : This is an awesome site. I think it is high time some one starts an online website for supplying gardening products for indian audience. It is difficult to find such stuff online in our country.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Ashish,

      Thanks for sharing. Yes you are right. Online shopping esp the gardening products is still primitive here.

      GG

  85. shobha says:

    hi, i was wondering how to start gardening at my backyard and came across your blog.. do u conduct classes in Bangalore?

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Shobha,

      I plan to conduct training classes soon. I will inform you by email once the dates are confirmed. Do watch this space for updates.

      gg

  86. Padmapriya says:

    Hi GG
    Even I’m interested in attending the training class, please inform me about that. I have just started gardening in our balcony.
    BTW your blog is really useful.

    Regards
    Padmapriya

  87. asha says:

    Hi GG, I’m not in Bangalore till the last week of May, but would be interested in attending the classes if its after that.
    Regards,
    Asha

    • geekgardener says:

      Asha,

      It will be after May. I am still working on the materials. Will definitely post about it well in advance.

      Thanks
      gg

  88. Aparna says:

    I am a new entrant into the world of gardeners.I stumbled upon ypur blog while googling for garden soil suppliers and found the blog extremely helpful and motivating. Needless to say that I was very thrilled to know that you are bangalore based and hence can give me local info too.I have just moved into my new house in HSR lay out Bangalore and has a front garden space of 400 sft and a big terrace ( about 2500 sft). First I would like to focus on front garden and later expand it to terrace over a period of time.
    I ahve taken quotations from various gardeners starting from the basic guy to professional landscapist and they quote very high price for soil. Rs 3000 per load. Please let me know where in bangalore can I get this myself and also guide me to develop my garden. It would be a great help.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Aparna,

      Red soil is priced at around the same price per load. If you think that’s a lot to pay, what you can do is select the areas that you want to grow plants on and just apply soil to only that area. Raised beds is also another good way of gardening and gives you more control. What is the use of applying soil for the whole garden while plants are going to be only in some parts. Think about it. You can save lot of money too. Check with http://rajsmusings.wordpress.com/ He is from HSR and has the same setup as yours. You can also try http://www.squarefootgardening.com/. This is a very interesting concept. Please let me know if you have more queries.

      Thanks
      gg

  89. Jen Uy says:

    reading your blog inspired me. if i only have the time and probably when i retire, i just want a simple life not worrying about money. to survive, i just want to grow my own vegetable garden and probably raise animals. 😀
    please continue posting and sharing your gardening experiences. i’d probably go back when i find the time to restart my mini garden. yes, you read it right…after several attempts, they all seem to die due to neglection. ’til next time. cheers!

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Jen Uy,

      That’s a wonderful plan. Retiring and starting gardening, raisinganimals. Both are a good source of peace and motivation.
      Wishing you all the luck for starting your gardening.

      Happy gardening
      gg

  90. Aparna says:

    Hi GG ,
    I was desperately logging in repeatedly to get your response ever since I posted mine but was little disappointed that you have responded to the later post not mine , any reason ? I am very keen to be part of your group and would appreciate your response so that I sustain my motivation !!!

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Aparna,

      I understand your concern. The reason I delayed it is I wanted to give a detailed response for which I needed some time. That is the only reason. Please dont be disappointed. I will get back to you on that query asap.
      Sorry about that.

      gg

  91. aparna says:

    Thanks GG

    Will wait for your valuable response.

    aparna

  92. theaprilfool says:

    Hey GG,
    You have a great site out here. We grew vegetables in our garden 20 years back but had to shift to Mumbai in between. We are now back to Bangalore and I have trying to maintain a flower garden but face a big problem with measly bugs and the green small ones. Any ideas on what I can do about them? I have tried the insecticides, neem oil etc. Neem oil by far has been the most effective but the bugs keep coming back every few weeks

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi,

      Mealy bugs can be destroyed by spraying rubbingalcohol+water (1:1) ratio on them. Neem oil spray have to be done every week.

      gg

  93. theaprilfool says:

    Thanks GG

  94. Kavitha says:

    Hi GG,
    I just hit on your blog through google after attempting to look for vegetable gardening.
    It is really amazing to see you do all these things and sharing all these with us. Thank you for you blog and you inspired me and people like me.

    I am interested in gardening and I just started gardening on my terrace. I have started reading your blogs one by one.

    I have a question – Where do you get cocopeat in Bangalore and what is the price? Thank you in advance.

    – Kavitha

  95. Padmapriya says:

    Hi GG

    We mixed some organic fertilizer(bought from lalbagh) with soil and put for all the plants in our garden in the evening. Nextday morning watered the plants as usual. But the same day evening I could see the leaves of all the three rose plants are burned. Other plants are looking healthy, but few leaves have turned to yellow. What could be the reson? I’m so worried.

    Regards
    Padmapriya

  96. guddu says:

    hi ,
    i m new to gardening ….
    i was searching 4 pot gardening ,n i found this
    site very interesting …
    i have many questions …i think u could solve most of them…

    thanks
    guddu

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi guddu,

      Post your questions here. Me along with others will be able to help you start gardening.

      goodluck
      gg

  97. Aparna says:

    HI GG ,
    Thanks for directing me to Raja Panda. He and his wife were kind enough to let me visit his house and and have a look at his garden. I borrowed lot of ideas from him and incorporated in my newly formed garden. Since it was a front side garden , I opted for lawn and some landscaping using Raja’s creative idea of Terracota tile bordering. It saved me lot of time and money. Thanks to you and raja.
    By the way he directed me to kudlu compost factory near his house and for the benefit of others I am giving the contact number of sales guy Shivu :9880503091 , he collects the bags everyday fom the factory and gives door delivery for the same rate as factory.( no charges for delivery). you need to give him 1 day advance notice. hope this helps.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Aparna,

      You are welcome. I am glad to be of help. I have seen Raja’s garden too and it is indeed creative and bountiful. Good you saved some money there.

      Thanks for sharing the contact info for compost. It definitely helps people who are on the lookout.

      gg

  98. Aparna says:

    Hi GG /others ,

    I want to cover one of the walls of my building with the creeper that spreads like a carpet on the wall , can I know the name of the plant , where can I get it and how do i plant it.
    Secondly , i wish to know fast growing creeper that I need to cover with my parapet walls as soon as possible , Any input will be appreciated.

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Aparna,

      Very sorry for the delayed reply. I think you need creeping fig. This one covers the wall so thickly. I think you might be able to get it in any nursery. They are propagated by stem cuttings. If you see them in someones place, just ask a cutting or two and root it yourself. I think you can try growing Ornamental Ivy as well.

      gg

  99. GreenDreams says:

    Hi,
    I found out your blog 2 days before only(better late than never) and I was shocked by the abundance of information and also by the number of people who are having a similar interest in Bangalore. My eyes have become red by reading your blog for a long time. Its like reading a book I am crazy about. I have finished reading almost all posts.
    I reside in Koramangala and we have a small piece of land attached to the house.
    After reading your blog, I am able to see my balcony and terrace too :-). I am interested in vegetable gardening and was doing some experiments. I was collecting the seeds from the vegetables we buy from market. Needless to say, I was getting poor harvest and lots of pests were destroying my plants. Now I have only 2 papaya trees and few spinach and coriander.
    I must say that I am soo inspired from you and planning to start again.

    I have a few questions in mind. Please find time to answer.
    1. What are the seeds appropriate for july month?
    2. How much it will cost for a 10 L and 20 L container (to transplant the plant) if buys from Lalbag?
    3. What organic pesticide I should buy?

    Regards,
    gd

    • GreenDreams says:

      gg,
      I got the answer for my first 2 queries from your blog.
      thanks,
      gd

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi gd,

      I am so happy to hear you liked my blog.
      For appropriate seeds to sow for month of July, you can refer to the post “June – What to sow”. All those seeds can be sown in July as well.
      Lalbagh sells plastic pots but at a high price.Those plastic pots do cost a fortune. If you don’t have any other choice, you can go with that. You can also try to get old paint buckets for a cheaper price. For pesticide, you can buy neem oil. Thats good enough.
      gg

      • GreenDreams says:

        Thank you very much gg. I transplanted my tomatoes. Its growing healthy 🙂 . Capsicum (california wonder)got germinated yesterday. Cabbage I transplanted. Seeded some beet roots also.I am using the plastic bags for transplant. I havent got the paint buckets yet:-( .
        Could you please tell me how can I get the strawberry seeds?
        Seeing Asha’s strawberry plants I am tempted very much.

  100. Sangitha says:

    Hi, Geekgardener!
    I have been lurking around on the blog for sometime now, since a friend gave me the link. Thanks for your enthusiasm. I have a large terrace and have so far only grown flowers, herbs/medicinals, some fruits, etc. Have grown some tomatoes and some easy stuff with the kids – plan on getting into veggie gardening a bit more, thanks to your blog. Thanks for putting the info out there…you make a difference!
    Sangitha

    • geekgardener says:

      Sangitha, Its great to hear many are starting into gardening and if my blog helps people achieve that, then I will do more of that. Thanks for the motivation.

      Good luck.

  101. Aparna says:

    Hi GG ,
    Thanks for the info. I tried using cuttings but it did not take off. I tried for ornamental IVY too in a couple of nurseries but was disappointed !!!
    For all those who reside in Bangalore :
    I discovered a place near Forum mall who manufacture plastic pots by brand name Velkan Industries. They supply the same to all the supermarkets and if you buy directly from them you get for almost 60-70 % cheaper than the supermarket prices.
    The quality is also very good.Please visit http://velkan.hypermart.net/ for more details. Hope this helps

    aparna

    • geekgardener says:

      Thanks for the info aparna. Infact, I used to buy netpots from Velkan and since I moved to using recycled plastics i stopped going to them. They give a good price.
      gg

    • Asha says:

      Wow, thanks for this info Aparna. Just in time for me cos I have been looking out for options.
      GG, love the way this blog is becoming a wealth of info and encouragement for gardeners with local info. Thanks again for all your efforts!

    • greendreams says:

      Hi Aparna,
      Is it near Koramangala? I checked the website. But they are in Jayanagar.
      Regards,
      GD

  102. Vijay says:

    Hai GG ,
    I came across your site accidentally and amazed to see the response. While I was getting disappointed day by day, by the way the world is leading towards plastic, pleasure and humans turning away from greens, I took a long breath. Thank god and people like you and the community in this blog, for the inclination towards greenery (Big or small). Now, I am 40 and I have begun to dream about farming. My friends and relatives pity me, that I sold a 30X40 site and purchased 2.5 acres land in a remote village near Channapattana. Now, I have a limited budget and I am planning to do organic farming, grow fruit yielding trees and to inter cultivation. Though my father was a farmer, I have very less practical experience. Hence, I need to learn more from you and the community. please let me know the date and time of your training sessions.
    With Regards ………… Vijay

  103. Gowtham says:

    Hi GG,
    Great blog. Very informative. Wish to visit your garden. And also like to learn few things from you. Wish you can spare some time. Can you? Just drop me a mail.

    Thank you
    Gowtham.B

  104. Kiran Karnik says:

    Dear GG,
    I have asked you (on 19/8/2010) for guidance regarding some infection on my rose plants on your blog.
    I earnestly request you to please reply soon.

    My plants are dying.
    Regards,
    Kiran Karnik
    Pune.

  105. Asmita says:

    Hi GG,

    I want to plant veggies and your blog is very very inspiring. I don’t feel too confident growing anything complicated, and my skills are limited to keeping alive what has been planted by other people for me. Also, I have nothing at hand to start (i.e. no equipment such as pots etc), am very new to Bangalore, and plan to start from a scratch. But I am tired of eating the mediocre tasting vegetables that we get, and have lots of enthusiasm to start this! So–my question: what amongst vegetables would be easy to start with? I am reading you “starting out” entries, but any other suggestions would be really appreciated.

    Thank you.
    Asmita

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Asmita.
      This blog has plenty of posts mostly meant for people just like you, who are planning to start a garden. Read the following posts
      “So you want to start a kitchen garden Part I & II”

      You can start palak, beans, methi, radish. etc. Good luck. Do keep us posted.

  106. Patricia says:

    Hi,
    I am so happy to find your blog. I am in the process of starting my own vegetable garden and your blog is truly inspiring. I have read every article of yours and have learnt a lot. Keep posting regularly.

  107. Fali says:

    hi GG

    just like you, I also love gardening. I live in poona and needed some help on where to buy seeds of fruits, vegetables and herbs out here. I’ve got tomato seeds but want some different varieties of tomato seeds. Pls help. also interested in heirloom seeds.

    Thank You
    Fali

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Fali,

      Glad to hear that you love gardening. You can get from Ratanshi. Also check with fungardener.wordpress.com for more info. He lives in Pune. I will get back to you regarding Heirloom seeds.

      gg

  108. Shankar says:

    Hi GG,

    I am planning to use a small patch of foot-path beside my house for planting some flowering/veggie plants. People occasionally dump waste in this small patch because of which there are lot of rats there 🙁

    We talked to a person who takes care of a nearby park to check if he can help us. He says we need to first clean this place and then get rid of the rodents (poison them 🙁 ) , fence this area and then put a layer of good soil and compost and then plant some flowering plants. He is telling we might need 15-20 bags of soil and compost.

    From your site I realized that I can get compost from DOH or Kudlu factory. Are you aware of some place where I can get good soil and the fencing wire? Any idea about the cost.

    Your site is very informative. Thank you

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Shankar,

      Nice to hear about your attempt to green your surrounding. Compost from Kudlu factory is hazardous( I heard so). They don’t compost things properly or they compost lots of industrial wastes as well. No one I spoke to gave a good opinion about it. DoH gives good compost. You can also contact Vishwanath (9341215703) for compost/soil.
      GG

  109. Hi, nice to meet you !

  110. Sunil says:

    nice blog… i am also a gardening fan. i wish i have a big garden and do gardening as stress reliever….

    awesome work… thanks

  111. greendreams says:

    Hi GG,
    Do you have any idea where I can get good quality grafted fruit plants?
    I visited Lalbagh but they have very few plants which can be grown in containers.

    Thanks,
    Gd

    • geekgardener says:

      greendreams,

      Last time I went to DoH, there were plenty of fruit plants ( grafted ones) for sale. That too at a reasonable price. Check it out. I met a couple who were doing the grafting for 100s of saplings. They made it sound like an easy job.

      Let us know how it turns out.
      gg

  112. Shaheen Miranda says:

    Hello geekgardener,

    Came across your website and was very excited to see so many gardening enthusiasts with so much valuable information. But at the same time was disappointed as no one seems to be from Mumbai. I live in Mumbai and have a 1100 sq ft terrace where I have successfully grown tomatoes, lettuce, green chillies, curry patta in containers. I was searching for websites who would supply gardening material like seeds, etc. to Mumbai but have not been able to find any so far. Any information would be helpful. Thank you.

    Shaheen

    • geekgardener says:

      Hi Shaheen,
      There are some people from Mumbai too. May be I will request them to put their location also along with profile so that its helpful to know their whereabouts.
      You do get seeds in Mumbai. Try Ratanshi. or Let me know what seeds you are looking for. I can ship them to you.

      gg

  113. […] good Indian gardening blogs that tell you how and when to plant what. Finally I found him – the Geek Gardener – and I have now been re-inspired. Despite making our own compost, planting anything in the […]

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