Who never thought of having a vegetable garden indoors? In the period when social isolation began, between March 17 and June 17, searches for “garden kit” increased by 180% according to the Google Trends tool, which analyzes the behavior of searches on the search engine.
Having your own garden can be a facilitator in many ways, but it can also raise some questions, such as where to start. That’s why we brought some tips from the agroecology researcher at EPAMIG (Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais), Wânia Neves, that can help you take the first step.
Your garden should be in a place with easy access so that care is done properly. Another point to pay attention to is the solar incidence, which should vary from 4 to 5 hours a day.
Wânia Neves, explains that all types of vegetables can be grown in domestic spaces. For some, more space will be needed, but for most, small to medium spaces are sufficient.
The land used in your garden needs fertilizer. Organic compost is highly encouraged, use fruit peels such as bananas and apples as they are great earth boosters.
Wânia recommends that the soil be composed of 3 parts of sand, 2 of organic compost, such as manure, and 1 of sand. Thus, the plant will have access to all the nutrients it needs.
Tip: Soft soil makes it easier for smaller roots to grow.
The size of the vase varies according to what will be planted and it is possible to know if it needs to be bigger or smaller at the root.
For growing fruit, the researcher suggests larger pots made of cement and suggests the use of fertilizer with the addition of organic matter, such as cow manure or mineral fertilizer with NPK.
The researcher indicates the daily watering of vegetables, but with care not to soak them, since excess water can have negative effects. The amount of water needed increases as the plant grows.
According to Wânia, lettuce is the most common in home gardens. Then, varying from region to region, comes cherry tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, parsley and chives.
The most common are pitanga and blackberry, but others, such as lemon and even jabuticaba are also grown in home gardens.