During this quarantine there are many things that we are able to do at home. One of these hobbies that have turned into a trend is gardening. Why not try growing vegetables? Our first notion, since most of us live in cramped areas, are indoor plants, but did you know that you can actually start a little vegetable garden for your family’s consumption and lessen your grocery bill? Here are the easy vegetables to grow at home
As we are also trying to maximize our time with our kids, why not get them involved as well and start the love of gardening with them too? One way of doing this is through container vegetable gardening.
First, try to see which of vegetables are the ones you use regularly in your daily life. These are usually the ones that you buy most of, or buy most frequently. It follows that these would be the best plants to start off with! So, we have researched for the most used and often bought local vegetables that are easy to grow together in this article for you, and tips on how to grow them. We will be giving you advice on how to grow these from both seed and some of these from the scraps you have.
The Five Easiest Plants
We use tomatoes in all sorts of sauces, soups and every day recipes. Everyone says that this is one of the easiest container crops that you can grow in a small space. There are ways to regrow from scraps, like a slice of tomato that have worked for people, but we recommend that you start tomatoes from seed because it is pretty easy.
One of the best ways start from seed, is to plant the seeds in a cardboard egg carton or an egg tray. This is to maximize the growth per seed. Just add a layer of soil (you can research on the vermicast or any other soil that is great for seed growth) into the carton or tray, and make a “hole” with your pointer finger. Stick a couple of seeds in there and when you’re done with the whole carton, just put another little layer of soil on top to cover and lightly pat down. Water the whole thing lightly, but with a spray rather than a tabo.
Tomatoes from seed after 1 month
Another really easy vegetable to grow from seed. You can do the seeds exactly the way that is indicated with the tomatoes, OR you can grow the scraps. Make sure that you plant them (if directly into a container) with a little bit of space between the plants so the roots can grow properly. Water them every day during the summer months as they need a lot of water.
Kangkong from seed after four weeks
One of the easier vegetables to grow from scraps. Just stick the root part of the onion in a bit of water and just change the water every other day. Watch it grow roots, and once it does, you can transfer it to container filled with soil.
If these are spring onions, or green onions, just cut the green leaves off and use for cooking, while the white parts with the root can be put into water. See if these roots continue to grow, and once they reach around 2 inches, transfer to a pot with soil. This will consistently give you leaves you can eat!
Kangkong sprouts in an egg crate
Another easy vegetable to grow. You basically stick a clove or several cloves of garlic in a cup with the root side down. Just put in a little bit of water, just so that the root is wet. After about 7 days or a week, there will be green sprouts that come up from the pointy part of the clove. They could also have roots by this time.
If you see that there are roots, it’s time to plant the garlic. Try and get a big pot because the garlic needs a lot of space in between them, like 5-6inches. Bury the garlic clove with the roots about 2 inches deep and cover with soil and water. Water only if you see the top soil is dry. You can harvest the garlic bulb when you see the leaves have withered and died. Don’t wait too long to harvest or else the garlic will not store well.
Easiest way to do this? Just get the seeds from the pepper pod itself, and plant in the soil. Water lightly and place in a sunny area of your home.
Maybe you can’t see it, but it is two different kinds of sili here!
Just continue harvesting the seeds (perhaps you should do this with gloves and don’t let the kids do it!) and replanting new ones as you go.
How to get your LO involved?
Involve your kids in the process by showing them how to plant these seeds. Putting in the soil and giving them the task of watering or checking the water levels per day, helps them be involved. You can even ask them to start measuring the growth of the sprout! Once there is a plant that is big enough to harvest, you can also teach them how to harvest the vegetable properly, and how to prepare it for meals with simple cooking duties (like how to peel the garlic properly for sinangag).
PRO TIP: Best and cheapest way to get little insects off your plants (especially if they bear fruit and vegetables), is to mix about 1 liter of water with 2-3 tablespoons of mild laundry soap powder. Shake and spray the leaves once or twice every week depending on infestation.
Enjoy and if you already have a garden, little or big, share some of your tips below!
Want to learn more about being a “plantita (or plantito)”? Click HERE for more tips!
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