What I Learned From My Kitchen Garden

Kitchen gardens have become more popular in recent months. Many people have been turning their patios, backyards or any available outdoor space they have into a kitchen garden.

Stay-at-home and lockdown mandates due to COVID-19 have forced people to be at home. As such, many have taken to gardening. Not just gardening, but kitchen gardening.

This provided people with an opportunity to go outside for sunlight, fresh air and exercise. But a kitchen garden also supplies you with healthy, nutritious food. A necessity in these times in order to supply your body with nutrients that supports a healthy immune system.

I also started a kitchen garden, a short while before COVID-19 became a pandemic. It has been challenging as well as rewarding.

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The process has made me think more about sustainability and how future homes and gardens could be designed. I became more aware of other ways we can be more sustainable as homeowners, especially as citizens of small tropical nations.

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Disclaimer: Keep in mind that I am by no means an expert or even an intermediate gardener. I am a novice at best. That is if I can be considered a gardener at all. As such, do not expect any great gardening tips on how to grow the biggest watermelons or how to propagate your herbs. That is what all the expert gardening bloggers and YouTubers are for.

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This is my thoughts on why you can consider a space for kitchen gardening when you are designing or renovating your home or property.

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Composting

Before I planted my first seed or propagated my first herb, I started composting. I knew I was going to need nutrient-rich soil to get my garden going.

So, I started collecting all my kitchen scraps along with the leaves and yard clippings. After reading a few blogs and watching a few YouTube videos, I started putting them into compost bins I made from old large plastic containers.

Not only was I able to create compost for my future garden plants, but I was also able to reuse a few plastic containers in the process.

The most rewarding part of composting, however, was that all my kitchen scraps, fallen leaves and yard clippings that use to end up in the landfill are now going into the earth as nutritious plant food.

But perhaps you are thinking that composting is too much work and it will attract bugs and worms. Ewhhh! Besides, that organic waste is going to break down in a landfill anyway.

This is true but it will take a lot longer to break down and that breaking down process creates methane that is released into the atmosphere.

Methane is a greenhouse gas and is very detrimental to our environment. Worse than carbon dioxide.

To me, this made the work and any bugs it attracted, all worth it.

Reusing Old Plastic Containers

Many of you may have started your garden during the lockdown period. As such, it may have been hard to get supplies from the hardware store.

When I started planting my seeds or seedlings, I made a conscious decision to use what I had on hand. Any old plastic containers that could be used were repurposed or reused. This meant I didn’t have to purchase any additional containers from the store.

Though this may be a tiny drop of the ocean of plastic out there in the world, I still feel some gratification knowing that I have reused the bit of plastic I have.

Using Greywater

Another sustainable method I tried to do was to use greywater. Greywater is lightly used water that may come from your kitchen or bathroom sink, shower or washing machine.

For me, this sounds fancier than what I did.

Most of the water I use in the garden comes from the kitchen. I keep a plastic container (yes more plastic) in the sink and when I am rinsing dishes, fruit or vegetables, I collect that less soapy water and put it into a larger container before taking it to the garden.

It is not a very sophisticated system at all. If I were to build a new house, I would consider more ways on how I could collect and use more greywater in the garden.

However, that process was enough to reduce my use of potable water in the garden to almost nothing. This was particularly important for me living in a small, water-scarce, tropical island.

Outdoor Time

The main reason I initially started the kitchen garden at my home was to provide an activity for my elderly mum, to go outside in the sun and fresh air and get some exercise. I have some raised containers that work well for her.

However, the strangest thing happened. I started to enjoy being outside and tending to the garden as well.

As mentioned before, I am not a gardener. I have had little to no interest in doing any gardening before this point. But I realise that being outdoors was refreshing and rejuvenating. It was a lot of work but it was also enjoyable.

Reaping The Benefits (Harvesting)

Having said all of this, the entire gardening process for me has been a little bittersweet. While the process has been rewarding from a sustainable point of view, I have had to see on many occasions, that hard work is being devoured by the garden pest. I suppose they must eat too.

Sometimes we can share the produce between us and them but on occasion, they did not have the decency to leave anything for me. This, for me, has been one of the major disappointments of my gardening experience. It has been especially challenging since my aim is to do it without using any pesticides.

However, when you can reap what you have grown from your very own garden, that feeling makes up for all the work, time and territorial disputes with your garden pest.

The simple act of going into the garden and picking some mint, chives or marjoram for the meal of the day is such a rewarding feeling.

Landscaping With Food-Bearing Plants And Trees

When we think of building a home, we often consider planting some trees or providing landscaping around the home. However, most of the time, we don’t necessarily consider using a pomegranate hedge, rosemary shrubs or spinach trellis vines.

Most of the time we think of plants that aren’t edible. I think it is a great idea to create any sort of plants and vegetation into your home design. However, recently I have been considering what prevents us from using more food-bearing plants.

They will probably require more maintenance. You may need to feed and water them more than you would another plant, but I wonder if the delicious food you get out of it, won’t be worth it.

Whether they are part of your landscaping or a designated kitchen garden, I think growing food-bearing plants is an excellent idea, especially in small tropical islands. Not only do we have the climate that makes growing plants all year long a lot easier but because of land scarcity, it could be a good way of supplementing the food supply in your country.

It may also increase the level of neighbourly sharing that use to occur in the past. You get some of my pumpkins while I get some of your okras.

Conclusion

If you have the time and ability, I recommend starting a kitchen garden for everyone. It can be a great extension to your kitchen.

It produces great-tasting and nutritious food while being sustainable by reducing your waste. You also get to spend productive time outdoors.

If you already have a home, you can use whatever available outdoor space you have that receives sunlight and rain. You can use old containers or pots if you do not have space for garden beds.

However, if you are planning a new home project or renovation, you can consider setting out designated spaces for specific garden activities.

For me, I would have liked a designated area to do more composting and leaf mulching. This could be a little further away from the kitchen than the actual kitchen garden beds.

I would also have designed more strategies that capture more greywater for use in the garden. You can also use stored rainwater for irrigation.

Provided you are willing to share with garden pests, I think adding a kitchen garden to your home’s landscape is a great idea.

Featured image by Markus Spiske on Unsplash