Ever since I have remembered, I have always wanted a beautiful garden. Fresh flowers and all that jazz. We had limited space in our apartment in Chennai and we were not as creative to make that space work. My Grandmother's home in Delhi was my dream garden. We used to sip our coffee sitting in the garden on cold, winter mornings. The grass would be mildly wet and would feel cold against our bare feet. While our apartment in Bengaluru does not allow us to enjoy such luxurious outdoors, I found a website that got me the right materials to start with gardening.And just a few weeks earlier, was lucky to be part of a kitchen gardening workshop. And that was all that I needed to understand that the space restriction was no longer an issue. What to grow was the next thought that went through my head. I realized that with age, my priorities had changed. I no longer wanted flowers. I wanted a kitchen garden. I wanted to grow and use fresh herbs for my kitchen. Thus, 3 weeks back, I started my journey. I should let you know that we have tried growing tulsi plant at home for the last 4 years and it had always dried up and disappointed us. Once we even bought a rose plant and it withered faster than Usain Bolt covered 100m.
So this time, i wanted to take calculated steps and plan properly. Get the right soil. The right pot and the right plant choice. My husband loves coriander so that one was a no-brainer. Just a handful of coriander seeds, a cooking staple that is easily available, was enough to germinate and grow up a pot of fresh coriander. Methi is an extremely rich leaf and has so many health benefits and seeds could again be procured from our kitchen shelves.
I tried green chilies, but that did not grow successfully. Then threw some capsicum seeds in. Looks promising for now. Had a sprouted onion and put that also into a recycled plastic container to act as a temporary pot. That looks good for now. And yes, as a traditional Brahmin family, we have a tulsi plant as well. That does not look good as yet. Need to wait it out.
All said and done, the whole process is liberating. The first time the leaves start showing up, you remember the wonders of nature. Nurturing plants is therapeutic. Baking used to do that for me a while back. I think I cannot stick to one mode of therapy for long. Hopefully, these plants will live and will give me hope for a better home garden in future.
When dreams come true, they come out of multiple failures. They come true after many tries. They come true after research and being open to learning. Dreams come true when you will and work towards it.
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