Evecare • Vol 11 • No. 2 • Sep–Dec 2023 28 Sustainable Living Many individuals are consciously trying to adopt sustainability in their lives by not wasting food, shopping consciously, and reconsidering the use of non-ecofriendly materials (eg, plastic). Gardening is one such initiative, and growing one’s own kitchen garden is a great idea in inching toward creating a sustainable environment at home. Kitchen gardens help grow vegetable crops and herbs in the space available within a residential area. Also, as the nutritional requirements of the plants are fulfilled by the use of oil cake and organic manures, the yield is organic and chemicalfree. Kitchen gardening is also a good means to recycle kitchen waste. Here are a few important points to consider in starting and maintaining a kitchen garden in a sustainable manner. Organic Gardening This is the first step toward sustainable kitchen gardening. It involves refraining from the use of chemical weed killers, pesticides, and fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers can damage the natural microbial life of the soil and should be strictly avoided. One can opt for healthy alternatives such as biodegradable weed killers and well-decomposed compost and manure. Mulching the soil beds with a thick layer of compost will add nutrients, suppress weeds, and conserve moisture in the soil. Composting Preparing compost by recycling kitchen and garden waste helps in sustainable gardening. It not only helps minimize household waste from going into landfills but also aids in producing nutritious compost to make one’s own potting mixes. Choosing the Right Plants While choosing the vegetables for the kitchen garden, the climate/season should be considered, so that the plants thrive well; else, the plants will perish. The majorly grown crops in kitchen gardens include tomatoes, peas, gourds, broccoli, cabbage, Go Green With a Sustainable Kitchen Garden
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