Since a young age, I have always been interested in activities related to the environment. I am very enthusiastic about gardening. And so I decided to make my own garden in the balcony of my home.
In school, we were introduced to a concept of a kitchen garden in the school’s backyard. We converted the little unused, barren piece of land into a vegetable garden. This practice of growing vegetables at school has yielded a positive result in inspiring me to innovatively practice this at home, by undertaking gardening in my balcony.
I wanted to expand the garden I already have in my balcony by cultivating some vegetables, which easily adapt to the climate here in the UAE.
With my mother’s help and guidance, I have sowed seeds of various plants, like tomato and okra, in pots and placed them in the balcony. I have taken care of them from the start. I’ve watched my mum do gardening for a while and so learnt from there. I would help her with watering all the plants, periodically turning over the soil to enable aeration and adding manure. As soon as I return from school, I rush to the balcony to check on the plants and water them.
For the vegetables, I used kitchen waste as manure, like onion peels and powdered egg shells.
I was very delighted to see the first tomato and okra as they grew in their respective pots. When I ate them, I was able to relish the taste of the organic vegetables, something different from the ones we generally get in supermarkets.
The platforms provided by the school as well as my mum’s help in gardening have given me those green fingers to love the planet. I will never forget this lesson of gardening and can help to make a difference to ensure a greener tomorrow.
I intend to expand this garden in the near future and not just stop with two vegetables. I want to develop the kitchen garden to include a few more vegetables, which we consume regularly. And through the example of this garden, I intend to spread the message of creating a greener environment within our own homes, be it a backyard, terrace or balcony. If we start growing vegetables for our own consumption, do we have to always depend on the inorganic vegetables in markets?
— The reader is a pupil based in Dubai.
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