Green balconies

The kitchen gardens of three Dubai residents show all that one needs is a willingness to experiment
One need not have a garden to enjoy the pleasures of gardening. A decent-sized balcony and a willingness to experiment is enough. Sital and Prachala Banerjee's kitchen garden is proof of that.

Growing in pots in the balconies of their apartment are tomatoes, brinjals and okra. "In the last three months we have harvested 110 tomatoes, some weighing 250 grams, from the plants growing in two pots. We know because we kept a growth chart," says Banerjee.

The green idea was initiated by him. "I did some research on the net and found that these three vegetables would grow easily in our sunny balconies," he shares. The amateur gardeners turned to the net for advice at every stage.

They planted the different packets of seeds in two pots each and waited patiently. When the flowers appeared, they hand pollinated them by lightly brushing the blooms.

"We read on the net that this procedure must be followed because bees might not visit a balcony," says Banerjee.

They fertilised the tomato plants with 'tomato feed powder' and looked for and plucked out the pests from under the young brinjal leaves just as instructed on the net.