In the last post I gave an introduction to Organic Terrace Gardening. This post is about the most important question that you should be asking by now. And that question is WHY.

“Why should one take up to growing food in unused spaces of one’s home like terrace and balconies?”

I’ll start by answering the exact opposite question. “Why should one not start a kitchen garden!”

Lets face it. Terrace gardening is not a walk in the park. It requires effort and the outcome is not always 100% controllable. There are way too many reasons why one should not take up terrace gardening. The top five are as follows.

1. Nominal cost of growing your own vegetable may be higher in the short term

The cost of growing veggies in your terrace in the short term is going to be same at best or little higher when compared to price of veggies in the store. Though the real cost of consuming store bought vegetables regularly can be much higher than consuming from one’s own garden what you’ll end up paying in the store would definitely be less. In the long run the costs will significantly come down, but if you don’t have the patience then Organic terrace gardening is not for you.

2. Terrace Garden needs your time

Starting and maintaining a terrace garden would take away about 30 minutes of your time everyday on an average. Shows on TV may have to be missed to maintain a kitchen garden.

3. You may fail

Unlike a store where vegetables are always available when you go to pick them, vegetables may not be always ready to be picked in your garden. In fact sometimes your plants may not produce anything at all. Especially after all that hard work one puts into the garden it can be really frustrating.

4. Organic veggies are not plastic pretty

Your produce may not look as great as the veggies in stores. They will not be consistent in shape and size and will not have that store bought veggie shine on them. So what if Mother Nature does not intend to make everything similar, we still want to have assembly line vegetables and fruits with artificial shine.

5. Only seasonal veggies grow in organic garden

Terrace garden needs to be a seasonal garden. Hence you’ll not be able to plant all the vegetables all round the year. Living with nature and its seasons is passé. We are in a age where we defy the natural ways. Cold storage and inorganic production of food makes sure that we get everything all the time. So idea of seasonal vegetables does not seem so appealing.

Hopefully I have not been able to discourage you enough to give up the idea of kitchen gardening. In spite of all the drawbacks that I mentioned the benefits of having a kitchen garden are tremendous. Terrace gardening is one of the best ways to spend some quality time with your family. It is a great source of joy and happiness and learning. It’s a good way to get your daily exercise and get connected to nature. Of course you get to consume food grown by yourself which are free of chemicals and poisonous pesticides. And I bet you it will be the tastiest veggies you would have ever had.
All the benefits of terrace gardening aside, by growing your own food and reusing all waste in your home in an organic way you would also have done your bit toward the well being of the earth.