Much to my amusement, I am often told that gardening is an elitist hobby and not everyone can afford it.

Contrary to that misconception, I am trying to promote organic gardening, especially for those who have limited open spaces with limited resources in hand. Re-using and recycling throwaway stuff and spending as minimum as possible on gardening makes it feasible for all. This way, you don’t need to have a fortune to grow your own food, and you will be amazed to see that, with a little, almost negligible expenditure, you can engage in this healthy, family activity, quite easily at home.

A repeated complaint I get in reference to kitchen gardening is about the inflated prices of the pots and containers, for herbs such as mint, coriander or lemongrass or for growing fruits, herbs and vegetables. There are loads of options available in the house to do some frugal kitchen gardening.

Many household items, useless clutter, and trash can be turned into unique and creative plant containers, as long as they can support soil and allow drainage

Rectangular plastic crates, generally used by the fruit and vegetable vendors, can be bought from them at throwaway prices, and be used for growing herbs. After cleaning, the inside of these crates are lined with a plastic or jute sack and filled with soil. You can use them to easily grow small plants, vines, leafy plants and even plants that have smaller roots.

Alternatively, you may also use traditional wood crates, but these may have splinters or nails poking out. Before plastic crates became common, these traditional crates would be the only option available for gardeners, but watering makes these crates decompose within one season.

Used plastic drums that are usually available in blue colour, are good for growing bigger plants such as fig, custard apple, papaya or even banana trees. These drums are available in the market for reduced prices primarily to store water or bird feed. The pre-washed drums are a little bit more expensive compared to the ones with chemical residue.

Twenty-litre plastic paint buckets, which provide the depth and diameter of around 10-11 inches, may be re-used for planting peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplants and okra.

For sowing seeds to grow seedlings before transplantation, one may opt for plastic egg trays. Before filling these up with soil, a hole is made in each little egg space with the help of a nail, to allow water drainage.

Similarly, plastic or paper cups can be used to grow two to three seedlings before thinning out the weaker ones and shifting the stronger one to a bigger space. Seeds can also be sown in the used and discarded drainage tray of a plastic dish wash stand.

Beautiful ha­n­­­­­gings for orna­mental plants for grills, stands and trellis can be made by cutting plastic soft-drink bottles in two halves and making one hole in the bottom for water drainage, and two on the top for the rope or string to pass through.

Jam jars can be painted with vibrant colours, or decorated with seashells or dry fruit shells as per your skill or taste. Jam jars are also used for storing seeds through seasons, as they provide a moisture-free and air-tight environment. Beautiful glass bottles filled with water can be used to grow different vines.

Shopping for re-used pots is a great pastime for serious gardeners who focus more on the growing process and end result rather than the just the beautification of their home. Depending upon the pot’s condition, the re-used ones can be one-half to one-third in cost.

Discarded thermocol ice boxes, generally used for carrying medicines, can be re-used to grow herbs such as parsley and coriander. Rice or flour sacks made of nylon can be filled with soil to grow potatoes and baby potatoes.

For city dwellers, who are often cramped for gardening spaces as compared to those living in rural areas or smaller cities, along with the installation of a trellis which allows vertical gardening, these gardening containers provide ample opportunity to pursue low-cost gardening.

The containers required for different phases of a plant cycle can be inexpensive if chosen wisely, but the resultant healthy produce and organic harvest is absolutely priceless!

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 2nd, 2022