Zahrah Nasir shares some tips for keeping your kitchen garden healthy

Q: I recently started kitchen gardening on my terrace in Islamabad and planted seeds of desi toori, cucumber, tomatoes, green chillies, capsicum and aubergines. A week after sowing the seeds the local nursery advised me to ensure that good quality water was used. I was not aware of this earlier and had been making sure that the soil was not dry. Fortunately four desi toori sprouted but I need to know that if the other seeds don’t sprout should I take them out and put in new ones even though I did not use good water on the soil initially?

A: If the water was very brackish or otherwise badly polluted then harmful residue may have been left in the soil. Therefore, I would advise that when and if you need to replant, it would be wise to replace the soil/compost completely so that your seeds have the best start possible. If the seeds have germinated, well then, now that you are paying attention to water quality, there should be no cause for concern and you can just let them be.

Q: Someone told me that chia seeds and tukhmalanga are the same things. Is this correct?

A: No. These are two completely different species of plant. Chia, an increasingly popular health food due to its high omega-3 content is more correctly called ‘Salvia hispanica’. Tukhmalanga is basil, botanically named ‘Ocimum basilicum’ and has completely different properties.

Q: I have put too many cucumber seeds in a pot — 12 instead of six or seven — and need to know if I should give them extra water or should I take out the small plants and grow some in another pot so that they have plenty of room. Will replanting them mean that they will be delayed in fruiting and will they suffer?

A: All depends on the size of the pot you have sown your seeds in. Just one cucumber seed per 10-inch pot is quite sufficient. Cucumber seedlings are not very happy to be disturbed but you can try transplanting them when they have developed four true leaves in addition to their initial pair of seed leaves. Transplant them, very carefully and keeping as much soil on their roots as possible, in the cool of the evening and immediately give them a nice long drink of reviving water. Transplanting them will give them a shock from which they may, or may not, recover but as you have obviously planted them way too close, you do need to try. Growing plants, of any kind, too close, badly affects their growth and cropping/flowering potential. Remember to give them something to climb up if they are a tall variety of cucumber. Climbing frames, trellises or wigwams should be constructed and put in place before you sow seeds.

Q: When should I godii (i.e., dig) around plants? What height should the plant be when I do this? I understand that it is necessary. Is there a need to put in compost/manure and if so when should I do this? There are chicken droppings available at my home and I plan to use these.

A: Digging around plants, irrespective of their height, is bad news as their network of tender roots, these begin just below the soil surface, are damaged in the process and this affects the plants’ ability to develop and survive. Compost/manure are added to the soil before anything is planted, or, as long as the compost/manure is fully rotted down, it can be spread on the soil surface around, but not touching, the plant stem. Fresh chicken droppings should never be applied in the garden as they are too strong and will burn your plants. Chicken manure needs to be fully composted prior to use and, even then, it must be used with care as it is very strong stuff.

Q: A vegetable called kohlrabi was sold in Karachi during the 1970s –’80s but I have not seen it for a long time. Is it a local vegetable, can it be grown at home and, if so, where to find the seeds?

A: As far as I am aware, kohlrabi still appears for sale in Empress Market from time to time but demand is low so maybe growers have cut back on the amount they cultivate. It is a European vegetable not Asian. Seed should be available from your local seed stockiest in the appropriate season which is during early autumn in Karachi.

Q: My basil is in a pot kept in partial shade. In summer it becomes infested with black coloured pests that sit in clusters beneath the leaves. How to get rid of them please?

A: These could be blackfly or aphids but, in either case, regular spraying with garlic water or hell-fire spray, ensuring that you spray underneath the leaves not just on top, every evening until they are eradicated, should do the trick. Recipes for both of these organic sprays have appeared in earlier columns on a number of occasions.

Please send your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail. Emails with attachments will not be opened.