Grow Local | Live Green | Stronger Communities

Resources

Resources

Printables, tips and answers — everything free to download, copy and hand out at a workshop.

Downloadable guides

Balcony Garden Starter Kit
PDF · 14 pages · English, हिन्दी
Coming soon
Seasonal Sowing Calendar
PDF · 2 pages · Printable A4
Coming soon
Composting at Home — Step by Step
PDF · 8 pages · With photographs
Coming soon
School Green Club Handbook
PDF · 22 pages · For teachers
Coming soon
Plant Care Cards (set of 20)
PDF · Print and cut · English, हिन्दी
Coming soon

Gardening tips

Every tip we have published

Turn kitchen waste into compost

It is easy, natural and great for your plants and the planet. Layer wet peels with dry leaves in a covered bucket, turn it weekly, and in eight weeks you have free plant food.

Water deeply, not often

A slow soak twice a week beats a daily sprinkle — roots grow down to find it. Push a finger two inches in: if it comes out dry, water until it runs from the drainage hole.

Plant marigolds beside tomatoes

They pull pests away and bring pollinators to the bed. One marigold at each corner of a vegetable pot is enough to make a difference.

Mulch every pot in summer

A two-inch layer of dry leaves or coco husk on the surface halves evaporation and keeps roots cool through May.

Plant care FAQs

Ask us anything

My plant’s leaves are turning yellow. What is wrong?
Nine times out of ten it is too much water, not too little. Check that the pot drains freely, let the top two inches dry before watering again, and remove the yellowed leaves — they will not turn green again.
How much sun does a balcony garden really need?
Leafy herbs and greens manage on three to four hours. Anything that flowers or fruits — tomato, chilli, rose, hibiscus — wants six or more hours of direct sun. If you have less, grow foliage plants and enjoy them.
Can I use ordinary garden soil in pots?
Not on its own. It compacts and holds water. Mix two parts soil or coco peat with one part compost and one part coarse sand for a medium that drains and still holds nutrients.
What is the safest way to deal with pests at home?
Start with a jet of plain water, then a weekly neem oil spray (5 ml neem oil plus 2 ml mild soap in a litre of water) in the evening. Avoid chemical pesticides where children and edible crops are involved.
How do I keep plants alive while I travel?
Group pots in shade, water deeply the morning you leave, and mulch the surface. For a week or more, stand pots in a shallow tray with an inch of water, or ask a neighbour — and return the favour.

Free to use and share

Every guide, care card and calendar here may be printed, photocopied and handed out at a workshop, a school or a resident association meeting without asking us — please only keep the credit line intact. The plant care cards are designed to be printed on A4, cut into four and stuck to a pot; the sowing calendar is meant for a kitchen wall.

Which one to start with

If you own nothing yet, take the Balcony Garden Starter Kit — it covers soil mix, pot sizes and the five easiest crops in fourteen pages. If you already grow a few things, the Seasonal Sowing Calendar is the one to pin up. Teachers should go straight to the School Green Club Handbook.

Ask us something we have not answered

The plant care questions below are the ones we are asked most often at workshops. If yours is not there, send it through the About Us page — questions asked twice usually end up on this page, and sometimes as a tip of the week.