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Practical gardening

Grow at Home

Everything you need to turn a windowsill, a balcony or a patch of ground into a working garden — soil, water, light and a first harvest inside two months.

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Four things decide whether a home garden works: light, soil, water and patience. Get those right and almost anything on this site will grow for you.

Where will you grow?

Start with the space you actually have. Each one grows a different set of plants well.

WindowsillWindowsill3-4 hours of light. Shallow troughs, no drilling, nothing heavy.CorianderMethiMintMicrogreensSee plants for this space →BalconyBalcony4-6 hours. Railing planters and 10-inch pots.TulsiChilliMarigoldSpring onionSee plants for this space →Terrace / rooftopTerrace / rooftop6+ hours and wind. Deep containers — watch the weight load.TomatoBrinjalCurry leafPapayaSee plants for this space →Garden / groundGarden / groundFull sun and real soil. Raised beds, climbers, native shrubs.DrumstickGuavaLaukiNative shrubsSee plants for this space →

Your first eight weeks

  1. 1Week 1 — read your lightWatch the spot for one full day. Four hours of direct sun grows greens; six or more grows fruit. Everything else follows from this.
  2. 2Week 1 — mix the soilEqual parts garden soil, compost and coco peat. Skip chemical fertiliser entirely. Check every pot has a drainage hole.
  3. 3Week 2 — sow two easy plantsPalak and tulsi. Both forgive mistakes and both give you something inside six weeks.
  4. 4Weeks 3-5 — water in the morningDeep once, rather than shallow twice. Push a finger in two inches; if it comes out damp, wait a day.
  5. 5Weeks 6-8 — feed the soilA handful of compost a month keeps a pot alive for years. Harvest the outer leaves and let the plant keep working.

The four things that matter

Light before everythingCount the hours of direct sun before you buy a single seed. No amount of care replaces light.
Soil is a living thingCompost feeds the soil; the soil feeds the plant. Chemical fertiliser skips the middle and the pot dies in a year.
Water deep, not oftenShallow daily watering keeps roots at the surface. One good soak grows roots that survive a missed day.
Drainage is not optionalA pot without a hole drowns the roots. This is the single most common reason a healthy plant dies indoors.

Step-by-step guides

Gardening GuidesSoil, compost, pots, pests and pruningSeasonal CalendarWhat to sow this month where you liveExplore PlantsFilter 437 plants by space and season