Looking to grow fruits, veggies in DHA Karachi

[shabih24]

Hi
I am absolutely new to gardening but have developed great interest in growing fruits and having a kitchen garden. I have a large sunny area around the lawn and the rooftop. I do have a maali who seems to be old-fashioned and short on the knowledge of the craft. I have been reading a lot over the net about gardening and have been watching Youtube to learn the basics and, in the process, fortunately found this forum.

I have recently planted small-sized trees (3-4 feet) of the following fruits (from the local nursery):
Guava, Pomegranate, mango (chaunsa, sindhri), faalsa, cheeko
All seem to be doing well for now.

Besides, I have prepared seedlings of tomatoes, chillies, egg plant, lady finger, bitter gourd, peas, cabbage, chinese cabbage, gourd, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower (doing very well in a kiari). Out of these, tomatoes, peas, chillies have been transplanted and they seem to be doing ok. The other seeds have sprouted but are taking their time to become seedlings of a size fit to be transplanted. Besides, I have also grown spinach in the inner surface of a discarded dinning table top (2-3 inches). I now know that it is too shallow for spinach to thrive. I also have coriander growing in a large pot and mint in a kiari.

Please advise if it is right time to aim for harvesting the crops I have invested my time in.

Regards

Shabih

[Johara]

Welcome to the forum Shabih.
For a new gardener you seem to be doing very well. Maybe you should be giving us pointers . Keep an eye on the mint in “Kiari” as mint tends to be invasive. Please post some photos of your garden to inspire new and experienced gardeners alike.

[Izhar]

Welcome to the forum.... Cabbage, Cauliflower, Peas are cool season crops.. it doesn't mean that they will not grow during Karachi's summers but the yield will be comparatively less..

For fruit trees, I recommend to buy these from a reputable source like Agriculture Universities because the huge investment of time in these, the varieties suitable for our location will require same efforts but the yield is almost double..

Do share you plant's pictures.. Happy Gardening..!!

[shabih24]

Welcome to the forum Shabih.
For a new gardener you seem to be doing very well. Maybe you should be giving us pointers . Keep an eye on the mint in “Kiari” as mint tends to be invasive. Please post some photos of your garden to inspire new and experienced gardeners alike.

Dear Johara

Thanks for your reply and good advice about mint being invasive in a kiari. In fact I learnt the same thing through a video clip on UT. I read on the net that a general rule about sun v/s shade issue is as follows:

if you grow a plant for the fruit or the root, it needs full sun. If you grow it for the leaves, stems, or buds, a little shade will be just fine.

So, mint being a leafy crop, it doesn't have that great a requirement for full sun. And it is coming out true in my case as the mint leaves though fresh and healthy, the plants themselves are not spreading that fast - certainly a far cry from they being invasive. I am attaching a few pics of different parts of my garden.

Rgds

Shabih

[shabih24]

Dear Izhar Sb

Thanks for the warm welcome

I have tried tried to attach a few pictures of my plants as you suggested in my reply to Johara's mail by clicking on the " Upload attachment" and choosing the pictures from my album on my PC. However,they apparently don't show. Have I not followed the correct procedure?

Rgds

Shabih

[Faisal Riaz]

Welcome to the forum

and please visit forum "help section" to know how to upload images.

[Izhar]

Here is a topic for you:

http://www.gardeningpakistan.com/viewto ... f=29&t=223

[shabih24]

Hi all,

Here are a few pictures of my first garden efforts as I promised.

shabih

[shabih24]

Hi all
I am attaching reproducing some information provided by an article of Zahrah Nasir in yesterday's Dawn which answers a few questions about the subject

Q: Please help us start a kitchen garden in our home in Karachi.

A: Starting a kitchen garden is not a difficult proposition providing the following are given due consideration. The location needs to be light and airy and not a hidden away area which does not receive enough natural light. The soil should be well drained and rich in organic compost/humus with, if you can find it, old, well rotted, organic manure added in/on at least six weeks in advance of seed sowing/planting. Ensure that an adequate supply of water is within easy reach. After this is accomplished then you can decide what it is that you would like to grow. Your local seed supplier will be able to advise on which seeds are in season but do keep your eyes on this column for continuous advice.

Q: We are interested in cultivating fruit and vegetables in our home in Defence, Karachi and would like to know which varieties we can grow.

A: Among fruit you might like to include a selection of the following,; banana, papaya, chiku, coconut, sharifa, date, guava, mango, jammun and perhaps a grapefruit or two along with recent introductions like star fruit. There are also vines like grapes and passion fruit to consider along with the increasingly popular strawberries and pineapple. Vegetables can be grown all year round and varieties suitable for Karachi, each according to season, include beans, beetroot, chillies, cucumber, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery, gourds, karela, khol rabi, lettuce, melons, onions, okra, parsnip, parsley, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, radish, spinach, tomatoes and turnips, plus, more recent introductions such as courgette, leeks, broccoli and mizuna, etc.

Q: When should we plant ginger, okra, tomatoes, pumpkin and ‘torai’ in Karachi and how should we care for them after planting?

A: Ginger needs at least a ten month growing season in order to develop decent sized tubers and, in your locality, is best planted at the end of February and harvested towards the end of December. Tomatoes can be sown all year round, okra from early May through until the end of October, pumpkins in February and ‘torai’ during March and April. As long as correct soil preparation has been carried out prior to planting, the aftercare is limited to keeping the plants weed-free and watering in the evenings only, as necessary.


Rgds

Shabih

[Izhar]

Dear shabih, thank you for this post but it would be better if you start your own topic in General discussion area...