Broad beans or Fava beans is a leguminous plant that fixes nitrogen to the soil and therefore a great addition to the garden. It is a cool weather crop and best grown between October to February in India with ideal growing temperature between 15-25°C. The plant requires atleast 6-8 hours of sunlight and can be grown in the ground or a container. It is a climber and will require a trellis to grow.
When growing in a container, keep in mind that the plant will require atleast 10 inches in depth and spacing between each plant should be atleast 4-6 inches apart.
These flavourful beans are a good source of dietary fiber, iron, manganese, folate, and protein. They can be used in a variety of dishes across cuisines.
Sowing and Germination
The broad bean seeds can be soaked overnight in water to enable faster germination. I usually sow the seeds without soaking.
Prepare the soil for sowing. It has to be moist with sufficient organic compost. The seeds have to be sown at a 1 inch depth and lightly covered with soil. Use two seeds at each spot marked. Water gently (a spray bottle would be perfect) and ensure direct sunlight does not fall on it. If the seeds have been sown in the ground, you can simple provide a shade net until the saplings come up.
Germination takes about 3 to 6 days days. The soil has to be moist at all times; water gently every day when top soil is dry.
Once the saplings have come up, the plant can be moved into a sunny area (if using a container). The plant will start to climb when it is about 10 inches tall. A trellis will be required for support. I have used different forms of support in my garden – from dead trees to tree branches to a grill.
The one on the ground uses a dead tree as support to climbThe ones in pots have been provided tree branches for support
Watering
The soil should not be allowed to dry out and has to be kept moist at all times. Mulching will help retain moisture especially since the plant is exposed to the sun.
Fertilization
Provide organic fertilizer once a month. During flowering, you can add liquid fertilizer every 10 days.
Common pests
Aphids are the most common to attack the broad beans. As a general rule, a home made pest repellent can be sprayed once a week or once in ten days to avoid the issue. I generally use the green chilli-garlic-ginger spray. However, if there is an aphid attack, spray water and use a toothbrush to dislodge the aphids. Then, apply a neem spray or chilli spray or an organic pesticide. It is also important to isolate a plant if it has been attacked by pests so as to ensure it does not spread to the other plants.
Harvest
Broad beans will be ready for harvest between 50-60 days. To know if the beans are ready for harvest, gently press the bean to check if the seeds are properly formed. If yes, the beans can be harvested.
There will be atleast 2-3 cycles of fruiting post which the beans become smaller in size and dry out. These beans can be left on the plant until they dry out completely (brown colour) and the seeds can be harvested for the next round of sowing.
The bitter gourd belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. It grows well in the warm and rainy seasons, and can be grown through the year if there are no extreme winter temperatures. The fruit has a bitter (level varying across the varieties) taste and is great for diabetics. The plant is a creeper/climbing vine and can grow up to 16 feet in length. The bitter gourd is said to be of Indian origin and is now grown across Asian countries, Africa and the Caribbean.
Bitter gourd, in Andhra, is used in a variety of dishes from curries, to fries to stews. The small sized ones are perfect to make stuffed bitter gourd and I will be sharing recipes on the blog.
Growing bitter gourd is fairly easy. It can be grown in soil or a container ensuring support is provided for the climbing vine. The best period to grow them would be between December and July.
HOW TO PLANT BITTER GOURD
The seeds from a ripe bitter gourd can be used (remove the outer red covering) or you could buy seeds from your local nursery. Seeds can also be soaked overnight in water before sowing to speed up germination (optional).
The seeds are sown at 0.5inch depth in the soil, one per pit and a gap of 12 inches between seeds is required. If using a container, a 12 inch depth container will be sufficient to grow the bitter gourd. Depending on the weather, the seeds will take about 2-3 days to germinate. Pruning the growing tips when the vine is about 3 feet long helps growth of lateral shoots leading to more flowers and bitter gourds.
Potting Mix:
A sandy loam soil is suitable for most edible plants including the bitter gourd.
In soil (ground space): dig up a bed for the bitter gourd, add compost and ensure the soil is fluffy prior to sowing. Creating a bed with a partition (can use bricks or tiles or raised mud bed) will enable customize plant treatment in terms of watering, fertilizer application, etc.
In an earthenware /cement container: use a mix of red mud, sand/cocopeat and compost in a 2:1:1 ratio. Ensure there are holes at the side, bottom for drainage (two holes on either side would be ideal). Layer the bottom with coconut husk or small stones/pebbles . This will ensure water or nutrients don’t run out; coconut husk helps retain moisture.
In Grow Bags: use a mix of cocopeat and compost in 1:2 ratio. One part red mud mixed in also helps hold the soil together much better and retains moisture.
PLANT CARE AND HARVEST
Sunlight: The bitter gourd is a sun loving plant, so do ensure it is placed in an area that receives adequate light. If the weather gets beyond 30C, do provide protection from the afternoon sun. A simple shade net drawn across will help.
Watering: When the seeds are sown, it is important for the soil to remain moist, but not overly wet. Sprinkle water gently on the surface every day until the seeds sprout. Over watering can cause the seed to rot or hamper seed germination. The bitter gourd is a delicate vine and watering has to be at the base of the plant in a gentle manner. Water when top soil is dry and ensure soil stays moist, but not soggy.
Simple support structure built with dry branches from other trees in the garden. The broad beans and bitter gourd can go onto this from different sides.
Plant support: Providing support to this climbing vine enables better output and makes the bitter gourd less prone to pests/diseases than when they grow on the soil. There are multiple options to provide support (about 6-8 feet height is good for any climbing gourds):
Use an existing fence or railing
You can build a simple structure using bamboo or small discarded branches from a tree. Four pillars for a support and a roof like structure across these pillars. Do refer to the details in my blog on “How to start a kitchen garden’.
A metal grill can also be used
Fertilizer: Mix in organic compost or vermicompost when making the potting mix. Cow dung is also a good addition.
Subsequently, a liquid fertilizer can be added every three weeks. Apply fertilizer at the base.
Flowering: The vine will produce male and female flowers. If there are sufficient bees (flowering plants in the garden help), pollination is automatically taken care of. If not, it can be done manually by rubbing a male flower gently in the face of a female flower. A female flower can be identified by a swelling at the base that is shaped like a mini bitter gourd (between the vine and the flower).
Harvest: The bitter gourd will be ready for harvest within 2-3 months from sowing. The gourds must be plucked when they are tender and green preferably in the morning. Note that the gourds on the plant ripen very quickly, so do keep an eye out and pluck at the right time.
If you want seeds for the next round of sowing, simply allow one bitter gourd to ripen on the vine. Cut open the gourd, take out the seeds which will have a red coat. Wash, dry and store for later use.
USES
Bitter gourd is used in a variety of dishes. The gourd does not have to be peeled for use. Wash, pat dry and chop for use. If you want to reduce the bitterness, sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder on the chopped bitter gourd and rest for 20-30 minutes. Squeeze and then use. The gourds can be used in simple fries or curries.
ATALE ABOUT THE GOURDS
The bitter gourd is not exactly a favourite vegetable among many, especially children, owing to the bitter taste. There is a tale we heard as children, often told during meal times☺ Depending on the storyteller, it could be dramatic, humorous and engaging making us focus less on what we ate and more on the story. Always helped things we don’t like also to be polished off the plate with ease!
Long long ago, there was a farmer who had travelled to a town away from his home. For the first time, he tasted a bitter gourd curry (usually the name of the curry for that day is inserted here) and loved it. Bitter gourd, at that time, was not available easily across places. He searched high and low and requested many people for some seeds. A kind farmer gave him a few seeds and with this safely tucked in his bag, he went back home. He cared for them tenderly and diligently right from the sowing stage. In a couple of months, his labour bore fruit and he had some lovely bitter gourds for harvest. There were four bitter gourds ready for plucking and he took them home with a request to his wife to make a curry for the next meal. He went back to the farm the following day and all he could think of was the curry that would be his lunch.
Meanwhile at home, the wife washed the bitter gourds, cut some onions and made a spice mix for the curry. She carefully slit the bitter gourds to fill the stuffing she prepared and fried them in oil. Soon, the kitchen was enveloped in a delicious aroma. Once the curry was made, it looked so tasty that the wife decided she would have one bitter gourd to taste and loved it. After all, she had never eaten this earlier too. She covered the pan and left the kitchen to complete her other chores.
It was a holiday for school and their son was at home. He was outplaying with his friends and when he returned, he was led to the kitchen by the smell of the curry. Seeing something new in the pan and taking in the smell made his mouth water. He quickly ate one bitter gourd of the three left. He loved it so much that he decided to eat another one since anyway his mother would serve it for him at lunch. May as well eat it earlier…after all his parents told him vegetables were good for health!
The farmer returned home for lunch in anticipation of a delicious curry. The wife, not realizing that the son had also dipped his fingers into the curry, brought the pan out to serve. On opening it, they saw only one bitter gourd left. The farmer was surprised and asked her what happened to the remaining. The son walked in just then and excitedly told his father about the new curry his mother prepared and how he ate two because he loved it so much. The parents smiled indulgently and then the farmer asked his wife how the third one disappeared. She proceeds to show him just how by popping the fourth & last bitter gourd into her mouth leaving the farmer with an empty plate☺
‘Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can have them plant a garden’ – Robert Brault
When we moved into our home, Shinar, this was the state of the place. Mum converted this into a lush garden full of flowers, fruits and vegetables.
The gardening bug comes to me from my mother. There hasn’t been a time in her life where she hasn’t grown any plants. There were always garden fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers at home. Even now, when I have my own garden, my mother has produce to give me. She has a million green thumbs while I am lucky to have one that listens to me most times☺
Growing your own produce definitely has advantages…you know exactly where your food is coming from, you can control what goes into it and it does help work in some fresh air and exercise. Not to mention how good you feel when you harvest a crop!
Take a look at some of the aspects you will have to think through before you get started on your kitchen garden project:
Sunlight is important for all edible plants
1] LOCATION
One of the key elements to decide on is the location. It could be that you have ground space or maybe a balcony that you want to utilize or the terrace. The first step is to finalize the location keeping in mind the following factors:
a] The area should receive sufficient sunlight. Most vegetables prefer about 6 hours of sunlight. So find a spot that enables this. In hotter climates where the sun is strong (think Chennai/Mumbai), a shaded area could also work.
b] If it is ground space, ensure there is a good drainage system and prevent any water logging.
c] Protection from wind/heavy rain: keep in mind that a heavy wind or rain can damage the crop. It helps to have ideas to be able to provide protection against these. It could as simple as hooking up a shade net over the growing area when required. This could also help in times of excess sunlight.
2] SPACE UTILIZATION
Maximizing the output in a given area is not a hard task and most required especially nowadays where space is already a constraint. You could:
a] grow companion crops
b] use pots and grow bags to constrain the area for a particular crop and also have more crops in a given space
c] create raised beds if using ground space
d] opt for trellising to maximize utilization
e] keep in mind the plantation & growth season so that the sowing can be done in a manner to enable continuous harvest
f] remember to keep a walking area between the beds so you are not walking around the growing area
A support structure being put up for the gourds growing in the ground. Bamboo that was available was used with smaller tree branches for the top layer.
A note on trellising: this works well for climbers/ creepers like tomatoes, gourds, beans etc. You could use an existing fence/railing or make a simple support structure with metal/wood/bamboo. If you have larger trees in your garden, you could easily use some of the branches for this support structure. You will have to guide the creeper towards the support structure and sometimes tie it gently in the middle.
A small tree branch works well for the tomato creeper. Just fix it in the ground and guide the creeper.
3] SOIL CONDITIONS & POTTING MIX
Most plants prefer loose well-draining soil. If for any reason, good quality soil is not available to you, you could always enrich it with organic compost and dry leaves. So there is no reason to be disheartened. The soil should be dense enough to enable planting and hold nutrients, but also light enough to enable flow of air and water.
Loose, well draining soil. Some shredded dry leaves also added to help retain moisture and add nutrition
The composition of potting mix includes:
a] Red mud or soil is the first component. In India, good quality red mud is available at plant nurseries.
b] Coco peat made from coconut fibre
c] Vermicompost which works as an excellent source of nutrients for the soil. Earthworms break down food waste to create the compost. You could buy this or make at home if you prefer. You could also add regular home compost if you do make it at home.
d] Sand can also be included for its properties to drain and adding weight to the mix.
When it comes to usage, it is different based on the medium and also the plants. A general rule of thumb could be a 2:1:1 ratio of red mud, cocopeat/sand and compost. A small amount (about 5% of total mix) of neem cake added is also beneficial to keep pests away. Similarly, dried and crushed egg shells can also be added for a slow release of calcium or you could use bone meal (about 2% of total mix).
This can work well for the earthen or cement pots. For Grow Bags, which are also used quite commonly nowadays, a mix of cocopeat and manure (1:2) is sufficient. One part red soil per bag can be added. While it is said, that red soil is absolutely not required, I find it to hold the soil together much better, enables moisture retentio and therefore use it. Some shredded dry leaves can also be layered in.
I usually line the base of the cement/earthen pots with some coconut husk (to retain moisture and prevent water from running off); you can also put a few pebbles/small stones near the holes at the base of the pot.
For ground space, when the space is dug for sowing, add organic manure/vermicompost and neem cake. You could also layer some shredded dry leaves that provide nutrients when they decompose. When prepping the soil, it is good to rest it for a day before you use it.
Sign of good soil is the earthworms in it…they are brilliant for the soil
4] WHAT TO START WITH
Most important point…we have the space, the soil is ready and we are ready to start sowing/planting.
It’s very easy to get excited and carried away with the many options and exotic plant choices. However, this could lead to some disappointment down the road. I find it best to start small and with local vegetables (those that are native to the place you stay in) keeping in mind the season. It not only gives you a higher chance of success, but it is also motivating and encouraging to see the growth and harvest. And, remember, it is going to take time and energy from you.
Some of the options for plants you can start with include:
a] Mint: you can easily grow this from what you buy from your local vegetable vendor. Select a thick stem (and you will find some of them come with roots), put it in a mug of water and it will start growing, Transplant to a pot.
b] Greens like spinach, amaranth, etc are great options. These can also grow from the produce you get from your local vegetable seller. These also provide a continuous harvest.
c] Chillies: simple take a dry red chilli from your grocery stock and scatter the seeds in a pot. Add an inch of soil above these and water gently. When the saplings are about 4-5 inches tall, you can transplant them into different pots.
d] Fenugreek: take a few seeds from your grocery stock, scatter into the soil. Cover with an inch of soil/manure and water gently until they sprout. Methi grows fairly quickly and you will have small shoots for use within a week.
e] Coriander: again easily available in your grocery stock. Gently crush the seeds before scattering into the soil.
f] Tomatoes: is an absolute favourite with me; it’s a perennial in my garden! Just cut a ripe tomato in half and plant. It’s as simple as that.
g] Spring onions are another easy choice; you can just plant what comes from your local vegetable seller. The greens can be used in cooking while the bulbs grow.
h] Gourds: heavy feeders, but another great option to start with. They are also climbers, so a support system will have to be figured out.
i] Garlic, another option where even the shoots can be used in cooking.
j] Potatoes: I love potatoes and ensure a steady supply. Just put an onion with the potatoes and you will have sprouting happen. Slice that portion and plant it.
k] Colocasia, turmeric, ginger can also be planted
It is also a good idea to plant basil, marigold, citronella, lemongrass around the vegetable garden as they help keep pests away. Not to mention, they are also very useful plants and pretty!
Green therapy
5] GARDEN PLANNER
I find that maintaining a garden planner really helps. By planner, I refer to a record of the gardening activity. It can help keep track of what you planted and when, yield timelines, etc. You can also record issues faced and solutions employed which will be useful for the future.
Crop rotation is important to ensure that the soil is not losing the same nutrients continuously and plants are less prone to attack by pests. A planner can therefore help in ensuring an effective rotation and one doesn’t have to rely on memory alone.
shinar diaries 