Want To Try From Garden To Table For A Healthy Lifestyle, Follow These 5 Tricks

YOGYAKARTA - Spending time caring for plants in the garden can be very satisfying. Starting from seeing small shoots appear, bloom flowers, or fruits and vegetables that are ready to be harvested. However, gardening is not only about growing plants, but about enjoying the results on the dining table. The concept of from-garden-to-table invites us not only to plant, but also to pick and present garden products for themselves so that food is fresher, healthier, and more nutritious. Here are the tricks that will help you to be more optimal in combining two fun, gardening and cooking activities.

As a planter, it is easy to be tempted to choose plants based on what grows either on your soil or climate, not based on your own appetite. But if you focus on practicing a lifestyle from-garden-to-table, then you should choose plants that you cook frequently or eat. For example, if you like salads, plant various types of green leaves. If you like making chilies or spices, plant chilies and onions. By choosing your favorite plants, you feel happy not only when caring for them, but also when cooking and eating them.

For those of you who have small land or even just a terrace or balcony, high cooperation or large pots can be the ideal solution. Quoting Gardening Know How, Friday, September 12, plants in large pots offer better control over soil drainage and moisture, so that roots are not easily inundated. High cooperation also makes it easier to adjust distances between plants so that they are not too tight, which helps each plant get light and air is sufficient. Other advantages, if you use large pots, will be easier to care for and move if necessary for plants to get optimal light.

Without healthy soil, plants will be difficult to develop even if other treatments are good. You should use light soil, good drainage, and rich in organic materials. Change pot soil or add compost every planting season, or at least after two seasons, so that the soil remains fertile and does not lose nutrients. Good soil also helps plants to be more resistant to pests and disease and increases the taste of the harvest.

Most vegetables and fruit require a minimum of about six hours of direct sunlight per day to grow optimally. If your garden area is partially shady, consider growing low-luminosity plant types in that place, such as leaf vegetables such as spinach or lettuce. For plants in pots, you can move pots to get sunlight according to the needs of the plant. Paying attention to the intensity of light will make the harvest more abundant and taste better.

Herbals are an easy and fast way to increase the taste of your cooking. Many herbs are easy to grow in gardens or pots, some are annual, some are seasonal plants. For example, parsley and cilantro are often used in a number of recipes as flavor refreshers. By having your own herbs in the garden, you don't need to buy them anymore in the market, and can immediately take fresh leaves when needed.

Carrying out the from-garden-to-table concept does not only practice experience in gardens and kitchens. But enjoy the process of planting, caring for, picking, and then eating so that it presents its own satisfaction.