Want a Mobile Garden?

OK...it's been two weeks since my last post. Well, it's here...and so is the harmattan season, kind of. Has anybody noticed that the harmattan is quite late in coming and a bit restrained this year? I still bathe in cold water (it wasn't so much the case around this time last year)...climate change, anybody?

For many people, the farming season has come and gone. But some die hard farmers do what they term 'late planting', which is planting done after much of the year's harvest is in. These are people who have land to plant crops or garden all year round. I don't own land so I can't do much planting. I believe that many city dwellers share the same handicap with me (hi, peeps). So, why not do mobile gardening?

Flower pots are known to most folks. Mobile gardening is similar to using flower pot to garden or farm. Think of it as getting away with not owning land and planting space - but you own your temp place (probably you rented an apartment/flat) and own your materials - pots, bowls and other potting utensils.

Why do you need to garden? You love vegetables and you want them year round when you can't buy from the market. You like greenery and want it around you. You love flowers and there's no florist in town (if only I can grow a rose garden to sell roses to lovers at Aba and its environs...if wishes were horses).

With what can you garden this way? Wheelbarrows, pots, pans, buckets, pretty much anything that has depth, can hold soil and can be moved around. Aha! I decided to use old cement bags (thoroughly washed, of course). Dangote will thank me later.

What can you garden? Vegetables (ugu, fluted pumpkin, ukazi, ugboguru, spinach, nchianwu, utazi, cucumber, pepper, tomato etc), flowers, legumes....

How do you get started?

• Gather your materials/supplies: old wheelbarrow, bicycle basket, pots, buckets....
• Get compost: humus soil is good or loamy soil if it's a better alternative. Add animal dung/waste to the soil. I used chicken excreta but next time I shall try cow dung. Em...mallam won't understand why I'm picking up his cow shit.
• Pour in a good quantity of water. The trick to maintaining a mobile garden is adequate watering of the plant.
• Plant your seed or stalk.
• Watch your plant grow and prune dead leaves as you go. 
• Water, water, water. I water my plant every other day or as I see need to.
• Place the plant close to sunlight as much as possible. Farmers know the importance of sunlight to plants. Place potted plant outside your window, on your balcony/verandah or wherever as the case may be.

If you aren't cool with farming, it's alright too. Methinks it can be a nice hobby to have, though. What do you think? Finally, the beauty of it all? You can move your garden whenever you relocate (rent another space or acquire your own property). That's good news. Plant it. Move it!