Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc in the world, claiming 167,278 lives and infecting 2,436,811 people globally so far, the world celebrates Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, so Tuesday will mark the 50th Earth Day.
As due the lockdown constraints, we are not allowed to move outside our house and bask in the nature's glory, so we might consider bringing nature home and what better than creating a beautiful balcony garden.
* Measure the space you have in your balcony. Check for the directions of wind, sunlight etc. In case your area is windy, you might want to put a windshield or even cover it from the top in case it rains a lot.
* Choosing the right types of plants to grow is very important. You can have flowers, veggies like brinjal, lady finger, chilly or leafy vegetables like spinach, coriander, lettuce etc. A right mix of all these will make your garden extremely beautiful as well as useful in your kitchen.
* You can save space in your balcony by planting vertically. Hanging baskets and pots are easily available in the markets. However, as there is a lockdown you can DIY and create pots with the help of materials available at your home.
* Watering the plants and taking good care of them is very important for your balcony garden. New irrigation techniques like sprinkle irrigation could also be taken into consideration but it would be better if you express your love to your plants by watering yourself.
* Finally, you can put up some decorative lighting, maybe an old-fashioned swing in one corner of your balcony. You can take a book and curl up on the swing and enjoy your reading.