1. Season and Temperature:

• Winter gardening typically begins in mid September or from October and continues until March.
• It’s essential to choose a time with pleasant weather for seed sowing because seedlings won’t survive in hot or humid conditions.

“The ideal temperature for sowing seeds is 15-20℃.“

2. Pot size and types

 

(A) For Vegetables

(i) 10*10 or 12*12 inch grow bags:

• suitable for tomatoes, chili, cabbage, cauliflower, and capsicum.

(ii) 12*18 inch grow bag:

• good for radish, coriander, carrot, spinach, onion, or garlic.

(iii) 15*15 or 16*16 inch grow bags:

• ideal for brinjal, beans, lubia, runner beans, or peas.

(iv) Rectangular boat-shaped pots can also be used for herbs like coriander, spinach, etc. 

Note:

• It’s a good idea to have 4-5 pots or grow bags for each category because in one pot only 5-6 vegetables would grow out.

Must read: Complete information on Grow Bags

 

(B) For Flowers

(i) 12-inch clay pots:

• Permanent plants like rose, marigold, and chrysanthemum do well in these pots.
• If they survive for two seasons, they will stay with you without needing to be repotted.
• Always choose good-quality clay pots for these flowers.

(ii) 4*4, 6*6, or 8*8 inch pots:

• These smaller pots are suitable for growing seasonal flowers like petunia, verbena, dianthus, dog flower, etc.

(iii) Rectangular boat-shaped pots:

• Flowers grow well in this type of pots as they have enough space for their roots and to bloom properly.

3. Soil Mixture

(i) Soil:

• Get the soil from any nursery or reuse the summer plants’ soil by adding organic manure and neem cake powder to make it pest-free.
• Make sure to expose the soil to sunlight.

(ii) Add compost to enrich the soil:

• You can add any compost like; kitchen waste compost, vermicompost, cow dung compost, leaf compost, or any suitable compost to enrich the soil.

(iii) Use Sand:

• Use river sand to enhance soil porosity, as many vegetables thrive in sandy soil.

(iv) Coco peat:

•  You can add cocopeat to aid in seed germination, especially when sowing the seeds.

(iv) Add fungicides

• Use fungicides such as Trichoderma or Cinnamon powder to safeguard against fungus or bacterial attacks.

4. Gardening Box

A basic gardening box should contain essential items needed at various stages of planting:

1. Bulbs and Seeds: Enthusiastic gardeners always have a variety of plant seeds and bulbs on hand.

2. Gloves: Wearing gloves is advisable to prevent injuries when using sharp gardening tools, particularly pruners.

3. Fertilizers and Micronutrients: Keep a range of fertilizers and nutrients for different growth stages of plants.

• For example, Neem cake powder, Mustard Cake, Epsom Salt, Rose bloom fertilizers, Curry leaf boosters, and Seaweed micronutrients, etc. 

4. Insecticides: These are essential to protect your plants from insect attacks.

• For example: Actara acts as an insecticide for edible vegetables.

5. Fungicides: Use fungicides to prevent fungal infestations.

6. Ice Cream Sticks: These are useful for labeling seedlings in a seedling tray.

7. Pen/Permanent Marker: Keep one for writing the names of seedlings on the ice cream sticks.

8. Tool Kit: Different gardening tools serve various roles, including digging, mixing, stirring, pruning, and more.