Green and Brown

30/09/2023

It's Jungle time at the gnb garden.
Monsoon no-cut rule rules.

Animals and birds make this their home and wild plants take over the space.

Next week we chop n drop.

30/09/2023

It's Jungle Time at the gnb garden.
We ll start chopping dropping next week.
🎵 need a bag of seeds right now

30/11/2021

Why did we cut the plants?

Well, every banana plants gives birth to babies, called . There are two kinds of pups. Sword suckers and Water suckers.

Sword suckers grow into healthy banana plants, whereas the water suckers is take away a lot of the water needed by the mother plant.

So as soon as the pups start coming out, one must differentiate and remove the water suckers, for good growth of the mother and baby plants

Now next question is, how to identify ?

These have tiny pointy leaves, where's the water suckers have big wide leaves.

The tiny point ones are the keepers!

truly is a fascinating plant

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30/11/2021

The Oriental Garden
We have been spotting this guy every now and then in our garden. It camouflages so well, on branches/barks/twigs, that it's very difficult to spot it. But we spend enough time here, to notice quick movements. One such movement caught our eye and we spotted this beauty yesterday.

It was looking at us veryyyy carefully, ready to jump out the second we would get too close.

This kind of life form in our garden, keeps us going and gives us signs that a strong biodiverse ecosystem is being built. A space where these creatures can coexist with the plants and soil.

This particular lizard, is commonly seen is open habitats including urban areas. They prefer to be in low shrubs and tree trunks to stay undetected.
They play a huge role in keeping the balance of the food chain, by eating some insects and their larva. They have very well developed strong legs and a good vision.

Fun fact: they don't drop their their tailes like lizards, they shed their skin like other reptiles.Their tails are long, pointy and stiff.

25/09/2021

What our looks like from the perspective of a beetle.

A jungle?

This is what creating a would mean.

Micro climate as the word suggests is smaller pockets of different climates within a green space.
When we grow different heights of trees, shrubs, plants, creepers, they create these smaller spaces which are cooler/have more humidity and warmth.
That gives chance for many many organisms to grow and make their homes.

For example the soil under leaf mulch gives opportunity for fungus and other smaller insects to breed.

All these together create a strong ecosystem which is what we are striving towards :)

25/09/2021

NEW Leaf curling out in the Syngonium (Pink)

This is a lovely Indoor plant, that does surprisingly well in very low light. This particular one is placed in my bathroom, where there is little to no direct sunlight. Anddd it's thriving!

It's a very low maintenance plant, which needs very little water.

If we just take feedback from plants by observing them closely, we can very easily understand their needs of water and sun. Very often we are asked, how much water is too much, how much sunlight is enough.
The real answer is "it depends"

There's no standard, we really just have to see the dampness of soil, see the colour of leaves, wilting or not wilting, judge and behave accordingly.

Sure it sounds complicated at first, but trust us, you really do get a hang of it very soon.

PLANTS ARE VERY KIND :)

25/09/2021

and dancing away in the first rains!
Smell of the earth
Sound of the rain
Whoosh of the wind

Monsoons here already?

Few things that we must keep ready to face the monsoons

1. Do not water your plants as there is plenty from the rains

2. Mulch heavily, to avoid soil erosion and compaction of soil to an extent.

3. Shift around your pots, some don't like so much water.

4. It's in such times taht you realise why it's important to have strong, wind break trees around your garden. It protects the garden from the strong wind that we face in monsoons.

5. Don't sow seeds in ground when it's raining heavily. Sow them in seedling trays with a protected environment.

6. Sow haldi and ginger NOW! It's great time to do it now.

7. Prune your plants, give them space to grow and flourish in monsoons.

25/09/2021

Hey there!

25/09/2021

We love .
is our favourite way to pass time and explore new possibilities.

Here we tried making a banana planter for Microgreens and to nurse few saplings. The idea was that banana stores water, so we might not have to worry too much about watering the planter, as well as we would have reduced use of plastic. Eventually the banana could just decompose and become a part of soil.

But not everything goes according to plans!

Here too we realised, banana did soak up water, but it became soggy and loose, so the soil was falling apart.
It also started drying up under the sun and disintegrating faster than we thought.

But we understood its limitations. It's a good apparatus for a short term, say 5-7 days sapling which can be later transferred to the bed or a bigger pot.

It definitely looks very appealing, and uses up left over biomass which otherwise a lot of people tend to throw.

This has not stopped us from trying more ideas that we come up with everytime we see any seed/pod/branch/leaf fallen on the streets. Experiments fail, and THATS OK! WE MUST GO ON :)

25/09/2021

Reposted from .in

We got together with one of our favourite partner brands .in to show you how to grow your own microgreens! 🌱Microgreens are easy to grow, a fun activity and healthy, it’s a win-win-win!
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25/09/2021

Wonders of Nature
No matter what we do, how we grow, how much we try to maintain nature has its way.
This plant you see in the video is a brinjal plant, which grows as a bush.

Because of the cyclone in Mumbai in May, the growing stem fell down and started growing laterally.
We were pleasantly surprised to see this.
The plant stretched out for sun and grew wherever it found space.

Such a beautiful example of survival and coexistence. Very often we wonder if planting various plants close to each other will kill them, whether they will compete, but that is not true.

When we plant the correct plants closely with each other they illustrate a perfect example of coexistence.

25/09/2021

Have you ever seen how grow?
It's !!
We have been documenting how the flower appears, grows, opens up and then again grows a little more.

We cannot wait to harvest these bananas sooon!

Fun fact: Banana is an and gives fruit only once in its lifetime! That makes it even more special right?

Once we harvest the fruit, we will use the potassium rich leaves for mulching, the bark for some nice food (recipes welcome) and then grow the into new big banana plants!

06/07/2021

Wonders of Nature
No matter what we do, how we grow, how much we try to maintain nature has its way.
This plant you see in the video is a brinjal plant, which grows as a bush.

Because of the cyclone in Mumbai in May, the growing stem fell down and started growing laterally.
We were pleasantly surprised to see this.
The plant stretched out for sun and grew wherever it found space.

Such a beautiful example of survival and coexistence. Very often we wonder if planting various plants close to each other will kill them, whether they will compete, but that is not true.

When we plant the correct plants closely with each other they illustrate a perfect example of coexistence.

02/05/2021

Spotted a spotted Asian Female Koel
What a stunning bird.
Watch the full video to see it grab lunch :)
The Ashoka tree is an absolute favourite amongst birds. We see so many parrots and now the koel, taking shelter and eating the ripe fruits.
Unfortunately we dint hear the koel making any sound, but the sight itself was so engrossing.

The red eye and the white on black pattern stands out the most.

This bird lays eggs innests of other similar sized birds like crows, but sometime in smaller birds nest to like tailorbird (we've had them visiting our garden too).
The more attractive male koels distract the host bird while the female koel lays it's eggs. Such amazing creatures

01/05/2021

This is us!

Sending lots of strength, love and hope across to everyone. Working with nature is what is keeping us sane during such times.

22/04/2021

from us to you!

We usually don't celebrate 'days', but today we only want to remind each one of you how important the earth is.
Maybe today can be an excuse for all of us to spend some time with soil, nature, plants, thinking about how much it gives us without asking for anything in return.
It has blessed us with great abundance. Let's be thankful and greatful to mother nature.

Being close to nature has taught the both of us to accept more, live simply, give unconditionally and keep growing :)

We wish the same for all of you!

The beautiful tree in the image is called Weeping Willow.

Swipe right to see the full picture.

It has a little story to it :)
The manager of this place found this tree in a trash can years ago, and decided to plant it where it is today.
He asked all his co-workers to sit around it and have tea and chat! He believes the human interaction made the tree bloom and grow as tall as it is today.
It surely makes a beautiful backdrop and gives lovely shade.
kumaon

16/04/2021

We are selling seeds!!! 🌱🌱

We have a variety of seeds, saved as well as procured, which we will be happy to share with all of you.

We have seeds of
1. Cabbage
2. Basil
3. Radish
4. Clover
5. Baby Spinach
6. Celery
7. Turnip
8. Beetroot
9. Butterfly Pea
10. Rosella

your

These are all Open Pollinated and Non GMO, Non Hybrid seeds.

07/07/2020

Sneak peak of the kind of content we deliver to our students in the workshop.
A lot of it is triggered by their questions. We love to nurture their curiosity.

A fresh batch is starting this Sunday, 12th July, 5pm onwards. (Every Sunday, until 2nd August)
Register now! Visit our website or DM to register.

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04/07/2020

We are the happiest when the kids we teach, see value and enjoy our planting sessions.
DM us if you want to register for our upcoming sessions, starting from Sunday, 12th July.

04/07/2020

Catch us live with and her 6 year old on 5th July, Sunday, at 5pm. We will be teaching how to grow micro greens, as a preview of our sessions “grow grow grow your plants” starting soon!
See you tomorrow!

29/06/2020

Doubts on composting?
The what if's.

Very often we do not compost our waste at home because of these common myths.
We have been composting for a while now and not faced any of these issues.
It's about composting in the right way.

1. If you put enough browns, there will be no smell. If you're putting one bucket of greens, put two buckets of browns. Finish off the with a top layer of browns always.
2. Sprinkling some soil or adding browns, solves the problem of flies too. Flies come to the compost because certain fragrances are released which attracts them. The soil and brown cuts the smell of the gas and avoids the flies.
3. You can start composting with a small trash can/ earthen pot in your balcony too. Adding compost to your house plants will make them a happy bunch.
4. If you are regularly adding green and brown matter to your drum, you don't have to worry about anything else. Nature does most of the work.

FAQ: How do we know when the compost is ready?
After about a month, the contents will decompose into a black soil like matter. It'll be soft to touch and smell earthy. If it's too wet, you can leave it out to dry. You can also sieve it before you use.

29/06/2020

Make your own 300L Outdoor Rotating compost drum. A word on form and function.

a) Drill several holes in the food grade drum to allow aeration for aerobic composting

b) A door cut out, wider than a shovel, to put in greens & browns and take out black gold.

c) 2 fins inside, made from half PVC pipe, to mix the matter.

In our experience a rotating drum allows for the contents to be mixed easily and efficiently.

DM us know how you can build your own :)

24/06/2020

Why Green and Brown?

Plants thrive on good soil.
Good soil means lots of microbes.
Microbes feast on organic matter.
Organic Matter is classified into Greens and Browns.

Greens provide Nitrogen to the soil, an important element for plant structure.
Browns provide Carbon, a crucial element for soil structure.

This concept is the foundation of our journey in natural farming.
Join us for learning, sharing and the simple joy of adding more green and brown in our lives.

19/06/2020

Thank you!
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19/06/2020

Online Plant workshop for kids

Let’s tell our kids little more about nature.
Registration Link:
https://bit.ly/3daWpZy

Children learn to plant, appreciate biodiversity and minimise wastage.

Each batch has capacity of only 8 kids at a time. Please register on the link above if you’re interested.
Rs 800 for a total 4 sessions:
Sun, 28th June, 5pm
Wed, 1st July, 6pm
Sun, 5th July, 5pm
Wed, 8th July, 6pm

Happy Planting🌳🍀☘️🍐🍋🍇 Don't worry about preparations, everything they require for the sessions is available at home.

19/06/2020

We are back! Waiting for our new batch of kids to join.

Registration
https://bit.ly/3daWpZy

Children learn to plant, appreciate biodiversity and minimise wastage.

Each batch has capacity of only 8 kids at a time.

Rs 800 for a total 4 sessions:
Sun, 28th June, 5pm
Wed, 1st July, 6pm
Sun, 5th July, 5pm
Wed, 8th July, 6pm

Happy Planting🌳🍀☘️🍐🍋🍇 Don't worry about preparations, everything they require for the sessions is available at home.