Learn from Prilly Latuconsina: Let’s Make an Organic Garden at Home

Prilly Latuconsina has bloomed as a versatile young artist. Prilly has successfully starred in a number of films and soap operas. She also successfully performed several songs, one of which was a duet with Vidi Aldiano. 

She is now very much at the peak of her success. Noticeably, she owns a luxury home in Tangerang. But one interesting thing about her luxurious house is a small garden right next to it. 

In a new video “Garden Tour!!! No Need to Go to the Market, the Vegetables at My House are Harvesting!”, on Prilly’s Youtube channel, she visibly uses a vacant land next to her house to develop an organic vegetable garden. In a video collaborating with singer Aminda, she revealed that she would do gardening during a break from shooting. 

According to Prilly, she chooses gardening because she is a homebody. She also admitted that she chooses to grow organic vegetables to start a healthy lifestyle. 

In the 20-minute video, both Prilly and Aminda harvested bok choy, spinach, kale, and chilies. Prilly said she asked her gardener to plant chilies because their prices in the market can be expensive. That is why she thinks it is better if she has her own chili plants. 

“So if I want to eat vegetables, I just pull it out and cook it, that’s healthy,” Prilly said, as cited from her Youtube Diary video. 

In addition to vegetables, she also grows several fruits in her garden, such as oranges, papayas, bananas, and guavas. 

The benefits from developing an organic garden at home is getting healthy vegetables without pesticides. Moreover, it can reduce expenses. As we know, the prices of organic vegetables are quite expensive. 

Now, how do we create an organic garden at home? Don’t worry, here are some tips or methods to start an organic garden for beginners. 

1. Choose types of plants

Before starting to garden, first you must choose types of plants to be planted. Choose plants that are often consumed or used, or choose plants that are costly in the market so that they can help reduce expenses. 

2. Prepare the land

Make sure that the land to be planted has a fertile soil and gets the intensity of sunlight 6-8 hours per day. If you don’t have any vacant land, you can use pots, polybags, or a vertical garden system. Be sure to use loose and fertile soil. To keep the soil fertile you can use compost. This kind of fertilizer can maintain soil moisture, nourish plants, worms and microbes that can help plant growth. You can make compost from a mixed pile of leaves, grass cuttings and household waste such as eggshells and coffee grounds. 

3. Choose a quality seed

To start making your own organic garden at home, choosing good seeds is very important. We have to choose seeds that do not use chemical processes and are certified without the use of pesticides. 

4. Water the plants regularly

Aside from requiring fertile soil, plants also need good moisture. For newly planted seeds, make sure to water them regularly in the morning and evening. When the roots have started to grow, the level of humidity can be measured by inserting a finger as deep as approximately 3 cm.  Check whether the soil is still moist or not. If the soil still feels moist in the morning, the watering can be done in the afternoon. 

5. Plant care

You must really pay attention to take care of your garden. If your garden or plants are attacked by pests, make sure not to use chemical pesticides, use the organic ones. You can buy insecticidal soap or water the plants with chili water. Use mulch to maintain soil moisture and suppress the growth of pests and weeds so that the plants can grow well. The mulch should be organic such as rice waste, grass cuttings and wood shavings. 

You must also think about the hygiene of your garden and plants, always pay attention to the fallen leaves and stems, and clean them so that the plants remain hygienic. When cleaning the fallen leaves and stems, make sure they are not attacked by pests before combining them as organic fertilizer. 

6. Harvesting

Harvesting is certainly something that you must be waiting for the most. But as a beginner who doesn’t know when is the best time to harvest, you can see from the color changes in the leaves and fruit. Pick randomly on each plant little by little to get an even result. Use tools like scissors and knives to harvest. 

Types of Plants for Organic Gardens for Beginners 

As a beginner in making an organic garden at home, the biggest question you have may be the types of plants that are suitable for planting. Here are some examples of plants that are suitable to grow in an organic garden at home for beginners. You can try to grow vegetables, such as kale, spinach, bok choy, lettuce, mustard greens, carrots. You can also plant various spices such as shallots, tomatoes, and chilies.