CHENNAI : For a good period of his working life, S Murari’s hobby of gardening was on the back burner. Post-retirement, this 75-year-old decided to capatalise on his time. The result is a 1200 sqft garden.
He now sells the surplus of his produce, mainly fruits and vegetables in the local market. “My daily needs of vegetables and fruits are met through this garden,” he says.
“In the last seven years of my retirement, I have focused on honing my gardening skills. I have 15 varieties of plant,” says the former director of a company, adding, “By selling the surplus produce, I earn `300 a month whereas my monthly expenditure is `100-200.”So, what are some of the different varieties in bloom? “Pineapple, three different varieties of mangoes (alphonso, mallika and raspuri), cabbage (red and green varieties), eggplants, pumpkins, varieties of okra such as pusa – a Bengali variety, dwarf coconut plants which grows up to 10 feet and much more,” he tells us.
He employs the water circulation technique. Here, the sewage water of 300 houses is treated and he uses it for a major portion of his garden. “We also have rainwater harvesting in place,” he says, pointing out that five filters have been installed in the house.He attributes his gardening skills to his agricultural background. “People are slowly realising that produce from kitchen gardens are healthier and tastier. It gives me great happiness to grow my own food,” says Murari.
Gardening at his age can be challenging, he admits. “It’s a lot of physical labour to apply fertilisers, water and change the soil,” he says.While he mostly grows fruits and vegetables, his wife, on the other hand, prefers blooms that beautify the space. A happy and healthy combination, here.