CHENNAI: I have always been a passionate gardener. It is a process of complete relaxation. Also, I feel that gardening has a therapeutic value, a source of stress relief,” says 57-year-old Nita Prasad who hails from Hyderabad.
Since her childhood, she has loved gardening. Nita started tending a full-fledged garden in 2003. In these 14 years, she has developed five levels of garden over an area of 2,000 square feet.
Organic over Ornamental
Nita focuses not just on gardening but also on growing plants that have several health benefits.
Previously, she used to grow ornamental plants but as the days passed by, she realised the importance of organic gardening. She now practises growing these plants organically.
Right plant and the right place
She grows a variety of fruits and vegetables. She has engaged herself into making compost and extracting kitchen waste to make manure. She says adding compost means healthier soil, and eating fruits and vegetables grown in healthy soil means healthier people.
“Plants, of course, get their nutrients and moisture from the soil, so it stands to reason that rich soil will help plants thrive,” adds Nita. But choosing the right plant for the right place is also a challenge. That means growing plants suited to the conditions in your garden so that they don’t need a lot of extra care to enable growth. “A water-loving plant situated in a hot, dry spot may survive with a lot of help from you, but it will be constantly stressed. That’s not emulating nature’s processes,” explains Nita.
Diversity helps
Talking about the variety of plants, she says, “Diversity helps. Don’t make life easy for the bugs by planting large swaths of one crop, but instead inter-plantvarieties. And know your plants.” Her produce includes cabbage, drumstick, lettuce, basil, brinjal and spinach. This produce is self sufficient and she hardly needs to buy vegetables from the market. She has a keen interest in growing varieties of roses. Since she has five floors of garden, the list is endless. She has bonsai and a number of pot plants too.
Nita invests around four hours in the morning and evening to water the plants. She also promotes organic gardening in her neighbourhood. She emphasises that people should make their own compost. She adds, “don’t forget that good gardening techniques apply whether or not you are gardening organically. So, choose disease-resistant plant varieties that are right for your garden’s conditions.” Other helpful tips include mulching garden beds to retard weed growth and keep moisture in the soil. “Never dispose of diseased or infested plants by putting them in the compost pile,” she suggests.