CHENNAI: Organic is the buzzword in gardening and diet today, but Lakshman Rajnikanth, 42, from Shamshabad area of Hyderabad, has been doing it since 2008. Be it the food that is put on his table or the way he tends to his plants, it’s organic and au naturale all the way. “Personal health and environment have always been my twin passions. Organic gardening is a great option for a healthy lifestyle. Most people use pesticides, herbicides, or fertilisers because they think they don’t have an option. These chemicals not only kill the harmful insects but also the beneficial ones. Organic gardening provides tasty food which is hemical-free and safe for the environment,” he says.
Rajnikanth believes that the produce grown at home tastes better than that purchased in supermarkets as one rarely uses chemicals to grow it. “I recommend organic gardening as one doesn’t have to spend money buying expensive chemicals and fertilisers.
It is rich in vitamin and mineral content.” He explains, “The outcome of your organic gardening efforts depends majorly on your soil. Starting with nutrient-rich, healthy soil is an important component of organic gardening. Adding compost and other nutrient-rich materials improves the soil.” He is into construction business which, takes him away from nature and he laments the fact that the concrete jungle has left little space for cultivation.
He makes his own compost from kitchen waste and dried leaves, flowers, grass clippings and twigs. A compost bin is made from time to time and these materials are left to decompose. The manure-rich soil is then added to the otherwise nutrient deficient soil. “It is a kind of cycle; whatever the earth gives you, you return it to her. This discourages weeds and retains soil moisture,” he adds.
Rajnikanth spends around four hours every day in his garden. He spends every Sunday to clean and remove unwanted weeds. He says, “The rocky ground doesn’t give space for plants to grow. They don’t allow roots to get proper nutrients from soil. So, I manually remove the rocks and dig deep into the soil to sow seeds. Such type of ground also needs more water.”
To tackle the water scarcity during summers, he sets up drip irrigation technique. A network of tubes are spread across different cross sections in the garden. These tubes deliver water slowly to the plants from a high raised tank. This method helps in the judicious use of water and ensures that plants keep getting water at regular intervals throughout the day.
He also develops his own seeds; plants grown using natural methods maintain their ability to produce feasible seeds, something that mainstream crops have lost.
The garden is spread across an area of 250 square yards. It is divided into two parts — fruits and vegetables along with creepers. The higher soil bed is for vegetables and creepers. The fruit plants are lined up along the boundary wall. The vegetables range from tomatoes, potatoes, coccinia, peas, brinjals, okra, cabbage, cauliflower, pumpkin to leafy ones like spinach, coriander and amaranthus. Some of the fruits are papayas, guavas, mangoes and bananas. The produce is self-sufficient for him and his family. Rajnikanth distributes the extra produce amongst his neighbours and tells them the importance of self sufficiency.
“Apart from the obvious physical health benefits of going organic, it also offers many mental health benefits. Spending time in your garden, working with the soil and plants, can be very meditative and peaceful. It is a kind of exercise that keeps you engaged,” he adds.