CHENNAI: Grow what you eat, know what you grow’ — Vijay Narasimha and his wife Vasundhara live by this motto. The couple works with the agriculture department of Karnataka government, and has their own terrace garden where they grow different types of vegetables and flowers. “We grow tomatoes, chillies, bottle gourd and green leafy vegetables. Almost three days a week, we get vegetables from the garden,” said Vasundhara, who pursued an MSc in genetics and plant breeding.
The couple, who has been practising gardening for three years at their home in Jalahalli, believes that if someone has the passion and interest, they can easily maintain their own garden without any additional help.“If you can take care of your kids, you can also take care of your plants,” added Vasundhara. According to Vijay, the green leafy vegetables available in the market are full of chemicals. Some of them are grown near sewage water or waste water of houses, and accumulate heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. “A lot of pesticides are sprayed on cauliflowers and cabbages, even before they are available in the market. The chemicals give a shine to vegetables, which the consumers are unaware of. Here, we only use neem oil in case there are any pests,“ said Vijay, who holds a degree in plant pathology.
He said as neem oil is a plant extract, neither will it have any residual effect on crops nor will it lose any nutrient value.The compost used for growing and maintaining crops is also prepared by them at home. They remove the soil and repot the plants every six months. The couple also practises hand pollination for some vegetables. “We do hand pollination to grow gourd family crops,” added Vasundhara. The couple has also built a vault-like structure for rainwater harvesting, which helps them save water to a large extent.They advice people to make a good compost using kitchen waste and dry leaves, when there is a balanced ratio of the two. “We use only fertilizers like urea, potash, and phosphorus required by the plant,” added Vijay.
Passion for a green environment
Starting with planting lemon plants, Vijay and Vasundhara Narasimha have now managed to grow various flowers and vegetables such as radish, beetroot, tomato, beans, hibiscus, marigold and more. They plan to grow tumeric and garlic in the next season.