HYDERABAD: Though super markets come to our rescue now, we’ve always been self-sustaining organisms, which included growing our own food. With the rise in ground pollution through pesticides and what-not, many have now taken to our ancestors mantra again, of growing our own food.
The move is in the right direction but many new world problems persist and the biggest is space constraint. Most traditional homes in India have always had a kitchen garden in their backyard. But forget backyard, a decently sized balcony is a luxury as well now. That isn’t to say that starting a kitchen garden is impossible. Necessity is the mother invention, and new ideas are galore today.
From cultivating your window sill to arranging levels in your balcony, growing green spaces is the new trend.
“Kitchen gardening is the art of growing vegetables, fruits, herbs within the space available in your house. This could be a balcony or a terrace. It ensures inexpensive and a regular supply of fresh vegetables where you need not worry about pesticides. These days kitchen gardening has picked up as a trend since everybody want to be eco-friendly,” points out Shyamala Kolluru, an interior designer.
The State government’s scheme of helping urban households grow such spaces has also given impetus to people willing to try it out. Under this scheme, the Department of Horticulture is providing seeds, neem cake and other supplements with a 50 per cent subsidy. Says Dr MG Deva Munireddy, deputy director of Horticulture, “A person who wants to be a part of this scheme must have a minimum area of 50 sqft available in his backyard or balcony or terrace with water facility and adequate amount of sunlight.” Jalagam Aruna, a horticulture officer, adds, “We started this scheme only last year, but today we have 700 scheme holders. Kitchen gardening not only provides you with fresh and nutritious vegetables but greenery gives one happiness.”
Nurture the wild
If you don’t have the required 50 sqft, you don’t have to worry. Plus that also means maintenance becomes easier. To have your own kitchen garden, all you need is a patch of your house where there is adequate sunlight. The right choice of vegetables and some care will ensure a regular supply of basic ingredients like chillies, curry leaves and so on. Also opting for those vegetables which grow quickly and do not require much space would be a smart idea.
Earthen pots or wooden boxes are ideal for growing vegetables but bamboo baskets and cement rings can also be used. Suparna Sripati who is into kitchen gardening shares, “I have different varieties of vegetables in my terrace garden. I grow them in cement rings and my produce ranges from creepers like gourds to leafy vegetables like spinach and coriander. They taste different from the ones available in the market as they are pesticide-free. Besides the happiness that I grow my own food, I have the satisfaction of giving my family healthy food.”
Apart from having handful of veggies for a meal, kitchen gardens are one step closer to a healthy micro-ecosystem and lifestyle.