TIRUCHY: Muthu Nagappan, a homemaker from Salai Road in Tiruchy city, has never been in want to go out to buy vegetables during these days of lockdown as her rooftop garden is fulfilling the family’s requirements.
Apart from that, she is able to spend time in a useful way despite being confined inside the house.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, she said, “Nine tenth of my time during the lockdown is being spent on the rooftop garden. It helps me in overcoming the boredom now. I take most of the vegetables and greens needed for cooking from my garden itself. There is hardly any need for us to step outside. But only to buy certain vegetables and groceries, we go outside.”
Muthu Nagappan grows brinjal, tomato, chilli, ladies finger and all types of greens in her rooftop garden and this cater to the need of her family members. She has been maintaining rooftop garden in about 500 sq.ft. for nearly a year.
She along with several other residents who grow rooftop gardens under the guidance of Ganga Organic Farms in Thiruverumbur have been taking part in a competition named as ‘Organic Terrace Gardening’.
Harihara Karthikeyan of the Ganga Organic Farms said “We are organizing the competition for our clients. We have about 1,500 clients in Tiruchy district alone. In order to keep their spirits up during the lockdown, we have come up with this plan. All they need to do is that they have to take pictures or videos of themselves in their rooftop gardens. They must wear masks. All the pictures and videos need to be sent to us on or before April 25.”
His team would select best pictures and allot marks based on various factors like maintenance, arrangements, amount of vegetables, flowers and greens in the gardens.
He added, “We will be giving more points to children and also to the elderly people in order to encourage them into this.”
The competition was announced three days ago and it is expected to get about hundred entries.
One of the participants, N Nagarajan of Mannarpuram, said “Usually we do not grow much during summer. But this time, I have taken extra efforts to grow coriander, chilli and some greens. As I have started growing them recently, I plan to take the pictures later to submit for the competition.”