Plants on display.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Women farmers of Karnataka will be the highlight of the Sankranti edition of Ragi Kana, a rural market held every Sunday off Bannerghatta Road.
Eighteen women farmers will talk about their expertise on stage. Rajamma, from Tondahalli village, is known for preserving native seeds, while Thimmakka, from Kudur, specialises in foraging greens. Geethamma is a dryland farming expert from Kotturu village. Sharadamma, from Kandugallu village, is an expert in millet and pulse cultivation, processing, and preservation.
They will also sell their grains and produce such as togari, avarekai, groundnuts, sugarcane, turmeric roots, and navane at the special edition, called Mahila Raitha Sankranti.
Additionally, 61 vendors will sell organic produce, and handloom and handicraft products.
To mark the harvest festival of Sankranti, huggi will be prepared (both savoury and sweet) using the produce brought by farmers to the day-long event.
On January 12, 10 am to 5 pm, at Ragi Kana, Gottigere, off Bannerghatta Road. Entry free. Look up @ragikana on Instagram
Oota from your Thota enters its 48th edition
Oota from your Thota (OFYT), a quarterly event promoting organic gardening on terraces and balconies in Bengaluru, returns on January 12.
Nearly 1 lakh Bengalureans have taken up terrace gardening since OFYT started 12 years ago, according to Garden City Farmers, the trust that organises the event.
The 48th edition of OFYT will feature 40 stalls selling gardening tools, seeds, seedlings, and organic produce like rice, lentils, millets, and vegetables. Organic snacks such as millet cookies, jackfruit and mango energy bars, and A2 milk ice cream will also be available. New products this time include biofertilisers like pongamia cakes, and 4-ft grow bags designed specifically for elderly gardening enthusiasts for whom it is difficult to bend.
Sanjeev Jaganmohan will teach participants how to grow vegetables and medicinal crops in containers on Sunday. In other workshops, Kavana S C will demonstrate plant propagation, Vasuki Iyengar will cover composting from household waste, and Sreenatha Rao will discuss orchid cultivation.
A 1,000 sq ft model will showcase terrace garden design. “Trees like the drumstick and papaya can line the edges. Vegetables should be grown in bags and greens in trays at the centre. Creepers such as gourds and beans can grow along the wall,” says founder-trustee Rajesh Subramanyam.
The Trust’s activities have given birth to over 30 Organic Terrace Gardening (OTG) groups across Bengaluru. To join, write to gardencityfarmers@gmail.com.
On January 12-13, 10 am to 8 pm, at MES Grounds, Jayanagar. Entry free. Contact 98441 08895.