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Reaping the fruits of fervour

terrace gardening
Last Updated 08 February 2015, 15:52 IST

It would be an understatement to call them a small community for terrace gardeners are a fast-growing community in Bengaluru.

Terrace gardening has caught the fancy of a large number of young and middle-aged people. In fact, the working category form a bulk of terrace gardeners.

They go by the mantra of maximum utilisation of limited space. These avid growers confess that they have always loved gardening and found it a great stress-buster.

They admit that before getting into this on an active scale, they thought it would be a hard task but once they began the process, they felt it couldn’t be a more rewarding experience.

It is not only vegetables and fruits that are grown, these terrace farms have a good amount of herbs and flowering plants as well. Soni Bhattacharya, founder of the ‘Painted Sky’, a leadership development company holds a full-time-job but she has found time to do what she has been yearning to for a long time — terrace gardening.

Her terrace garden has flowering plants in addition to fruits, vegetables and a few herbs. As a child, Soni’s family was always into gardening and the produce would be distributed among the neighbours. So she started terrace gardening because she believes that it’s a healthier trend.

“What matters is not just how fresh the fruits and vegetables are but also where they come from and what kind of nutrients and pesticides they have absorbed. Consumption of home-grown food is a healthy and an environmentally sustainable option,” feels Soni.    
BN Viswanath was among the pioneers to introduce and popularise the concept of terrace gardening among people. What began in his backyard soon grew in size.

He states that he began with telling people to “grow what they eat and eat what they grow” and today he’s thrilled that more than those retired, it is the youngsters and working couples who have taken to terrace gardening in a big way.

“It has caught on among a lot of people who have realised that most of the fruits, vegetables and food bought off the shelves contain preservatives and that have long-term effects on the mind and body.

This is what has driven people to start growing plants whether food or just herbs in whatever spaces available in their houses,” he states. He also notes that a few builders have incorporated provisions for terrace gardening in the building design.

“Even builders are promoting the concept of growing some greenery in your house,” he adds. He notes that terrace gardening might come across as a cumbersome task but it is not so when one actually gets into it.

“It’s becomes an addiction with time,” he shares. Prasad Shetty says that his interest in terrace gardening grew only recently. He says that the garden has now become an integral part of their home and family.

“It's no longer a hobby now but a habit. I think it's the best way to experience nature in a concrete jungle,” says Prasad. He says that he has begun seeing more people have their own gardens and nurture it. “It doesn't cost much and the additional benefit of having your own fresh organic produce at your balcony gives me a high,” he adds.

Coming from Mumbai where people have no space to set up a green patch, Prasad was thrilled to give a shape and form to his passion in Bengaluru. “I have a gardener who comes in once in a way to help me. But rest of the time I do most of the gardening and it’s a great way to de-stress as well,” he sums up.

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(Published 08 February 2015, 15:52 IST)

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