JOIN USTerrace gardening might be a known concept at homes. But, enthusiasts at the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS) in the City have set up a terrace garden on the rooftop of the institute.
Their staff mostly eats what is grown on their own terrace garden. On many days, they have enough produce to cook a meal for themselves. Set up about two years ago, the garden today has space for vegetables, fruits and greens.
In an era when space crunch is one of the major issues that urban spaces are battling, these enthusiasts wish to spread a message that it does not take a vast area to cultivate. On the fourth floor of their campus are a number of rectangular plastic pots.
A walk along this garden would inspire anyone to take up the initiative. Tomato, brinjal, capsicum and chillies are just a few plants to name. This apart, greens including spinach, mint, oregano, thyme, rosemary are grown. Cabbages and pomegranates too are cultivated on the terrace. Medicinal plants are also grown in the plastic containers.
What would it feel like to have tea on the rooftop garden with some fresh mint or lemon grass in it? Speaking to Deccan Herald, Captain K Pooja Vasanth, head, operations, IIHS, said that this was a privilege that they enjoy at the IIHS, having a garden of their own.
“As an institute that is committed to sustainable and efficient transformation, we find it important to take up initiatives like these,” she said.
Staff of the institute take time off to lend a helping hand in maintaining the garden. A gardener visits the garden regularly to offer gardening tips.
What comes out of their kitchen returns to the garden as manure. “Food leftovers and other refuse from the kitchen and a guest house nearby are collected and this makes fertilisers for the garden. It is completely organic and no chemicals are used,” said Vasanth.
Residents in Sadashivanagar area interested in rooftop gardening visit the institute on weekends and get a tip or two from the staffers there.