Govt employee sets example with his rooftop garden

It is common to see farmers growing vegetables required for daily use on land. However, in TVV Layout in the town, retired Social Welfare Officer B Nanjundappa has cultivated a rooftop garden using recyclable materials like plastic water cans, buckets and other vessels.

Nanjundappa’s family uses the vegetables grown on their rooftop for cooking daily, benefiting from the consumption of fresh vegetables. He uses wet waste from their kitchen as organic manure for the plants. Not only does his family use the vegetables for their consumption, they also share them with their neighbours.

While the neighbours found the idea funny in the beginning, they are now beginning to follow suit. They are convinced by the fruits of labour that can be obtained with organic manure, rain water and a little care.

On the rooftop garden, Nanjundappa has been growing tomato, brinjal, chilli, beans, cluster beans, ginger, spinach, coriander and pudina, among others.

The entire family chips in to keep the plants disease-free. It is Nanjundappa’s hobby to tend to his garden in his free time.

“We have been using the fresh vegetables from our rooftop garden for ten years now. It is a joy to eat fresh vegetables that we have grown,” said G Susheela.

In recent times, vegetables and other produce are being fertilised with chemical fertilisers. This has adverse effects on one’s health. In such a situation, a person growing fresh vegetables utilising household waste as organic manure is certainly a role model.
DH News Service