Amid COVID-19 lockdown, kitchen gardens replace lawns in Kashmir

Colorful tulips, pansies, roses and daffodils won’t grace the flowerbeds at lawns of many of the residential houses in Kashmir this summer.

Track live updates on coronavirus here

Reasons: The inhabitants are replacing the flower beds with kitchen gardens to grow vegetables like pumpkins, brinjal, tomatoes, spinach and collard greens in an effort to overcome shortage of essentials amid the coronavirus lockdown.

Since vegetables are an inseparable part of daily diet, every individual is concerned about its supplies, freshness and quality. Kitchen gardening is seeing vegetable crops being grown in residential houses to meet, either in full or in part, family requirements seasonally or throughout the year.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases

While some in Srinagar have already replaced the flower beds with vegetables, for a few it’s the time to convert entire lawns in vegetable fields.

For businessman Manzoor Wangnoo, spring this year hasn’t been the same when he would love watering the colorful beds. The man, who lives on the banks of picturesque Niggen lake, has converted his lawn into a kitchen garden.

“Assuming the effects of COVID-19 will ripple through food systems, I am set out to turn my green grassy lawn into a traditional vegetable garden. Turning a field of green carpeting into a productive vegetable kitchen garden seems satisfying and noble at this juncture,” he posted on Facebook.

In response, Masoodi Rajpuri, former registrar of tertiary care SKIMS hospital, wrote: “Start thinking of production before it is too late - good idea!”

Similar views were expressed by Gazzala Amin, a woman entrepreneur from Srinagar. “Not doing flowers doing vegetables in flower beds this year,” she wrote on her Facebook wall.

Nighat Hafiz, an academician, while endorsing Amin’s call, said: “Need of the hour. Flowers can wait till we resurrect.”

Javeed Kakroo, who served as an officer in J&K agriculture department for more than three decades, says in the coming days as essential supplies will dwindle, kitchen gardening will be the best possible option for people.

“Agriculture Department, Kashmir, has already started a campaign to grow vegetables at home. The idea is to promote growing vegetables on available land strips within homes to meet the demand in the coming days,” he told DH.

Stressing for self-reliance and self-sufficiency in the present scenario, Kakroo said, “There can be a situation when despite having money, you can’t find essentials in the market. Growing essential supplies for the family through kitchen gardening can save us from so many hassles,” he added.