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YOUR VIEW: Here Is How You Can Create A Tiny
Organic Farm On Your Terrace
TBI Reader
(http://www.thebetterindia.com/author/tbi-reader/)
November 13, 2014
Bangalore
(http://www.thebetterindia.com/topics/bangalore/),
Environment
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Waste Management
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In the YOUR VIEW section, we highlight some of the most

pertinent and interesting letters and opinions sent to us
by our readers. Have something to say? Write to us:
contact@thebetterindia.com with YOUR VIEW in the
subject line.

With the rising number of buildings and the

decreasing open space, terrace gardening is
emerging as a great option to have the best of
both worlds. Want to grow a terrace garden at
your home? Our reader and contributor Vikram
Kapoor shares with us his guide on how to
grow wonderful veggies, flowers and fruits
yourself.

lants also need love. They cant express

their feelings but if you take proper care they will

bloom, says Kishore Kumar, a Bangalore
resident who owns a terrace garden at his
home in Shantinagar.
A few decades ago, almost all houses in
Bangalore had a garden since plenty of space
was available. However, since the IT boom, this

space has been shrinking and today, it is almost

non-existent. In spite of scarcity of
accommodation, many people have come up
with novel ways to grow plants even in the little
available space. Terrace gardening is one of
them.

(http://www.thebetterindia.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/DSC1127.jpg)
Kumar struck upon the idea of starting his
garden around three years ago. He was very
enthusiastic about gardening but did not have
any space outside his house. This was when he
decided to start growing plants on his terrace. I
havent kept any care taker or maali. My wife and
I take care of our garden ourselves and it gives us
peace and satisfaction, adds Kumar.
Why terrace gardening?
A terrace garden does not need much
maintenance and it is hardly time consuming.
Just devoting 10-15 minutes daily to the
garden is sufficient for its upkeep. One can
indulge in gardening generally in the morning
hours before going to work. Most terrace
gardeners prefer having their morning tea and
newspaper on the terrace too.
Not just small flowering plants, one can also
grow vegetables on the garden. Organic and
home grown vegetables are a healthy
alternative to the pesticide-ridden vegetables
available in the market. However, big plants
and tress cannot be grown on residential
terraces because of their weight. One should
water these plants with care so that the soil
does not spread out. If the water falls with too
much force, it can result in dirt and soil erosion.
Any small area on your terrace or balcony
which has access to the sun light for at least 4
to 5 hours a day can be converted into a
vegetable garden.
One can harvest at least 400 grams of
vegetables per week depending on the crops
one chooses to plant. There are many valid
reasons behind growing plants and vegetables
on your terrace, some of them include getting
fresh, faster cooking, nutritious & wholesome
produce; it is cost effective and one also gets
food safety & guarantee; you get a choice of
vegetables, in fact, you can get Any Time
Veggies (ATV); it is therapeutic, relaxing,
educational and eco-friendly; it reduces our
dependency and wastage and on the whole,
is time well spent.

(http://www.thebetterindia.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/DSC1126.jpg)
How do you do it?
Waterproofing your terrace is a must to make a
proper terrace garden to ensure that it does
not result in seepage or other damage to the
building structure. If the terrace is big, it can be
divided into two parts one for garden and the
other for seating arrangements or for
some household chores. Artificial waterfalls
and colourful lights can also be installed, which
can enhance the beauty of these gardens at
night.
The concept of this mini farming becomes more
interesting and also provides you with a sense
of satisfaction when you can use your old
furniture as planter boxes. The old drawer, old
chair, old cupboards and shelves, plastic
bottles, tin containers, broken dressing tables
and old shoes can be painted with bright and
eye-catching colours and made ready to grow
many small plants which will enhance the
beauty of your terrace space.

(http://www.thebetterindia.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/DSC1125.jpg)
The daily leftover food in the home kitchen like
fruit and vegetable peels, rotten food items and
other wet waste are a rich source of minerals
for the plants and can be composted and used
as manure, helping us create a 100% waste-free
environment.
Kumar said that regular cleaning is required as
dry leaves and flowers also fall with the
changing seasons. Regular cleaning and
maintenance is a must for a beautiful garden.

Believe it or not, a large

number of birds come to our
garden. In fact, many a times
I have seen sparrows and
butterflies in the garden.
Also, many new types of
colourful and beautiful
birds come which cannot be
seen normally, adds
Kishore.
How to spread the culture of terrace gardening?
Mr. Kaushik from The Vittal Mallya Scientific
Research Foundation (VMSRF), a non-profit
research organisation, feels that conducting
workshops for kitchen gardening is an excellent
idea for the people to bring awareness about
organic food consumption in our country.
He says, Our motto is to teach people to grow
your own organic food. For this, we conduct
workshops on kitchen gardening so that people
can apply the same if they have open space like a
roof top, a balcony, an open ground space, etc.

(http://www.thebetterindia.com/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/DSC1124.jpg)
While I was having a final talk with Mr. Kishore,
he threw some light on the feeling
of satisfaction that one gets when one does a
great job to save the environment. Summer
evenings are great moments of surprise for my
friends when I take them to the terrace and they
feel as if they are in the arms of nature, said
Kishore
The terrace in most of our houses is an unused
space and it would be ideal for gardening. Help
yourself by not only making your environment
healthy but at the same time helping yourself
live a healthier life and also a peaceful one.
If the house owners will start applying this idea,
the day will not be very far when the garbage
issue of our country will end and all the waste
will be consumed by our own top and Green
garden.
- Vikram Kapoor
Excited? Here are a few people and groups that
can help you get started with terrace gardening.
1. Purna Organics
(http://www.purnaorganics.com/) Bangalore
2. Vani Murthy
(http://ecomurthy.wordpress.com/) Bangalore
3. A Facebook group
(https://www.facebook.com/groups/OrganicTerraceGardening/)
for more know-how

4. My Sunny Balcony
(http://www.mysunnybalcony.com/) can help
you green small spaces like balconies
Bangalore
5. Jiva Organics (http://www.jivaorganics.in/)
Hyderabad
6. Greentech Life (http://www.greentechlife.in/)
Bangalore
7. Urban Leaves India
(http://www.urbanleaves.org/) Mumbai
8. Hortitech Services
(http://terracegardenchennai.com/abouy-roofgarden.htm) Chennai
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us:
contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/thebetterindia) and Twitter
(@thebetterindia) (https://twitter.com/thebetterindia)About the author and photographer: Vikram
Kapoor is a young and enthusiastic freelance
journalist. He is presently working on various
freelance writing projects with well known
organisations and media agencies in India. Contact
him on vikram.sewa@gmail.com

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Add your thoughts about this story:

Addacomment...

Commentusing...

ChristinePereira
Perfectforgardenentusiastswithlimitedspace.Theycancreatetheirowncosy
rooftopGardensofEdenusingallthelittletipsyouhaveprovided.Welldone!
ReplyLike

213Novemberat06:53

VikramKapoorFreelanceWriterat
thanksforyoursupport!
ReplyLike16Novemberat10:15
YasmineClaire126followers
wonderful!wealsohaveaminiforestonourterrace.it'sahavenforbirdsand
keepsourplacegreenandcool.
ReplyLike

213Novemberat19:17

VikramKapoorFreelanceWriterat
thatsoundsreallygreatmam:)thankyouforsupportingyour
contributiontowardssavingenvironment!
ReplyLike16Novemberat10:14
MarianneFurtadoDeNazarethMKUUniversity

MarianneFurtadoDeNazarethMKUUniversity
IthinkthisisaverytimelypieceforuslivinginboomingcitiesinIndia.Goodforyou
VikramKapoor!
Keepwritingaboutourenvironment!
ReplyLike

213Novemberat00:05

VikramKapoorFreelanceWriterat
ThankyousomuchMarrianemam,thisistheresultofyourhardwork
andsupport:)
ReplyLike

113Novemberat00:50

RoopaPrakashBangalore,India
GreatworkMr.Kapoor
ReplyLike

113Novemberat05:39

VikramKapoorFreelanceWriterat
RoopaPrakash,mypleasuremam:)
ReplyLike16Novemberat10:15
SmitaPurushottam
Wonderfulidea.NoticethereisnoresourcecentreinDelhi...
ReplyLike

213Novemberat10:57

VikramKapoorFreelanceWriterat
thankyoumam:)
ReplyLike

116Novemberat10:13

VikramKapoorFreelanceWriterat
Smitamam,whenuobservefromabove,thosetinywindowsofaircraft,
allgreenucansee.whichisBangalore.IwishtoseeDelhiinsame
situation:)wejournalistaretryingandwilldothebesttomakeour
capitalcitygreen:)
ReplyLike

1Edited16Novemberat10:46

VabaniSankarSamantrayMember/PartneratMindpowerPlus
ThanksMrVikramKapoor..ItwasjustinmythoughtandYouhavepropelledthis..
ReplyLike

113Novemberat17:26

VikramKapoorFreelanceWriterat
Thanksforurappreciationsir:)
ReplyLike16Novemberat10:13
SarikaSalviVasudevIIMBangalore
AnyoneinPuneorcloseby?
ReplyLike

113Novemberat22:40

MeenakshiRaneGovt.Engg.CollegeUjjain
IstayinPuneandhaveaTerracegardeninWakad.
ReplyLike26Novemberat23:48
PPRadhakrishnanShenoyGovtCollegeofTechnologyCoimbatore
Goodattempt.Nicepresentationandwriteup.VeryusefulforOTGiansandNon
OTGians.
ReplyLike27Novemberat00:12
MohanSankaranarayananMysore,Karnataka
Wonderfultoemulate
ReplyLike17Novemberat03:14
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Jointhediscussion
Prasad
23daysago

thanksvkram,canyou
throwsomelightonthe
organicgarbage
compostingandhowit
hastobedone&putto
use.needmore
information&assistance

Reply Share

ash 24daysago

canyoupleasesuggest
anygroups/coachesin
delhiforthis?

Reply Share

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