Is any childhood devoid of playing in the mud and jumping in the rains? The essence of being a child lies in the ability to enjoy nature as it is. Waking up early to the sound of the rooster crowing or the dogs barking, getting to see the first rays of the rising sun, feeling the cool breeze, and many more are events that take place in the daily course of people’s life entwined with nature. Trees and plants have a big role as well. They are climbed up with joy and eating those freshly plucked fruits and vegetables gives a unique pleasure. These trees and plants are the heart of any city and they are what keeping mankind alive.
However, in the recent past, with everyone inching towards urbanization and development, these trees and plants have somehow lost their importance.
“A place nothing less than heaven, with buds nothing less than fairies and an emotion nothing less than love. It is, no doubt an abode of beauty and claims itself as GARDEN!”
Yes, gardening. Gardening is one of the top hobbies people prefer to have. It a great way to reconnect with nature in a small pace. It is known for the calming effect it casts on stressed individual. Gardening, in general does require ground. But in this current scenario, fetching land for everyone wishing to do gardening is impossible. Thus was born the idea of “Terrace Gardening”. Regionally recognized by the term “Maadi Thottam”, terrace gardening is a wonderful step towards a better tomorrow.
Owing to the current state of nature and depletion of trees, a lot of concerned citizens have taken a step and started these terrace gardens at their respective homes. Any step is commendable, be it small or big.
One such person is Mrs. Vijayalakshmi, a resident of Coimbatore city. She has been fostering her terrace garden for over a decade now. She happily expresses that spending an hour or two everyday gardening is a great exercise and relaxation in her busy schedule. She started this garden to grow greens since the ones in markets are medicated and could spoil health. With time, she added all the basic vegetables required in the kitchen like tomato, onion, beans, coriander, chillis etc. She used to grow them before her house, however for sunlight requirements and better ease, she shifted them to her terrace and started working on them full-fledged. She uses a mixture of red soil, regular soil and coir pith to grow the plants in grow bags. There is nothing inorganic with whatever she uses. From the manure to pest repellants, she makes them or buys chemical free ones. For instance, she makes compost at home using all the waste generated in the kitchen mixed with a spoonful of cane sugar. Another such manure she makes in using onion peels. Nearly 4 handfuls of the peels are let to soak in water for 5 to 6 days and the residual water is used to the plants. Further without wasting the peels, she uses them in the making of compost. It is her ideology that everything is available in the environment but it is our responsibility to put them to proper use. Nature contains solution to everything, it’s up to man’s creativity in putting them to proper use.
Watering the plants is a tedious job in itself. Each plant requires varying level of moisture and it needs to be tended accordingly. Vijayalakshmi, checks the moisture level of the soil every day and waters the plants only when they lack the sufficient water content. She waters them manually since she found the tube watering system a failure for they didn’t provide the necessary force of irrigation. Protecting and fostering doesn’t stop here. After every harvest, the soil worthiness needs to be examined. For this, she removes half the contents of the soil from the grow bags and refills it with fresh ones and manure. The three are mixed well and let to settle for atleast a week before the next seed is sowed.
She loves taking care of her garden. This is not just for her own benefit that she does such an act. She showcases utmost love to her surroundings and claims that the population of birds coming to her place has increased post setting up the garden. Only a person with zeal towards the environment and own self could continue a pious habit like this for over a decade. Kudos to her for all that she has done and more power to her for inspiring many others in stepping into saving the Mother Nature together! – -B Alankritaa
