India: Bengaluru home gardeners find their mojo during the pandemic
From 90 to 100 home garden setups every month before the pandemic, they help build 180 to 200 gardens per month now.
Anila Kurian
Citizen Matters
June 17, 2021
Excerpt:
Starting on a small scale is Harish Kalyanpur, a software engineer. He’s using his 700-sq ft terrace to grow red okra, banana, papaya, lemon, brinjal, and tomato, among others. Talking about his gardening experience, he says, “The biggest challenge is to fight pests and worms. You have to ensure that the soil is right and give them enough (space to) manoeuvre.”
Harish is taking the help of videos online to understand how to improve his garden. “The vegetables we’ve harvested have been really good,” he says.
IT professional Bharathi P quit her job and decided to use her plot of land near Devanahalli to grow vegetables. She says, “I remember visiting farmlands as a child as my father used to take us there during summer vacations. But 25 years of corporate life never gave me a chance to pursue that interest further. So after I quit my job and after a small stint with home gardening, I decided to clean up the 2,500 sq ft of land and start farming.”
