Facebook groups sow seeds of gardening

CHENNAI: Fruits and vegetables, artificially grown with the help of chemicals and fertilisers these days, are harmful to one’s health and do not provide proper nutrition. My motive behind gardening is to give my family and neighbours chemical-free food,” says 53-year-old Poonam Bhide, who lives at Viman Nagar in Secunderabad.

Started gardening in 1979, she says that we should let Nature the way it is and not tamper with it. She had never thought of gardening until she came across Facebook groups promoting organic gardening. Out of curiosity she joined the groups and went on to discover the beauty and benefits of gardening. Inspired by gardeners across the country, from just a flower garden she has now developed an organic garden. This garden is spread out in an area of approximately 175 yards. Currently, she is growing vegetables like brinjal, cucumber, snake gourd, tomatoes, chilly, drumstick, and potatoes. She says, “I have not bought vegetables from the market for the past two years. The produce from the garden is self-sufficient and I also give the extra to my neighbours.” Fruits include guava, papaya, pomegranate and coconut. From her produce, she makes jams, chutneys and healthy drinks.

Adding to the list, she also specialises in terrace gardening. She does not use any kind of container for the plants. Layers of fertile soil are developed directly on the slab. The making of soil layer is a four-month-long process. Slab beds with dimensions 12 by 3 feet using a mix of leaf litter and soil. She also grows 26 varieties of leafy vegetables. She not only specialises in growing indigenous plants but also exotic plants. Exotic plants include passion fruit creeper and vengeri brinjal. She takes extra care of the exotic plants and has successfully grown 10-feet tall plant of vengeri brinjal variety. Apart from this, medicinal plants are abundantly found in her garden. In a city where there is water scarcity, she is trying to promote the idea that throughout the year, soil needs to be covered with mulch. This helps prevent evaporation of water. “Outdoor burning of waste and leaf litter is not advisable. So composting and mulching comes to the rescue.

Composting is a microbial process that converts plant materials such as grass clippings and leaves to a more usable organic soil amendment or mulch. Gardeners have used compost for centuries to increase soil organic matter, improve soil physical properties, and supply some of the essential nutrients for plant growth. Mulching refers to the practice of applying a layer of materials such as compost, leaves, or grass clippings to the soil surface in order to modify soil temperature and moisture as well as control weeds and soil erosion,” she explains. She traps rainwater in and around her residence to water her plants. Gate valves are switched to direct water from washing machine and bathrooms into garden pipes which are directed into soil and specific plants. Kitchen waste water is also stored to water plants during summer.
Poonam is a theatre and Hindustani music enthusiast. “Gardening gives me peace of mind. I love to be in tune with nature.”