Gardening

The term 'gardening' automatically conjures up visuals of an enclosed planned space, usually outdoors, where both ornamental and food plants are grown. But with shrinking open spaces in urban areas, people have had to become more creative in order to become more green. Terrace gardens! Not only are these green patches a visual delight but they also help provide city farmers with a healthy, organic food palette, free of pesticides.

An expert on terrace gardens, Dr Vishwanath Kadur has some simple tips to grow food on one's roof in earthen pots. Panchgavya, a concoction made up of cow dung and urine, fermented with a host of other ingredients, is another organic solution that can be prepared conveniently. Vani Murthy explains how a roof garden can be enriched through vermi composting.

A garden is possible no matter where you live. All you need to do is to flex your green thumb! Read our FAQ on terrace gardens and get answers to some basic questions that will have you get started on this exciting venture!

 

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Featured Articles
July 9, 2019 Study shows how rainfall and temperature affect variety of plants in major bio-geographic zones of India
Image used for representational purposes only. Image source: India Water Portal on Flickr
July 1, 2019 Study reveals women are central to both food production and preparation, as well as to domestic water provisioning.
A woman from the Ahir tribe at Chapredi village, east of Bhuj with cotton husks. (Image: Meena Kadri, Flickr Commons, CC BY-ND 2.0
June 18, 2018 Ecological sanitation toilets are the best option to deal with mounting sewage burden in India.
Chicu with a pan used in ecosan toilet. (Photo courtesy: Chicu Lokgariwar)
February 17, 2016 Flood affected areas in coastal Odisha have adopted new ways of farming. Called floating gardens, these have the scope to reduce the food insecurities of the landless poor.
Women working on a floating garden (Source: RCDC)
November 22, 2015 Terrace kitchen gardens are slowly making their mark in the tourist hotspot. A couple helps those interested in organic farming either find good farmers or become one themselves!
Karan and Yogita at a workshop on organic container kitchen gardening
April 28, 2015 Policy matters this week
The Nakshatra Garden
Invite to a workshop 'The Square Foot Gardening Concept',Bangalore
An interactive class to learn an easy & fun way to grow vegetables, flowers & herbs on the farm, your terrace, balcony, patio or garden!
Posted on 06 Oct, 2013 09:41 AM

To know more about the organisers, please click here.

For further details on the programme, please see attached agenda.

The directions to the venue can be downloaded from below.

Square Foot Gardening Source:Wikipedia
200-crore penalty for Adani's Mundra port
News this week: 200-crore penalty on Mundra port, Parliament passes Land Acquisition Bill and dengue spreads in Mumbai. Posted on 08 Sep, 2013 07:32 PM

POLICY MATTERS

200-crore penalty for Adani's Mundra port

Land reclaimation from the sea at the Mundra Port
Invitation to 'The Green Bazaar', The Alternative, Bangalore
An event that makes conscious living an everyday possibility by bringing together, under one roof, a whole variety of sustainable products that can power your home and regular life.
Posted on 02 Sep, 2013 04:57 PM

For more information on this event, please click here.

For further details, please see the brochure for 'The Green Bazaar' and the press release attached below.

The Green Bazaar
Request for proposal 'City Partnerships for Urban Sanitation Service Delivery', Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation & UK Department for International Development (DfID)
A proposal to test how cities can use binding service-level agreements and performance-based contracts to ensure city-scale delivery of equitable & sustainable sanitation services.
Posted on 23 Aug, 2013 01:11 PM

For more information on the proposal sought, please click here.

Sowing the seeds of change
Self-sufficient farming gives women in rural Alipurduar in West Bengal food, health and confidence! Posted on 07 Aug, 2013 07:53 PM

Till a few decades ago, most people in India grew vegetables and fruits in their own gardens. Then something changed. We shifted from 'farming for food' to 'farming for money'. The start of the ‘green revolution’ meant that production increased but so did the farmer's dependency on chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides.

Garden irrigated by a single pot of water
How to make your home self sufficient- An open house workshop, The Alternative, Bangalore
It is definitely not easy to retrofit water meters, re-use STP water to flush tanks, or perform in-house composting- but at this workshop you'll learn how to make your home self sufficient.
Posted on 13 Jun, 2013 03:33 PM

Organisers 

The Alternative in collaboration with Apartment ADDA

Venue

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Domlur II Stage, Bangalore

About the workshop

Sustainable initiatives in an apartment/ community
A commerce ex-lecturer from Karnataka's Udupi district converts 25 acres of barren land into a lush green farm through rainwater harvesting
This article by Aarti Kelkar - Khambete narrates the story of a commerce ex-lecturer, who successfully transformed a barren piece of land into a self sustainable farm Posted on 20 Mar, 2013 05:46 PM

This story of the untiring efforts of a commerce ex-lecturer to convert twenty five acres of a barren piece of land into a self sustainable green farm, provides an ideal example of a model for rainwater harvesting and demonstrates how persistence and the sheer determination to go on till the end, can yield miraculous results.

AR Farms
Lets paint our cities green ! - Issues of collective effort come to the fore at the organic urban gardening conference in Chennai
A three day national conference on urban gardening seeks to answer city dwellers' quest for green with simple try-them-yourself options Posted on 06 Mar, 2013 10:25 AM

The maddening pace of cities have the potential to drive one up the wall.  But, there are options - to unwind and to mend the disconnect. Tending to plants is a popular hobby and it is a fact that a sizeable number of city dwellers have taken to gardening in the past, finding solace in twines and tendrils.

How to grow food on your roof ?: Video interview with Dr Vishwanath Kadur, an expert on terrace gardens
A terrace garden not only provides a wholesome, non toxic meal on your table but gives everyone in the metropolis their individual green peace space. Posted on 13 Feb, 2013 02:52 PM

Do you crave for home grown, pesticide free, healthy greens on your plate? Does lack of land stop you from soiling your hands and farming your meals?

Read on and learn to grow food on your terrace itself !


Interview with Dr Vishwanath Kadur, a terrace garden expert ( Source of video: Getta India)

Green islands amongst Mumbai’s brick and mortar: A video about some amazing work done by local citizens in setting up community gardens within the city
Lush green spaces thrive in the heart of Mumbai, thanks to a green initiative ‘ Urban Leaves’ that provides information and knowledge to the local community to reconnect with nature. Individuals, friends and families – all eager learners pledge their time and energy, come soil their hands and grow organic greens together. Posted on 07 Feb, 2013 11:32 AM

Source of video: Urban Leaves

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