© S RaghuEarlier this year, we ran a contest – the Patchaimadi Thottam Challenge – inviting people to submit creative ideas on how to inspire 300 RWAs to take up rooftop vegetable gardens in their localities within the next 12 months. We followed up with some of the Patchaimadi Thottam Challenge Winners and were so pleased to receive photographs of their gardens! Here are some of the images we received from Hemavathi G, Seetha Gopalakrishnan, Oinam Devi & Rob Peck, and S Raghu.
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© Indra GardensNM Mythreyan, who works at a car factory, was inspired to set up a garden after attending a kitchen garden workshop in 2013. The workshop he attended helped him reconnect with gardening almost 40 years after he was introduced to it by his mother who had a beautiful flower garden at home. Mythreyan says that he always had a passion for gardening but was not trained in it. The 2013 workshop re-kindled his passion for it and drove him to set up an organic garden of his own on the terrace of his independent house.
© Gayatri RamachandranGayatri Ramachandran began gardening under her mother’s guidance when she was 11 years old. They planted many trees and shrubs together in their home but over the years, her mother took sole responsibility for the garden. Then, 2016 onwards, Gayatri started paying more serious attention to the garden when she began implementing a permaculture design approach for her garden.
© Sumithra SrikanthSumithra said, “Whether it was the Tsunami or Cyclone Vardah or this lockdown, while people around me panicked about procuring vegetables. I was calm and enjoyed harvesting from my terrace and cooking without a hassle. I decide the menu based on what I harvested each day. It is a joy to see that the seed you have sown has sprouted, flowered and is giving you vegetables for your consumption.”
© The Organic FarmAlladi Mahadevan founded his farm, The Organic Farm, in 1995. Not willing to lose his roots, and inspired by his father, he decided to start this farm in the Chennai area. With a background in agricultural economics, he travelled the world to understand how to set up an organic farm and to learn about sustainability. Through his travels, he learnt how to be sustainable and realised that profitability would come as an added benefit and should not be prioritised.
© The Better IndiaOn a 500 square feet terrace, Muthu grows 25 varieties of vegetables and has more than 100 grow bags.
Kalpana ManivananKalpana Manivannan, quit her full-time job as a high school biology teacher and an academic coordinator to become an organic farmer. Her passion to grow food was born out of the desire to provide her family with clean, nutritious, toxin-free food. Her aim was to try and completely cut out the harmful chemicals that are regularly ingested through food, cosmetics, cleaning equipment and other household products.
© The Better IndiaSS Radhakrishnan, a 72-year-old Chennai-based home gardener, has been making a soil substitute for his plants for the past 11 years. He says this potting mix is lighter compared to regular soil, and it is ideal for urban gardeners who are growing plants on their terrace or balcony.
Special ArrangementI started my rooftop garden exactly a year ago with almost no knowledge on what it takes to grow a vegetable plant at home. Today, I have evolved to a point where I can share my harvest with neighbours even during these times.
Special ArrangementHere are two stories, both rooted in the lockdown – one from a terrace in Jafferkhanpet and the other from a balcony in Nungambakkam – that prove home gardening is an environmental, social and civic intervention.
The HinduA final sprinkle of green garnish makes a dish complete. That said, many across the country are finding themselves hunting for such greens during the ongoing 21-day lockdown.