Gardening

Ripples of excitement ran through the assembled gathering when Margaret Alva, the governor of Uttarakhand came to inaugurate a little plant fair in Bangalore. Simple and unassuming in her trademark silk saree and bindi, the governor who has been associated with The Association of people with Disability (APD) for years, inaugurated the sale without any fanfare. Sale: The Association of People with Disability,  6th Cross, Hutchins Road, Off Hennur Road,  Lingarajapuram, St. Thomas Town Post, Bengaluru 560 084. Ph:  25470390, 25475165 "Margaret Alva is on a visit to Bangalore and supports anything that can help people with disability, as well as the environment of Bangalore,” says…

Namma Bengaluru - the so called 'naturally air-conditioned' city has long since lost its claim to this epithet. We do have summers and winters now and for all practical purposes, winter is not far away. Growing Radish in containers. Pic: Manikandan P. For me winter typically conjures up images of cold weather warmed by the winter sun, yummy carrot halwa, hot radish /cabbage parathas with pickle, comforting soup and masala tea. And a recent trip to the hills not only convinced me completely that cold weather makes one eat more; It also reinforced the excitement and joy of growing one's…

The recently concluded two-day national seminar on Organic Terrace Gardening at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) Alumni Association Convention Centre, Hebbal was in all respects a great meeting point and a good start to a process that seeks to become a nation-wide movement. One of the primary objectives of organising such a seminar was to ensure that organic terrace gardening spreads as a movement across the country, rather than merely as a hobby or passion for a select few. There was also a need felt to bring together like-minded practitioners, individuals and institutions on a common platform and use…

Vinay Chandra is a man with a mission. What started off as a personal interest in nature, farming and organic agriculture, has for the last year become a zealous drive to help more and more city dwellers like you and me to make our own little patch of green. Square foot garden. Pic courtesy: Vinay Chandra. Before starting his initiative to help set up kitchen gardens, Chandra did a lot of ground work. He spent a lot of time with with organic farmers and activists and read a lot on organic farming. He visited many organic farms in and around…

Radish grown in Manikandan's terrace garden. Pic Courtesy: P Manikandan. P Manikandan used to garden during his school days. After a break prompted by preoccupation with higher education, he restarted in January 2008, at his fourth floor apartment on Bannerghatta Road. So gardening, he says, has always been a passion. He now grows his own vegetables using organic methods so that they are pesticide-free. He also has ornamentals that include roses, Crotons, Coleus, Dahlia, Zinnia, Rudbeckia, Oleander and Jasmine. P Manikandan. Like most planners and gardeners, Manikandan first decided on a few key aspects like the size of the garden,…

I hate to wake up on winter and rainy mornings. Bangalore weather is so perfect that the comfort of the bed is impossible to leave; only the strong aroma of filter coffee can shake me awake.   Over the past two weeks, however, I have found newer reasons to spring out of bed - ever-surprising plants! With the monsoon rains, my 15 feet by 3 feet balcony has transformed into a live garden, blooming with flowers and tons of leafy vegetables (kadipata, kothmir, dhantu, chukaku, palak), chillies, beans, ridge gourds, bitter gourds and so on.   Plucking fresh vegetables and leaves right…