Rising up, the aroma of freshly made jalebis and kachoris would gently drift into my nostrils, accompanied by the faint strains of Jagjit Singh’s ghazals, signalling the beginning of my Sundays!

Enveloped within the calming melodies of those songs, my father would take care of his little inexperienced paradise on the terrace. He would name this the “finest use of a terrace” and tending to his backyard “a Sunday well-spent”.

Right here’s a compilation of 5 such passionate homemakers and gardeners who’ve made essentially the most of their balconies and terraces. They’ve cultivated a various array of produce — starting from mangoes to strawberries, and from broccoli to turmeric.

1. Bangaru Jhansi, Visakhapatnam

Bangaru Jhansi (28) has reworked her terrace right into a verdant jungle spanning 800 sq. toes. Bursting with a various array of decorative and medicinal vegetation, verdant leafy greens, blooming flowers, and towering fruit timber, her terrace backyard has emerged as a hub for sustainable farming.

The inexperienced oasis boasts over 600 vegetation — together with watermelon, drumsticks, spring onions, star-fruits, three sorts of mangoes, yellow and red-coloured jackfruits, candy lime, two sorts of oranges, Barbados cherries, strawberries, blueberries, dragon fruit, and so on.

Final yr, she was honoured with the celebrated Dr IV Subba Rao Rythu Nestham award by the previous vp, M Venkaiah Naidu, for her exceptional terrace backyard.

Knowledgeable tip: Sharing the right potting combine to develop natural veggies at residence, Bangaru shares that the right potting composition contains 30 p.c vermicompost/kitchen waste compost/cow dung, 30 p.c soil, 30 p.c cocopeat, and 10 p.c neem cake.

2. Pinnaka Padma, Hyderabad

At 59 years outdated, Pinnaka Padma confronted a predicament. With frequent relocations throughout completely different cities alongside her husband, she by no means had the chance to nurture a backyard. In opposition to all odds, she has reworked her residence within the coronary heart of Hyderabad right into a thriving mini-jungle, flourishing with over 1,000 vegetation, meticulously nurtured in 600 pots.

The variety is astounding, encompassing greens, fruits, and flowers alike — together with mangoes, Indian gooseberries, aloe vera, fenugreek, tomatoes, curry leaves, turmeric, cucumber, and broccoli.

The award-winning gardener additionally spends time recording movies for her YouTube channel ‘Patnam Lo Palleturu’, which boasts over 4 lakh followers.

Knowledgeable tip: Sharing one among her many concoctions to maintain vegetation wholesome, Pinnaka says, “Combine 150 ml of coconut oil with neem oil, cooking oil, mustard oil, and eggs. This combination serves as a wonderful liquid fertiliser that may be sprayed on the vegetation, offering important proteins for his or her progress.”

3. Aman Sharma, Delhi

Aman was simply an adolescent when he launched into remodeling his 1,500 sqft terrace into an city jungle in Delhi. Rising up with a deep ardour for birdwatching and wildlife, he was pushed to create a secure haven to draw birds and butterflies.

Now in his twenties, Aman shares, “At any time when I am going out, I at all times maintain an eye fixed out for locating a slicing or sapling of a plant. Moreover, I’ve travelled throughout Delhi, visiting forests to gather plant cuttings. At present, I’ve greater than 500 vegetation on my terrace which magnetize a whole bunch of birds and butterflies.”

Knowledgeable tip: Sharing recommendations on appeal to butterflies and birds to your city jungle, Aman shares, “Plant the required host vegetation: powderpuff, milkweed, lemon tree and curry — vegetation the place butterflies lay eggs that flip into caterpillars that ultimately flip into butterflies.”

4. Sunita Prasad, Bihar

Vertical gardening is often perceived as an costly farming technique. Nonetheless, Sunita Prasad (47), a homemaker from Bihar, is difficult this notion. She ingeniously utilised two five-foot PVC pipes and bamboo to domesticate greens and fruits — showcasing the affordability and effectivity of vertical gardening.

She was pushed by the purpose to offer her household with chemical-free produce. With a modest funding of Rs 1,000, this homemaker now reaps the rewards of as much as 5 kg of natural greens and fruits weekly — together with brinjal, okra, cabbage, and strawberries.

Knowledgeable tip: Bashing all of the claims about vertical farming being an costly affair, Sunita Prasad shares a fool-proof and low-cost approach of organising your individual, “Take a five-foot pipe, and lower as many components in response to the variety of saplings/seeds you may have. Fill ¾ th a part of the pipe with soil and plant the seed/sapling. Add a mix of vermicompost or every other natural fertiliser to the soil.” 

5. Ravneet Kaur, Ludhiana

All of it started when Ravneet Kaur launched into rising wheatgrass to assist her ailing father. Subsequently, she delved into experimenting with cultivating varied greens and fruits, aiming to offer her household with a chemical-free food plan. As her household rallied to assist her efforts, her terrace blossomed with 200 vegetation throughout its 2,000 sq ft expanse.

Ravneet meticulously adjusts her crops in response to the climate, nurturing cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, radish, and carrots in winter, and transitioning to cucumber, bitter gourd, woman’s finger, pumpkin, squash, tomatoes, and melons in summer season.

Ravneet additionally reworked into an Instagram influencer by sharing her experience, inspiring over 1.8 lakh followers to delve into gardening.

Knowledgeable tip: “As a lot as doable, plant issues which might be indigenous to the place you reside in,” says Ravneet. Search for desi seeds out of your native nurseries and communities. You’ll discover these vegetation rising higher, she shares.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat)