Grow your veggies on your terrace

The yield of a vegetable plant depends on whether it has been planted in a pot or in the ground. But on an average, a single plant can provide enough for one meal every 15 to 20 days, reports Tasneem Nashrulla.

Tomatoes cost Rs 24 a kg, ladyfingers Rs 40 a kg, carrots are Rs 15 a kg while a small bunch of spinach and fenugreek (methi) costs Rs 10.

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Preeti Patil gets them all for free, straight from her balcony.

The Dockyard Road resident belongs to a small but growing tribe of city farmers who, spurred by the spiralling

price of fruits and vegetables, grow them at home.

“You use organic waste to grow your own fresh produce and you’re saving money,” said Patil (42), who started Urban Leaves — an orgnisation that conducts terrace-farming workshops — seven months ago.

The three workshops conducted have seen an average of 45 people, with the last one in September seeing 55 attendees. The next workshop, in February, has a waiting list of 20 people.

Homemaker Jyoti Bhave (39), a volunteer with Urban Leaves, said: “Many people have shown an interest in this concept but only 10 per cent of them actually have the patience to do it.”

While making chemical-free soil takes almost three months, it takes a year to get the first harvest.

The yield of a vegetable plant depends on whether it has been planted in a pot or in the ground. But on an average, a single plant can provide enough for one meal every 15 to 20 days.