Setting up organic kitchen gardens in Pune

The terrace at Animesh Topno’s house used to serve as a place to dry clothes, until he came across a presentation on organic kitchen gardening. The area is now home to spinach, broccoli, methi (fenugreek leaves), tomato, basil, beetroot, cucumber, carrot, radish, onion and other veggies. Topno, a project manager in an IT firm, is the latest convert to the current trend of organic kitchen gardening, in the city. With reports of existence of pesticides in fruits, vegetables and food items becoming a regular feature in newspapers and magazines, many, like Topno, are turning to get their hands dirty and are setting up their own organic kitchen garden.

A kitchen garden is not a new concept for Punekars, with many of them growing up in big houses with a tree of chikoo, custard apple, guava, and harvesting seasonal veggies and herbs.

However, what’s new is the drive to go organic. Simply put, organic produce translates into no harm to the plant, soil or the environment. The followers of the organic sect do not use any chemical fertiliser or pesticide. Armed with neem oil pesticide, gobar khaad (cow dung manure), and vermicompost the environment-friendly brigade, which includes CEOs of companies and housewives alike, is growing stronger in the city. 

Why they switch
For most it’s the pesticides that are found in vegetables in the market, for others it’s the ever rising prices of vegetables and fruits, which leads them to become organic kitchen gardeners. Topno, however, wanted to use the space on his terrace. “I have a bungalow. While on the ground floor garden I have planted flowers, I wanted to use the terrace for gardening too,” says the NIBM resident who started with common herbs like coriander which ‘one usually runs out of’.

Owner of a big outdoor space (2,000 sq ft), Shrikant Pittie, wanted to utilise the slope area of his house on the river bank in Koregaon Park. “It’s hard to get good quality produce at the market. Whatever is available is laced with pesticides and chemicals. Thus the move to go organic,” says Pittie, CEO and president of Solar Energie Technik Ltd.

For Anupama Patil, a Kothrud resident, it was her daughter who got the kitchen garden installed on their terrace. “My daughter is very environmentally conscious. She keeps updating herself with new ways to be eco-friendly. While researching once, she came to know about organic produce and its benefits,” says Patil, who believes if one wants to eat organic, one might as well grow one’s own. Today, her 1,500 sq ft garden features vegetables like spinach, okra, potato, coriander and more. Happy with the results, Patil now intends to turn her farmhouse in Peacock Bay into an organic farming area.

Anil Sohoni, a building contractor, has a long association with home-grown produce. The sexagenarian has been gardening and harvesting brinjals, coconut, mango, gourds, beans, chikoo and other fruits and veggies since 1980. “The body that the plant/tree receives from organic farming is tremendous. And that translates into the taste of the produce,” says Sohoni, who also makes his own manure through a vermicompost unit.

The benefits of organic farming
Apart from the obvious reason that organic produce means no pesticides or chemicals, what draws some to organic gardening is that the produce is richer in nutrients. Vaibhav Dugar, co-founder of Ek Titli, an organisation which helps farmers and city residents set up organic kitchen gardens in their houses or farms, says, “It has been proven that the nutrient and mineral content in organic produce is up to 400% higher. Another major reason to go organic is the fatality of pesticides. Of all the pesticide that is sprayed, only 1% reaches the target pest, the rest goes into the food chain. That’s reason enough to go organic.” He also adds that the pesticides harm not only the pest but also humans and the ecosystem (birds and bees) at large.

Many studies support the concept of organic produce being more nutritious, richer in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids than non-organic foods. More nutrition would mean better health and immunity. But what stands out is the taste. “There is a remarkable difference in the taste of organic vegetables vis-a-vis non-organic ones,” says Patil adding “Also you are sure of what is going inside your system.” On a lighter note she says, “It has also attracted a lot of visitors. Many of my daughters’ friends come home to see and water the garden.”

Topno recounts the first time he harvested spinach from his kitchen garden, “I can’t forget that fragrance. It was so fresh and different. And naturally so, the taste too was very rich,” says Topno who finds the process of sowing-nurturing-harvesting an
extremely rewarding and satisfying.

Rajanish Joshi, an IT professional, vouches for organic vegetables. “It is easy to grow, it promotes a healthier environment and the taste is way better than commercial veggies,” says Joshi who has turned his 20X8 ft balcony into a small garden. He, however, has no complaints, “Space is a constraint, but I am extremely content with what I am doing.”