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 'Hanging
Gardens' are normally confined to the realm of world wonders, but the space-starved city
residents are today looking to these as a practicable solution to urban gardening needs.
Many residents, who were earlier just longing for a garden in their cramped apartment, are
today looking skyward for solutions. As an 'ideas bank', the headquarters of Exnora
International has become the crucible for development of the concept.
'What you need is not a space in the house,
but a little space in your mind to raise that garden,' says Mr. M. B. Nirmal, founder and
chairman of the organisation. The Giriappa Road building in T. Nagar that he occupies has
been turned into a beautiful garden, only, it exists on the terrace of the house. All the
materials used to create the garden are either rejects or trash. Condemned tyres, poles,
pipes, pots and papier-mache structures have been used to raise vegetables, greens and a
few varieties of fruits. Creating a garden at home helps in many ways. A good saving on
the vegetable budget every month is attractive in itself, but as a bonus, it also helps
handle the household organic waste.
Raising such a garden is inexpensive, says Mr.
R. Govindarajan, Exnora's joint general secretary. The organisation through its Vocational
Training Service has trained more than 25 unemployed youth in this area. The attempts to
help the youth to earn a living through such innovative occupations will help many who are
unemployed, Exnora believes. Apart from the savings, there are quite a few advantages in
having a terrace garden. Main among them is the cool shade provided by the garden atop,
which stops direct radiation into the house, particularly during summer. Exnora (8283366)
is trying to put together a "Do It Yourself" module on 'home farming' which it
believes will help residents with their vegetable needs and simultaneously reduce the
waste generated.
 The list of possibilities includes 16 types of gardens to grow 14
varieties of vegetables and a dozen green plants. The gardens can be grown in such things
as poles, pipes, drums, racks, sacks, curtains, and, of course, pots. The produce could
range from bitter gourd, beans, capsicum, ladies finger and tomatoes to bananas. To
provide the fertilizer inputs, a fashionable kind of home composter is now ready at
Exnora, looking like a postbox, and working on the principle of aerobic composting through
porous inlets. With standardisation of the design, it has potential for sponsorship and
large-scale manufacture, say eco-activists. "One drum can help grow a couple of dozen
vegetable plants, by making holes on the sides, when you don't have space for four,"
is the new slogan.
L. Subramani
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