Bengaluru: With time on hand, techies grow veggies in vacant plots, terraces

BENGALURU: Seven software engineers in a locality on the northern fringe of the city have turned to part-time gardening, growing vegetables during the lockdown. The seven, all residents of Kanakashree Layout in Hennur, have converted terraces and vacant plots in the layout into kitchen gardens, growing organic vegetables and greens.
Ravi Kumar Reddy, who is employed with an IT firm in the city, said it all began when they suddenly found themselves with loads of spare time after the nationwide lockdown was imposed.
“I am the son of a farmer,” Reddy said. “I knew certain techniques and I have learnt some more. I thought I would give it all a try. The results have been amazing.”
Reddy now grows 15 different kinds of vegetables including ladies finger (okra), beetroot, tomatoes, chilies and onions and has converted a vacant plot adjacent to his residence into a garden where he grows greens and other vegetables.
Six other residents in the locality, all IT professionals, have joined Reddy and are trying their hands out at cultivating vegetables in vacant plots or terraces. Reddy has turned mentor for some of them.
About 80% of the water used for the plants is recycled. “We have stopped using soap or detergent in the sink,” said Reddy. “We collect the water and use it to irrigate the garden. We also harvest rainwater.”
Reddy said he would never have gotten “his hands dirty” had the lockdown not been imposed. He said he simply did not have the time.
Sarath Chandra Mekala, another IT professional turned ‘farmer’, said, “My wife is more into gardening than I am, but I began helping her when the lockdown was enforced. Eventually I found myself liking it. The first 45-odd days was difficult since there was very little to show for our efforts. It was mostly a waiting game, but once we started seeing results, it got really exciting.”
The two IT professionals said they now want to be self-sufficient at least as far as vegetables are concerned. They plan to continue tending their garden even when things get back to normal.
Sarath and his wife grow several kinds of gourds along with cucumbers, tomatoes and brinjal on their terrace garden.
None of them use any sort of chemicals on the plants. Sarath said, “There is a big difference in the taste. It a lot tender and more succulent than the ones we buy from the market.”