Amid lockdown, gardening emerges to be a sustainable hobby

Chennai

Those practising and teaching it say that it not only is a sustainable hobby but also contributes to the needs at home without needing to venture out.

Residents of the city find that spare time on their hands has allowed them to properly pursue their passion for gardening on a larger scale, which they were unable to do before due to its time-consuming nature.

“I got into gardening 10 years ago, but only recently have I got a chance to properly work on my garden due to the shutdown. It is a very therapeutic experience for me. Amid all of the chaos going around, it is an activity that calms me and gives a moment of quiet,” said Ritu Rajiv, a local architect.

With shops closed during the lockdown, locals find themselves establishing a self-sustaining garden by using vegetables from the kitchen for seeds and kitchen waste as manure and soil.

“We are thinking of starting a kit consisting of soil, pottage and other essentials to distribute it to those who are interested in gardening. But locals can even use empty plastic containers and old buckets as pots to grow crops. It is a very easy and forgiving process,” said Anju Agarwal, member of the Green Goddess initiative, which assists people in living eco-friendly lives.

Their organisation has also assisted residents in the organic gardening process so that they can grow chemical-free produce at home.

Another member, Jayashree Vivek, said that this is a huge plus point for those interested in gardening during the shutdown, as many are concerned about eating fresh and clean meals.

“We want people to set up and maintain their gardens organically.

This lockdown made people realise that they need to grow their own produce as it is very useful and safe. Till now, people did not understand the importance of a home garden, and many are looking at setting up a terrace garden in their homes in the future as well,” said Preethi Thiagharagan, another member of Green Goddess.