Why Need Terrace Farming

Do you know why terrace farming is important? Are the fruits and vegetables we eat fresh, really nutritious for us? Probably not, but we are eating these fruits and vegetables as healthy. Because we don't have enough time to figure out where vegetables and fruits come from and how they are grown? By the time they come to our house from the farm, many of the nutrients of these vegetables have been exhausted and they are not fresh.

Now you will say, we cannot grow vegetables on our own, because we have neither much time nor space. But today we are going to tell you about, they have started growing vegetables at home for their use for almost four years. We are talking about a couple from Surat, Dr. Keuri and Paresh Shah.

Benefits of Terrace Farming 

Not that he had much time. He took time out from his busy routine and today he is growing more than 30 types of vegetables and more than 10 fruits along with herbs like black pepper, cardamom, turmeric, garlic.

Dr. Keuri is a paediatrician and her husband Dr. Paresh is a surgeon. He takes care of the plants and spends time with them every morning before going to work. Dr. Keuri says, “Because of these plants, a beautiful ecosystem has been created on the roof of the house. Many birds, butterflies and bees have started coming here. This garden not only gives us fresh vegetables but also gives us a feeling of being close to nature, which is very difficult to find in the city.”

Do multilayer farming on the roof

This Dr. couple also has their clinic in their house. His house is on the first floor and he does gardening on the terrace of about 400 square feet above. Because the sunlight does not come down properly at their house. So he started gardening on the terrace. There are some things to keep in mind while doing gardening on the terrace.

So that the weight on the roof does not increase much, so they made beds and started planting plants by adding about one foot of soil to it. Dr. Keuri says, “We were so fond of gardening that we always used to plant some saplings. About four years ago, when we realized that vegetables can be grown on the terrace, we took a course in terrace farming .So that we can do terrace farming with the right information and better methods.

He has planted saplings in multilayer. The first plants to be planted under the ground are turmeric, carrot, potato, radish, beet etc. Then there are leafy vegetables covering the ground like spinach, coriander, mint, fenugreek and mustard etc. In the third layer, slightly bigger plants like tomato, capsicum, brinjal, lady's finger, chilli etc. have been planted. There are also many vines on the terrace, in which vegetables like gourd, turai have grown. In the last layer, many fruit trees like Singapore Cherry, Pomegranate, Sitaphal, Chikoo etc. have been planted.

Using the right terrace farming techniques

Since both of them have a love for plants, they are always doing new experiments. Along with this, keep taking information about more and more plants, so that the productivity is good. Dr. Keuri says, “We have planted corn and jowar plants at small distances in the beds. These plants help to protect other plants from pests. Apart from this, plants with strong fragrance like Basil and Tulsi also protect against pests.

Plants are placed on the roof in such a way that one plant helps the other plant to grow. She says it's called companion planting. Like radish and fenugreek, planting turmeric plants along with turai improves productivity. In this way, there is a complete list of companion plants, according to which the plants have been planted on the roof. Solar panels are also installed on their roof. They have placed such plants under the solar panels which require less sunlight.

Home made organic fertilizer

Organic manure is an important part of terrace farming. Since he started growing fresh vegetables in this way keeping health in mind. Therefore, he does not use any kind of chemical or insecticide in gardening. He prepares the best compost at home from his kitchen waste. Dr. Keuri explains, “It is very easy to make compost and it can also save the environment from getting polluted. Now no biowaste goes from our house, instead it becomes food for my plants. You can also prepare organic manure with the help of vermicompost bed on the roof of your house, learn how to make organic manure.

Irrigation

For irrigation of trees and plants in terrace farming, if you use smart irrigation system like drip irrigation, rain pipe irrigation etc. So both the growth and productivity of plants increases.

Last year itself, he has also done waterproofing of his roof. He keeps on trying new things from time to time. Dr. Keuri says, “We have also planted black pepper and cardamom plants on the terrace. The plants are growing well and we are hopeful that flowers will emerge soon.”

Due to their passion for gardening, today they are able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. You must also try to grow something according to your place and time. Dr. Keuri says, “Once you start eating vegetables grown in your own home, then you will not like the taste of fruits and vegetables in the market.”