From buckets to raised beds to old tires, there are countless ways to grow food in an urban setting. It’s especially easy here in the southeastern U.S., where tiny green spaces are easy to find. But what about a fully concrete environment? A place where buildings, not trees, provide the only shade. That’s where urban gardening gets tricky. And that’s also where innovation ramps up. Check out this story on urban farmers in India.
You don’t need to be an agricultural scientist to grow vegetables in concrete. City farming requires a gunny sack or drum in which holes are drilled for aeration. The containers must be open at both ends in case of sacks, hence the base is cut open. The bottom half is filled tightly with biomass, preferably sugarcane residue (baggase). The remaining space is filled with compost and then normal garden soil. It’s now ready for sowing seeds. These bags are placed on the terrace or on balconies. Water them on and off, keep adding organic waste, and soon you can see the fruits of your labour.
Using homemade compost (by leaving garbage, tea leaves, food, etc. covered for a couple of months to undergo aerobic bacterial decomposition turning it into fertile soil), he has managed to get a pretty impressive terrace yield: spinach, sweet potatoes, beans, bitter gourd, tendli, brinjals chikoos, pomegranate, even pineapples, and flowers such as juhi, hibiscus, mogra and rose
