A terrace garden becomes a garden of hope

In the middle of the city, on the terrace of an apartment building, is where one man is trying to prove self-sufficiency in food security.

John PY has been a resident in Oman for three decades and has beautiful memories of living here and practising his hobby – growing his own vegetable garden.

All the seeds are from the vegetables he uses regularly. He does not buy soil as he uses the fruits and vegetable leftover to make compost manure. In return, the plants provide him with a nourishing variety of vegetables. As they are organic, there is a lot of interest from his friends, but what he achieved during the lockdown probably was the best reward he received.

The lockdown brought job loss as well as a cut in salary for many. That is when he realised the true potential of his vegetable garden. He was able to provide vegetables to individuals who were going through hardship.

“I came across some families who were going through challenges and I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to support them with my vegetables,” said John who looks forward to every evening after work to spend time with his plants.

“The fact that we are so high up on the terrace has the benefit of staying clear from the insects and pests. Our main visitors are the bees. And they are most welcome. Even otherwise I keep a closed bottle with two holes on the top on either side,” he said pointing out to the hanging bottle. The bottle has an organic mixture of brown sugar, banana and honey – all materials from the kitchen and once the insects fly into the bottle they cannot come out.

So for John, chemical pesticides are a big no. As we walk under the canopy of his creepers, pumpkins are waiting to be picked along with bitter and snake gourds. On the other side, there is a bunch of spinach just growing, and eggplants have sprouted flowers and growing in lengthy containers are onions as well as tomatoes and beans grow in the comfort of thrown away and recycled bathtubs and buckets.

Nothing is a waste as far as John is concerned as dead plants at the end of the season or after harvest go back to the soil as manure. There is no carbon footprint for his collection of vegetables. The surplus moves on as gifts. The seeds of the season are saved for the next round of planting when the weather is appropriate. Extra seeds are exchanged with other gardeners.

His objective is very clear – he wants to convey the message that everyone can make their own food within whatever space one has.

He is more than happy to give tips- “Bitter gourd is excellent for health especially for individuals who suffer from diabetes, however, people shy away saying it is too bitter. All you have to do is pour room temperature cooked rice water and it will reduce the bitterness.”

“A good fertilizer is powdered dry neem fruits and groundnuts mixed with banana and water,” he explained.

So don’t just throw away the seeds from your kitchen after cooking instead leave them on the soil to flourish.

BY LAKHSMI KOTHANETH