Urban farming in Mumbai
Travel by train on the Western line and you'll see them: rows of lettuce and other greens grown on the edge of the railway track using fertilizer of dubious provenance.
Despite Mumbai being an over-populated concrete jungle, there are still many humble corners where people grow food. Your balcony could be the next such space.
There are plenty of reasons why you should consider becoming a city-dwelling green thumb.
Growing crops makes your terrace or balcony greener, it provides a fresh supply of organic food, it reduces the environmental impact of food transportation and it makes you that extra bit more independent from your local market and food inflation. It also cools down your flat and increases oxygen content -- a welcomed perk for those living in this hot, polluted city.
One of the handful of people leading this push for urban farming in Mumbai is Adrienne Thadani. Along with her partner Karen Peters, she co-started a vegetable and herb garden on Bombay HUB's terrace in Bandra.
Thadani runs workshops and seminars on how to be a small-scale agriculturalist -- and the workshops are growing in popularity.
"For most people, the idea of growing food in the city is hard to imagine. Once they see the terrace at the HUB and realize that it's possible, they want to start doing it too," says Thadani.
If you want to jump on to the urban farming bandwagon, here's what you'll need to do:
1. Identify where you'll be growing the crops
Whether you've got a balcony, terrace, window-sill or garden, you need to make sure that the space is suitable for growing plants.
Pay attention to light conditions. If the space receives maximum daylight, then make sure you shelter your plants from the excess sun and water them regularly.
Depending on light conditions, you will then be able to choose which plants to grow.
"Plants in the mint family do well in the shade, and leafy green vegetables like spinach are also shade tolerant. Due to low-light the crops might not look great but they're definitely edible," says Thadani.
Other plants can't do without tanking up loads of sunlight.
"Tomatoes need a lot of sun, as does capsicum. Herbs usually like three to four hours of sun daily, so if you get morning or afternoon sun that should suffice," she says.
2. Choose the right soil
The best place to go for soil is a nursery, however you get the right type.
"Different plants require different soil, however, most grow best with a loamy, sandy soil that drains well," explains Thadani.
"Lemongrass, for example, requires soil with high draining capability, where as basil can grow well in clay soil, which drains less."
Apart from soil type, you need to make sure your soil is nutrient-rich too.
"Compost adds a lot of nutrients, and can be made easily with organic household waste. One can also use a mixture called amrit jal, developed by Urban Leaves, an NGO that advocates urban farming. The mixture includes cow dung, cow urine and jaggery," says Thadani.
According to her, it's not as foul-smelling as it sounds and it really helps enrich soil -- so don't shy away from it!
3. What to grow?
For beginners, it's best to start out with herbs.
If you plant basil, you'll be reaping your harvest in five weeks, not a long wait for that homemade pesto sauce.
Zucchini and cucumber also grow quickly, but vegetables like cabbage take two months and lime can take up to two years.
As winter season is coming up, Thadani recommends growing lettuce, spinach, cabbage and pumpkin.
"There are some crops that you can grow all year round though, like basil," she adds.
For those who like the idea, but don't have the time or the space for horticultural experiments, you can always just turn up at Mumbai's Farmers' Market or whenever the HUB announces their 'HUB Harvest'.
You can then buy fresh, organic produce from Thadani's garden and taste for yourself just how flavorful locally-grown food is.
The HUB is located at UnLtd India, 4th Floor, Candelar Building, 26 St. John Baptist Road, Near Mount Mary Steps, Bandra (W). More on Bombay HUB at CNNGo. Home gardening workshops cost Rs 150. To find out when the next workshop is, call +91 (0) 22 3222 0475
