“It is all about becoming self-sufficient.” That is N Harikesan Nair’s precept behind his love for farming. The retired financial institution worker from Thiruvananthapuram is presently basking in the glory of profitable the award for the best natural nutrition garden at the State Farm Awards 2024.
One can’t assist however hear in awe as he lists the selection of crops and vegetation he cultivates at his residence at Sree Nagar, Kalippankulam, close to Manacaud. Besides the space round his residence on the 10-cent plot, farming is being performed extensively on two terraces, overlaying an space of 2,500 sq ft.
“I have been doing this for the last 21 years. I expanded the cultivation after retirement in 2019,” says the 66-year-old who labored in Bank of Baroda. Fruit-bearing bushes, medicinal vegetation, tubers, greens, flowers, leafy greens and so on are grown on the terrace and round the home. “When the award committee came for the review, they said that curry leaf and drumstick are a must in a nutrition garden. I grow both in plenty on the terrace and the ground,” he says with pleasure.
Among the medicinal herbs and vegetation grown in his farm are neela amari (indigo plant), turmeric varieties, aloe vera, kacholam (fragrant ginger), chundakka (turkey berry), ramacham (vetiver), pathimukham (sappan wooden) and so on. Besides commonly-grown greens and tubers, the garden additionally has beetroot, carrot, celery, lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, completely different varieties of yam, candy potato, Chinese potato, arrow root, floor nut, pineapple, plantain varieties and so on.
Around 50 fruit-bearing bushes are cultivated right here, most of that are grown in enormous pots on the terrace. These embrace dragon fruit, ardour fruit, miracle fruit, star fruit, cherry, mango, jackfruit, inexperienced grapes, guava, sapota, pomegranate and lemon.
Paddy grown on terrace at N Harikesan Nair’s residence
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Paddy can also be grown on the terrace. His garden is wealthy in phrases of flowers as effectively, which embrace marigold, cock’s comb, lotus, water lily, ixora variants and different varieties.
“I have adopted vertical arrangement so that the most number of pots can be arranged in the available space. My policy is, less space but maximum yield,” he provides.
It was solely pure for Harikesan to take up farming since his father was a farmer whereas they lived at Alumkuzhy, a number of kilometres from Palode. “We cultivated everything, right from vegetables and plantain to paddy, coconut, areca palm, and reared cattle and poultry. After my father’s demise, my mother took it forward,” he recollects.
Farming is not any straightforward job, he stresses. “It is time consuming and calls for immense patience and hard work. Climate change poses the biggest challenge. Unexpected rainfall and strong winds often damage the crops.”
Harikesan says his spouse, S Sreekala, a retired authorities official and son, Ananthu H, assist him in operating the farm. “Waste management is done at the source. Slurry from the biogas plant is the fertilizer, and we don’t use any pesticides. The garden also has a few honeybee colonies to facilitate pollination. We use the harvested honey at home.”
He provides, “I depend on vegetable shops only to buy potato, onion and shallots. And whatever yield I get is distributed among neighbours, friends and family. I don’t market any produce. I consider this a service.”
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