A little care turns a roof or a balcony into a garden, and The Agro News invited its readers to show theirs this Eid. The winner is Shaon, of Munshiganj — and here is how he did it.
A garden from a lockdown
When the pandemic closed his university for more than a year, Shaon did not waste the time. He built a garden on the roof: roses, aster, portulaca, cosmos, four o'clocks, Thai and rain lilies, amaryllis, beli and periwinkle — and fruit: King of Chakapat, BARI-4, Katimon, Kiew Savoy, banana mango and American Red Palmer among the mangoes, Thai sapota and Thai pomelo among the rest.
His advice
- Think of the weight: soil is heavy, and a roof must be able to carry a garden before you plant one.
- Pots: easy to move and easy to feed; his choice for flowers.
- Half-drums: for large flowering plants and fruit trees; a big drum cut in half makes two.
- Tanks: permanent beds built on pillars a foot or so above the roof, of ring slabs, brick and cement, for the biggest trees.
- Drainage: water from the soil damages concrete, and weeds make a roof slippery. Set every container on a stand, keep the roof surface clear and give the water a way off.
The Agro News congratulates Shaon and wishes his garden many seasons.
Photo: A rooftop garden at Lalbagh Fort, Dhaka — Ragib Hasan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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