Greenery is fast disappearing from brick-and-stone city life, but people do not easily forget their roots. Part of the urban population that grew up in green rural Bengal wants to keep some greenery at home.

Enthusiasts are creating gardens on their rooftops through their own ideas and efforts. Over time these gardens are no longer just a hobby. City dwellers are decorating their roofs with various plants for a touch of green, and many are becoming interested in growing fruit in their yards or on their roofs. Almost everyone sees the need for it.

Planned or hobby rooftop farming not only meets demand for fruit and produce but also develops the gardener's creativity. In such a hobby garden, investment is not counted and neither is return. With that urge, Nurun Nahar Begum started rooftop farming at "Nurun Nahar Matrichhaya" in the Mizmizi Painadi area of Siddhirganj, Narayanganj.

Living in the city, out of love for farming and to find peace in greenery, Nurun Nahar Begum built a large rooftop farm a year ago. On the 1,500 sq ft roof of a six-storey building she has created a remarkable plot of flowers, fruit and vegetables. The garden meets her needs for vegetables, fruit, flowers and medicinal plants. Anyone seeing it for the first time would take it for a nursery.

A visit found more than 250 flower, fruit, vegetable and medicinal plants in the garden. Some 30–35 pomelos hang from the trees, along with dragon fruit, various kinds of guava, custard apple, lemon, BAU kul and jamrul. Other fruit trees include fig, kau fruit, mango, hog plum, Thai tamarind, black plum (jam), malta, orange, pomegranate, papaya, coconut, nutmeg and jujube. Flowers include rose, hibiscus, night queen, Thai leaf, tuberose and beli (Arabian jasmine), among other species. Vegetables seen included green chilli, aubergine, cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, Malabar spinach, snake gourd, sponge gourd, bitter gourd, sweet potato, coriander and mint. Medicinal plants include neem, tulsi and aloe vera, along with henna, pathorkuchi and many other small plants.

Nurun Nahar Begum said she collected many large plastic drums from various shops and cut each into two. She then drilled six holes in each drum. She laid brick chips at the bottom and on top put soil mixed with organic fertiliser, cow dung and poultry litter, and planted the trees in rows on the roof. She has also planted in various buckets. So far no insects, mosquitoes or flies have appeared in the garden, so she has not needed to use any pesticide. She said she keeps good drainage on the roof and always keeps it clean. She has installed a modern pipe system to water the plants regularly.

She said that since starting the rooftop farm she hardly has to buy vegetables or fruit. She spends her free time on the garden alongside housework, and her husband and family always encourage and help her. She hopes to get plenty of fruit and vegetables from the garden next year. Her initiative is serving as a role model for others, and she advises interested relatives and neighbours who visit to take up rooftop farming. Inspired by her garden, one neighbour has built a similar one on their roof. Her future plan is to expand the garden further.

Narayanganj Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Tajul Islam said no project for rooftop gardens has yet been possible in Narayanganj. "We encourage the people of Narayanganj to make rooftop gardens and give various advice from the agriculture office on planting and care," he said.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.