Everyone should try kitchen gardening

Recently, I bought a kitchen garden kit sold by Tamil Nadu Horticulture Department. The kit is so handy. It includes manure, tools, pesticides and seeds. To encourage kitchen gardening in urban areas, the department is selling the kit at a subsidised cost. My concern is that many are not aware of this facility. It is specifically designed for those who have limited space.

The kit has seeds of brinjal, tomato, radish, lady’s finger, flat beans and different types of green leaves. Most of them are perennial plants. We should make use of such offers and promote kitchen gardening as it certainly has immense benefits. One of them is that we can have vegetables that are chemical-free.

Next, it reduces our dependence on markets and we can save money. And then, gardening is cathartic and relaxing. For all these reasons, we should give it a try. To know more about this kit, log on to tnhorticulture.tn.gov.in The office of the horticulture department is located at No: 9, Thiruveedhi Amman Kovil Street, Thiruvanmiyur.

S. Madhavan,

Kamaraj Nagar,

Thiruvanmiyur

Farming 

The farmers are encouraged to practise organic and inorganic farming depending upon the soil conditions. Photo: M. Karunakaran

The Foundation also gives them a training manual which guides them through land preparation, harvesting crops, market rates, and information-communication technology, where advisory voice and text bulletins on government schemes and subsidies, climate, wind speed and rainfall are issued at regular intervals.

They also have a 24-hour helpline (9677759545, 9677759549).

we encourage the farmers to practise integrated farming (veterinary farming), which will help in producing fertilisers for crops. They are taken on a field-visit to the model integrated farm, where they learn everything about profitable farming.

“Till date, we have conducted training programmes at regional level with the support of the State Agriculture Department, Government of Tamil Nadu. Soon, we are going to conduct district training programmes in Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Theni, Dindgul, and Pudhukottai on a pilot basis. The State Agriculture Department has given the permission to conduct the programme in five districts,” he says. 

The programme is conducted under the leadership of M. S. Swaminathan and Dr. N. Parasuraman, principal scientist, MSSRF.

For details, contact Youth and Development Wing, MSSRF, at 91-44-2254-1229, 2791.