When Nandlal Master moved to Varanasi from his village Nagepur for work, he missed the access he had to farm fresh vegetables.
In 2011, he started growing vegetables on his 1,000-square-foot terrace, where over 200 pots bask in the sun.
Beginning with flowering plants, he slowly expanded and experimented with leafy vegetables.
The social worker then moved on to growing brinjal, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, cauliflower, okra, garlic, cucumber, tomato and other seasonal vegetables.
Additionally, he composts all the kitchen waste from his house, adding nutrition to the plants, and preventing waste from going into the landfills.
To treat the kitchen waste, he created a 30-feet bed for composting waste and producing organic manure.
“I make organic pest control solutions conceived out of neem, cow urine and other natural farm products,” he says.
To improve the nutrient content in his pots, he rotates the crop varieties besides adding the compost.
Nandlal says his harvest is more than enough to meet the vegetable demands for his wife Ranju and him.
“We distribute the fresh produce to neighbours. Our harvest has gone up to 100 kilos in a week!” he says.
“My terrace farm also serves as a mini garden that provides respite and relief from the toxic air pollution,” he adds.
For more gardening tips, call Nandlal on 9415300520.