The Horticulture Department’s promotion of ‘urban horticulture’ appears to have inspired many homemakers in Mysore to take up home and kitchen gardening. This was evident in the recently-concluded Dasara celebrations as a good number of home gardens vied for top honours in competitions held as part of the annual flower show.
Last year, 64 home gardens took part in competitions under various categories. This year, the number went up to 81, thanks to the department’s push for urban horticulture and kitchen gardening.
Senior Assistant Director of Horticulture Krishna Kumar told The Hindu that more number of homemakers had spruced up their gardens for the competitions as part of the flower show this year.
Over 3,000 women have taken part in training programmes conducted between January and March for promoting kitchen gardens. Kits containing vegetable seeds and garden implements were distributed free of cost to participants.
“I presume this played a role in the rise in participants in the home-garden category, in addition to the pre-event publicity,” he felt.
The department has plans to hold training on kitchen gardening for 3,000 persons this year, he added.
Mr. Kumar said some households have become self-sufficient in vegetables by growing them in gardens and on the terrace.
Roopa Nagaraj, a homemaker in Vagdevi Nagar in Bogadi, bagged prizes for the garden developed at her house in Vagdevi Nagar for the second successive year. She won a prize for the best miniature garden and medium-sized lawn.
Ms. Nagaraj said, “This year, I spruced up the garden, displaying different types of dolls to add vibrancy to the setting.”
She made use of waste containers to grow flowering and ornamental plants, spreading the message of ‘wealth from waste’. Ms. Nagaraj and her daughter Meghana attended the department’s training on kitchen gardening and incorporated knowledge gained to beautify their garden.
Suma Krishna, a housewife in Kuvempunagar, has bagged a rolling shield in the category of big garden, besides winning a special prize for her bonsai plants. Ms. Suma has been gardening for the past 25 years.
The Dasara flower show competitions help recognise efforts put in by people like her in developing their gardens, she felt.
