Lack of space couldn’t keep green thumb Alina Mazumdar away from her hobby. When she felt she wanted to grow plants even after the patch on her terrace and balcony got filled up, she turned to bottles. Now she has hung plastic bottles from windows and inside them grow Pui Shak, Mint and Coriander. Though she loves flowers, it’s vegetables her heart lies in and she’s grown all from Brinjals and Onions to Chillies and Chichinga.
The first tomato of the first sapling I ever planted still exists. This was decades ago when I was in school and had gifted the tomato to my best friend. It was so precious to her that she couldn’t bear to eat it. She preserved it somehow and still has it with her!
We moved to CB Block during the pandemic and even though it was tough setting up, I brought most of my plants from New Town’s Sankalpa apartments, where we lived before this.
When we lived in New Town, I had also dabbled in aquaponics — a system of water-based gardening that simultaneously sustains fish like talapia in the same container. It was a great success with the Tomato plants drooping down 14ft from the balcony, where I had installed it. After moving to CB Block, I haven’t installed this system yet as it needs electricity.
On the terrace I now grow Hibiscus, Bougainvillea, Sunflowers and two favourites — Plumbago and Blue Daze. Both have blue flowers but look distinct. Then, of course, there are Chillies, Chichinga, Sheem…
I love buying heirloom seeds. These are seeds native to different parts of the world that have not been hybridised. I have used such seeds to grow dark purple Sheem, tie-and-die Tomatoes that are a mix of red and green and Black Pearl Chillies. They grow very well but output is limited.
My family was down with Covid in the fourth wave and we were in isolation in our flat. I was worried about the plants on the terrace but luckily monsoon set in and Nature looked after them.
If you have a garden you tend to yourself, send your address and contact number to The Telegraph Salt Lake, 6, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Kolkata 700001 or email to saltlake@abp.in