Komal Rijal

Are you bored of being confined inside the four walls your house? Have you been feeling fatigued of using social media day and night? Do you want some fresh air and break the monotony caused by ongoing lockdown?
If your answer is yes, then one of the best options to get rid of this anxious time would be roof-top gardening.
With the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic, the ongoing lockdown has been an opportune moment for many residents to develop and embrace many good hobbies.

New Hobby
Of the many new-found hobbies that have been attracting the people, roof-top gardening seems to be one of the best. With too much time in their hands, people are resorting to planting saplings on their roofs as a hobby.
One of my neighbors has been practicing roof-top gardening since long and she has never been in want to go out to buy vegetables during these days of lockdown.
She grows egg-plant, tomato, chilly, lettuce and all types of green leaves in her house terrace and this cater to the need of her family members.
Though her terrace yields may not fully cover her need mainly due to space constraints and problems, they at least supplement some requirements of vegetables in her kitchen. Apart from that, she is able to spend time in a useful way despite being confined inside the house.
This has not only given her green vegetables, but also popularity in the locality. She has become an influencer of many of the residents of our community.
Roof-top gardening could be a golden opportunity for the parents of urban areas to teach their children regarding the basics of farming thereby raising their affinity towards nature. Apart from this, it could be the best option for those who wanted to cherish the happiness of having a garden at their own home, despite having constraints of spaces at their urban houses.
Things To Be Followed
Certain things are to be considered before establishing the roof-top garden. One should try to use as little weight as possible.
For this, one should use plastic, fiberglass or foam planting containers and avoid using pavers.
Similarly one should use lightweight potting soil like coco peat rather than garden dirt. Instead of rocks or pebbles, Styrofoam peanuts should be used for good drainage. Secondly, there should be good provision of water supply. The roof top should either have built-in water storage system or have an automatic watering system installed.
Roof-top gardening has many benefits. It not only utilises the leisure time but also gives opportunity for the elderly people to engage themselves which help them to be physically active.
Besides the decorative benefit, it also provides recreational opportunities, seasonal green
leafy vegetables, temperature control and many more. Apart from these, it also make proper utilisation of
the household organic wastes as manure.
It has been nearly five months since lockdown started and still there is no clue when it will be over. So, it is wise to adopt roof-top gardening so as to get over the lockdown boredom.

(Rijal is studying B.Sc Agriculture at University of Agriculture and Forestry)