Bring nature into your apartment
#stayhome has enabled those with a green thumb to get creative with gardening
In the midst of anxiety and cabin fever stirred by the pandemic, our community continues to combat quarantine blues with a creative focus on personal hobbies, professional upskilling and pursuing new interests. One of them is home gardening.
It’s exciting to see a blooming rise of home gardeners who’ve taken to balconies, roofs, backyards and indoor spaces in an attempt to ‘sow seeds of comfort’ at home. Long-time UAE resident Priscilla Ayub shares that in between her work-from-home routine, she’s been able to pursue home gardening, starting with indoor plants and progressing to outdoor plants. “I take to gardening at least twice a day in between work. It allows me to keep a motivated therapeutic routine,” says Priscilla, a management professional. She shares that she started off with pothos, one of the easiest houseplants to take care of.
First-time gardener Moreen Nazarath, associate at Radicle, says, “Just as the lockdown was beginning, I realised I needed more greenery in my room, and was able to pick two green plants to brighten and air-purify my house. Being a beginner, it took me a while to get a hang of garden care with the right amount of water to give and I went through a wilting phase that made me panic. That’s when I started treating them better — talking, playing music and giving the plants the right nutrients and keeping it clean from insects.” Moreen has become so attached to her quarantine friends that she’s named them ‘sunshine’ and ‘moonlight’.
Guided gardening and green know-how
“In our consumerist society, we, as human beings, have stopped having the urge or the curiosity to know where our food comes from,” says Hemant Julka, co-founder of the UAE-based agro tech start-up VeggiTech. “We have initiated a global food movement to create the ‘next 1 billion farmers’ to take interest in agriculture and growing gardens. VeggiTech’s Grow App will provide you with a guide to grow your own food, including sourcing your seeds, and nutrition, with access to our agronomists, who will guide you when you need support in the growing process,” explains Hemant.
Yazen Al Kodmani, operations manager at Emirates Bio Farm, says it’s important for aspiring gardeners to embrace failure. “Composting or usage of organic material from your food waste is something that everyone should take up. Buying the right local organic fertilizers and knowing what you can grow is also important as flowers and fruits need specific fertilisers,” she says. “Don’t be discouraged — the joy in gardening is the day-to-day care for living things, growing your own food, and the lessons you learn along the way.”