Nashik resident maintains his own mini vegetable market

Sandeep Chavan, with minimal investment, claims to get maximum benefit from his garden. He uses bio-waste as feritliser for his garden and all the used plastic bottles as containers for some tiny plants. Sandeep uses just 2 kg of sand for growing the vegetables. He uses foliage, coconut extract and solid kitchen waste in place of sand. All these materials, he said, has high capacity to hold water.

Sandeep informed iamin that he does not buy any fertiliser for his plants, he himself produces it. “I collect sugarcane extract, coconut extract, liquid kitchen waste, and earthworms in a big drum which has an opening at its base. By adding liquid kitchen waste daily for a period of six months, I produce a liquid fertiliser,” Sandeep said.

He grows different types of vegetables like brinjals, tomatoes, chillies, pumpkins, onions, coriander, curry leaves and much more. He has also created a Facebook group, where he regularly posts about his garden and thus encourages others to follow suit.

“What is Swacch Bharat abhiyaan? We take garbage from our area and dump it somewhere else or we burn it which causes pollution. Instead we must use it in this way for producing something. I hardly buy any vegetables. My family eats chemical-free food daily,” Sandeep added.