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Rooftop garden – the joy of Da Nang family’s day of social distancing

The 150 m2 garden is both a place to provide food and a place to relax and fight boredom for the family of Ms. Anh Minh, 31 years old, during the quarantine period.

More than a year ago, Anh Minh started planting the first vegetable seeds in a styrofoam box after seeing friends on Facebook showing off pictures of harvesting vegetables on the terrace.

Starting to work, Minh realized that he was mistaken when he thought that just scattering seeds would be harvested. The first seedlings that had just sprouted were eaten away by insects.

The woman went to the groups to learn how to grow vegetables on the terrace, from mixing the soil, watering to composting… With a little experience, Minh learned to grow from easy-to-live types such as cabbage, water spinach, amaranth, etc. spinach. Then she invited her husband to try special types such as cantaloupe, tomato octopus…

The total area of ​​​​the couple’s garden is 150 m2, divided into 3 main zones. The western area of ​​50 m2 grows short-term vegetables such as morning glory, spinach, and mustard greens. The 40 m2 eastern area grows kale and other vegetables such as celery, cucumber, etc. The remaining area is poured with 1.5 m deep soil directly to grow roses and some vegetables that do not need much sunlight. like finished cabbage, perilla.

Because he does not like plastic pots, when planning a vegetable garden, Minh is very limited in use. As architects, knowledgeable about drainage, the couple used pallet wood removed from the packages and then built into wooden pots themselves.

Currently, there are 14 pots in the Ming garden, which are built in the couple’s free time. Each pot takes 3-4 hours. More than a month of hand saws and handpieces, they closed enough pots to fit the planned area.

From the beginning, he determined to build an organic vegetable garden, so Minh did not use chemical fertilizers, growth drugs or plant protection drugs. Most of the fertilizers are vermicompost, rotted garbage, or self-composted from bananas, eggs, milk… In addition, to protect the garden, she also sprays a solution made from garlic, chili or diluted milk to prevent butterflies from spreading. lay egg.

Before planting, the soil is sun-dried for a few days, then treated with lime powder to avoid insect sprouts incubating in the soil. The purchased seeds that are also not sown directly but soaked in the warm water of 50 degrees. Depending on the type of seeds soaked long or short, then wash them and put them in a damp towel, then cover them, crack them overnight, and then put them in the nursery.

The media in the nursery also has its own ratio. Usually eco-n1 coco peat 70%, clean soil 10%, earthworm 20%. “If done correctly, the seeds when put into the pot only take about 24-36 hours to germinate. Let the plants dry in the sun, cover them in the hot afternoon sun”, Minh said about the first stage of sowing seeds.

Despite being very careful, there was a time when the trees were destroyed by rats and birds, and Minh had to stop to learn more techniques. Many times, the tree was attacked by worms and snails, and the couple also lit a lamp to kill them in the night.

In October 2020, when starting to plant octopus tomatoes, the tree just climbed up and encountered a storm, causing the rig to be crushed and destroyed. Each time he failed, Minh learned more experiences such as the right time to plant or how to protect the garden.

Previously, every day at 5:30 am, Minh went to the garden, taking about an hour and a half to water and take care of vegetables and fruits. Since the beginning of August, when Covid-19 broke out in Da Nang, not allowed to go out, this woman spent all her time in the garden.

Since gardening, Minh finds himself more hardworking and patient. The money for clothes and cosmetics was also previously cut by her, spent more on buying seeds, buying gardening materials.

“Vegetables on the terrace garden are not as big and beautiful as in the market, but every time I enjoy them, I feel very happy because I enjoy the fruits of my labor and my brain,” Minh said.

Minh said, previously considering the garden as a place to relax after stressful working hours, now the epidemic has found it more meaningful when providing a large amount of food for a family of 4.

Also since having a garden, from a person who is not a hard-working cook, she is now very active on the internet looking for new recipes to serve her family during the holidays.

“During the pandemic, I find gardening to be a relaxing activity that has a very good physical and mental healing effect,” Minh said. Follow vnexpress

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