A wall of green leafy vegetables and delicate herbs like basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme is not something you would expect to see when you enter a home in Chennai. Being met with this sight is a welcoming surprise for the salad enthusiasts.
It was largely observed that one of the top hobbies people started over the pandemic was gardening. However, once the pandemic ended and people went back to their regular lives, a lack of time and knowledge left terrace gardens barren.
"Gardening is a conscious, continuous activity. You have to manage your plants, water and monitor them regularly," says Shamil Bicha, founder of Croppico, and an engineer turned farmer, who has designed a hydroponic farming setup which allows people to grow leafy vegetables and herbs in any climate condition. "We wanted to automate farming. We wanted someone who typically doesn't have a green thumb to be able to grow their own vegetables."
The hydroponic farming setup designed by Shamil and his team is an improvement on designs that already exist, now optimised for personal home use. It can grow leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, celery, rocket, and herbs like mint, parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and more. The setup performs to its optimal ability in air-conditioned environments. However, Shamil says, "Our systems have been performing in Chennai without air conditioning too. The chiller takes care of the water temperature, but ambient temperatures can be challenging in summer months,"
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