Photo : BSS

By S M Zahid Hossain

KHULNA, May 23, 2025 (BSS) - Rooftop gardening is steadily gaining popularity across Khulna, emerging as a widespread trend among city residents.

Enthusiastic home owners have transformed thousands of rooftops across the industrial city into vibrant gardens. These rooftop spaces are now adorned with various local and foreign flower species, fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants.

Apart from serving as a source of recreation, rooftop gardening is also contributing to the availability of chemical-free fruits and vegetables while enhancing urban greenery. 

Residents say the hobby not only brings them joy but also plays a role in ensuring a sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

It has been changing the scenarios recently in the city areas. People are trying to cultivate different types of vegetables, fruits and flowers in their rooftop gardens in summer and winter.

Some years ago, it was found that a very few garden-loving people in the district were mostly engaged in this venture by making the best use of the space around their house rooftops to enjoy nature.

Talking to BSS, Hasna Hena, 54, wife of Sirajul Islam, a retired govt employee of the city's Gollamari residential area, said she has been farming vegetables like tomato, bean, chillies, mango Amropali, dalim and lemon on their three - storied building rooftop for the last four years. 

At first time, she started rooftop gardening as a hobby, but now she is using it to meet some daily necessities. Vegetables are produced in her garden to meet the daily requirements of her family, she added.

Nowadays, she is getting lemon, green chilli, brinjal, bean and tomato from her rooftop garden. Now she does not buy these items from the market. 

She expresses her satisfaction forgetting an excellent production of fresh and poison-free vegetables and fruits from her garden.

Normally, people prepare a garden only out of their hobby, maintain a flower garden for enjoying nature. For want of empty space on their house premises on the ground, they are using their house rooftops.

While talking to BSS, Abu Md Masud, owner of Dalia Nursery in the city said, at present, many people of the town come to them to buy different types of seeds and plants to cultivate on their rooftops and day by day it is increasing.

It is seen that many people in the city are gardening on their rooftops, not only to enjoy nature, but they are gardening to meet some of their daily necessities. Gardeners in the area now like to cultivate vegetables side by side with flowers. At present, vegetables and fruit trees are seen more than the flowers, he added.

Talking to BSS, Owner of the City's Janani Nursery, Rustom Sardar said nowadays, people who have roofs have different types of vegetables, and fruits being produced on their house rooftops over the last few years.

Among the cultivating items are mango, green chilli, tomato, pomegranate, brinjal, lemon, beans, spinach, guava, vegetables and different kinds of flowers.

Perhaps, there lies a hidden farmer in many urban dwellers. Amid the rush of city life, a growing number of individuals are turning to small-scale gardening within their homes. 

Be it rooftops, balconies, or window sills, these nature enthusiasts are cultivating greenery, placing silver pothos in old mugs, rooting coriander stems in egg trays, or growing aubergine and cherry tomato saplings in plastic containers. The joy of harvesting even a modest yield from one's own efforts remains deeply fulfilling.

Farhana Subha and Saidul Haque Sumon, residents of the city's Boyra residential area, have also maintained a rooftop garden with dedication. 

Farhana said that their journey into gardening began nearly a decade ago in a small apartment.

"There were only two east-facing windows that received ample sunlight. We hung small pots filled with our favourite plants, including cacti and creepers. That was the beginning of our garden, which grew steadily as we moved from one place to another," Farhana added.

Afia Chowdhury Moumi, a kindergarten teacher and enthusiastic gardener, manages to maintain her rooftop garden despite a demanding schedule. She believes gardening is not just a hobby, but also a way to connect children with nature.

"Our children are increasingly detached from the natural world, confined within homes and burdened by textbooks. I've taught my child from an early age that the plants in our home are like siblings, tearing their leaves causes them pain," she said.

When she began her family life, she recalls having little to decorate her home with except for plants. She started propagating greenery in teapots, old bowls and terracotta pots. "Without greenery around me, I feel suffocated. My plants are more valuable to me than any decorative item," she added.

Talking to BSS, Md Rafiqul Islam, additional director of the Department of Khulna Agriculture Zone (DAE) said that rooftop gardens are playing a vital role in addressing the impacts of climate change. 

He urged city dwellers to actively participate in the initiative and contribute to building a greener and more sustainable urban environment, adding that currently there are thousands of rooftop gardens in Khulna city. 

Professor Dr Md Mujibor Rahman, of Environmental Science Discipline at Khulna University said, rooftop gardening helps absorb excess heat from the sun, keeping the roof cooler, which in turn slightly reduces the surrounding temperature and lessens the impact of the Urban Heat Island effect.