Vk Pandey: Meet Mr VK Pandey, Tomato Of Everybody’s Eye | Lucknow Information

LUCKNOW: Fairly lately when tomatoes bought at Rs 250/kg and compelled most households to regulate their recipes involving the expensive veggie, residents of Gomtinagar’s Vinay Khand-3 had a really completely different story to inform. A 3-storey white home within the neighbourhood whose facade was laden with ripe, crimson tomatoes comforted their eyes. As a lot as a basket of natural, heirloom tomatoes delivered with an infectious smile at their doorsteps each different day.

The tomatoey story that lifted the temper of a whole locality amid gloomy veggie inflation was scripted by VK Pandey who’s in his fifties. He grew over 250 kg of expensive tomatoes between November and June and generously shared the spoils along with his grateful neighbours.
Pandey moved to his residence in 1992 and commenced hobby-farming with 25 pots. In 31 years since, his terrace backyard has expanded to the neighbour’s terrace and even additional crawled to a neighbourhood park the place he grows an array of fruit-bearing crops, together with lemons, grapes, pomegranates, oranges, apples, bananas, and a big variety of mango timber. He additionally grows bottle gourd, eggplant, woman’s finger, papaya, aloe vera, banyan, pipal, and extra.

In his home, he nurtures a variety of practically 1,000 crops, together with styles of fruits, greens, and medicinal species in develop luggage, empty drums, and flowerpots.
His dedication to gardening has been recognised by his area people and the Raj Bhavan, the place he has been feted twice.
Normal supervisor at a pesticide firm, Pandey makes use of none in his personal backyard.
“It is all natural,” he says. Pandey prepares particular soil by mixing pond and area soils with cow dung, watering it twice a day in summer season and as soon as in winter.
The seed of the thought was sown in his childhood when he tended to a guava orchard along with his grandad in his native village in Rae Bareli.
He lives along with his spouse, son and daughter.
Upkeep prices him Rs 12,000 a month from his personal pocket. He has additionally employed a hand to water the crops recurrently.
“However that is a small value to pay for having fun with the bounties of nature. In addition to, giving out veggies to my neighbours and acquaintances is my method of group service,” he says. A neighbour, JP Srivastava, stated, “Because of his terrace backyard, we did not want to purchase tomatoes and different greens. Each time he harvests vegatables and fruits, he shares the crop with us.”
“His backyard attracts a whole lot of birds which add life to our mornings. There are some pesky monkeys too. However no one grudges the basket of farm recent veggies each morning,” Srivastava added.