In Dhaka and other urban areas of Bangladesh, residents often face exorbitant vegetable prices and poor-quality produce. Growing vegetables on rooftops and in yards offers a solution, providing nutritious food and saving money. The monsoon season, with its abundant rainfall and favorable temperatures, is perfect for cultivating a variety of vegetables. Let's explore ten vegetables that thrive in the monsoon season and can be easily grown in urban areas of Bangladesh. Best Vegetables for Monsoon Gardening in Bangladesh Bottle Gourd (Lau) Bottle gourd, with a growing period of 60-120 days, is ideal for the monsoon season due to its rapid growth and high-water content. It is rich in fibers, vitamins C and B, calcium, and magnesium. Bottle gourd requires a sturdy trellis for support and good drainage to prevent waterlogging. As a climbing plant, it utilizes vertical space efficiently, making it perfect for terrace gardens. Okra (Bhindi) Okra, known for its vitamins A, K1, and C, magnesium, fiber, antioxidants, and folate, takes about two months to grow and thrives in warm, humid conditions. Ideal for the monsoon season, okra can be grown in pots or directly in the soil, requiring moderate watering and well-drained soil. Read more: Delightful Recipes from Bangladeshi Kitchens to Savor on Rainy Days Spinach (Palong Shak) Spinach provides carotenoids, vitamins C and K, folic acid, iron, and calcium. It matures within 45-60 days, depending on the variety. Spinach grows quickly during the rainy season and prefers slightly shaded areas and shallow containers for cultivation. Regular harvesting of leaves encourages continuous growth, making it a reliable and nutritious addition to your monsoon garden. Cucumber (Shosha) Cucumbers are high in water content and contain vitamins K, C, and A, calcium, sodium, and iron. They help relieve dehydration and benefit skin health. Cucumbers are ready to harvest in 50-70 days after planting. Flourishing in the wet, warm monsoon weather, cucumbers need well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight. Trellising helps save space and keeps the fruit clean and healthy. Eggplant (Begun) Eggplants are nutrient-rich, providing fiber, vitamins, and minerals beneficial for overall health, including heart health. They usually take 80-90 days to grow from seed. Eggplants love warmth and can be grown in large pots or garden beds. They require regular watering and well-drained soil. The plant produces beautiful purple fruits used in various culinary dishes. Read more: Microgreens: Nutrition, Health Benefits, and How to Grow Radish (Mula) Radishes, small yet packed with nutrients, are an excellent source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that may help combat cellular damage. High in fiber but low in calories, radishes also contain CoQ10, B vitamins, calcium, and potassium. With a growing period of 55-60 days, radishes need well-drained soil and regular watering. Both the roots and leaves are edible and nutritious. Flat Beans (Sheem) Flat beans are rich in proteins, fiber, and vitamins A, K, and C. Regular consumption can help lower blood sugar levels. Flat beans take 16 to 20 weeks to reach maturity and thrive in the humid monsoon climate. They can be grown in containers or directly in the ground, needing support for climbing varieties and consistent moisture. Bitter Gourd (Korola) Despite its bitter taste, bitter gourd is celebrated as a superfood due to its numerous health benefits. It is low in calories but enriched with essential nutrients, including vitamins B1, B2, B3, C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, iron, and high dietary fiber. Read more: 9 Best Indoor Water Plants That Require Minimal Care Bitter gourd thrives in the monsoon season, requiring a trellis for climbing and benefits from regular harvesting to promote more fruit production. It takes about 55-60 days from seed sowing to the first harvest. Tomato Tomatoes are a rich source of essential nutrients, including vitamins C and K, potassium, folate, and antioxidants. They thrive during the monsoon season but require protection from excessive rain to avoid fungal diseases. Growing tomatoes under a roof or using stakes for support helps maintain healthy plants and promotes fruitful yields. With a growing period of 90-110 days, tomatoes are a valuable addition to your monsoon garden. Coriander (Dhonepata) Coriander leaves are an exceptional source of vitamins A and C, offering other essential nutrients like dietary fiber, iron, manganese, calcium, vitamin K, and phosphorus. Read more: Best Air Purifying Plants to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution of Home/Office Coriander grows abundantly during the rainy season in slightly shaded areas with well-drained soil. Regular trimming stimulates bushier growth and extends the harvest period. Coriander typically matures within 40-45 days, adding ornamental beauty and nutritional value to your garden.

Gardening is a great way to keep our body and mind fresh. Besides, it is also a popular way to pass our lazy time. But, for urban people, gardening might be a dream as there is not enough space. Still, some enthusiasts started to make a garden on their roof whether it has large or small space. Rooftop gardening is an old concept, but beginners may find it difficult to make a garden on the rooftop. So, understanding the idea and process is necessary before making up your mind to start a rooftop garden. Hence, we have focused on rooftop gardening tips, tricks, and guidelines for Beginners. Benefits of Gardening Gardening is not just about giving your home a good look. It is beneficial for your own physical and mental well-being. A good amount of physical exercise can keep your body fit. However, gardening can contribute to your physical exercise, which can eventually improve your mental health. And it is more useful during this COVID -19 pandemic.  You may need to spend hours to take care of your garden; hence it can burn your calories, and gardening is comparable to some sort of intense exercise. One hour of active gardening can burn about 330 calories from your body, and it increases your body’s metabolism. Therefore, your body’s immunity system gets boosted. Gardening is correlated with stress reduction and ultimately fights against depression and anxiety. In other words, it can be said that your body and mind will stay fresh. It is evident that we may face stress due to the current coronavirus pandemic; even the healthy person can get stressed too. So, gardening can help you out to divert your mind and get you to relieve yourself from stress. Read Terrace farming gains traction in cities Basic Guidelines of Terrace gardening for the Beginners Want to start rooftop gardening, but not sure how to start? Here we will provide you some basic guidelines for your ultimate rooftop gardening. Let’s go through the basic preparation first. Check the drainage system Although most of the roof has a good drainage system, some roof may block the water or does not have enough slope to pass the water. Since the rooftop garden requires more water than the regular garden, you may expect an overflow of the water. So, it is mandatory to check out the roof’s drainage system. If there is any problem with that, you will need to fix it before starting the garden.  Also read: 3 Ways To Live Eco-Friendly in Dhaka Soil The important thing is to grow your garden. For the novice gardener buying a balanced soil consisting of fertilizer is recommended. You can get by that from the nearby nursery. But the amount of needed soil depends on your garden size. So, it is necessary to know the pot or container you will use to plant your trees. Equipment Before starting the gardening process, you should collect some basic equipment such as gloves, hoses, water cans, rakes, trowels, and other tools. Apart from these, you may choose your own relevant tools too. Temperature Checking out your rooftop’s temperature is highly essential because, depending on that, you will need to buy plants. You will also need to check the roof’s position measuring the sun. And you cannot grow any kind of plant on your roof due to Bangladesh’s humid weather. In high humidity or tropical areas, plants need extra care. So, it would be better if you educate yourself about the sunlight on your roof.  Also read: Best Home and Office Shifting Services in Dhaka Water Though the water necessity depends on the plant, you are planning to grow. However, it is always better to have easy access to water on your roof so that you can water your garden whenever you need it. On the other hand, overwatering can hinder your plants. Educating yourself about the plants is highly recommended to know the needs of water. Grow you plant Now that you have everything ready, you are ready to grow your plants. Whether you want to grow the plants from seed or put want to grow flower trees, the raised beds or pots are necessary. So, get your required pot or raised beds and then fill the half portion with soil and then rope your desired tree and then fill the rest of the part. And then continue this step for other pots too. Gradually you will see your garden growing. Read IFAD supports smallholder farmers with nutritious homestead vegetable gardening kits Tips and Tricks for Rooftop Gardening Gardening is fun, but sometimes it can be difficult to manage if you don’t plan properly. Some tips and tricks can make your gardening life easier. Firstly, put your pots or raised bed in the appropriate places, depending on the plant’s characteristics. For example, you should put sun-loving plants in the open space, where they can get enough rays. And keep other plants under the shades. Secondly, watering the plants carefully. As we have mentioned earlier, overwatering can damage the root. As a result, your plant may die. However, there are some plants that need more water than others. So, make sure you know your plants well. Do not grow some plants that have a deep and aggressive root system. Thirdly, for the better growth of your plant, try to feed liquid fertilizer that contains high potassium and low nitrogen. The appropriate amount of potassium can increase the growth of flowers and fruits. For the rooftop garden, balancing while planting can ensure the overall growth of the plants. Make sure you maintain diversity when selecting the plants. A combination of large plants, small trees, shrubs, ground cover can balance your garden. Besides, it can be eye-soothing too.  Read Possible Food Crisis: Vegetable gardening at courtyards of 6.5 lakh houses planned Where to Buy Terrace Gardening Supplies Online? If you want to buy all the gardening stuffs such as seeds, fertilizers, plants, tools, etc., online, there are many websites that can get your job done. For example, Daraz, garder.com.bd, mygardenbd.com, bonayon.com, and aci-bd.com. Online Courses to Learn Gardening If you have no idea about gardening and want to get practical experience in gardening, you can take some online courses. If you have an international credit card, you can visit udemy.com, skillshare.com, or masterclass.com and enroll in some world-class gardening courses. For example, you can try Ron Finley’s gardening class on masterclass.com and Gardening 101 on skillshare.com.  Although there are not enough online courses available in Bangladesh for gardeners, you can try different channels to learn gardening. You can search on YouTube about gardening in Bangladesh. Besides, you may also visit oregonbd.org/online-course to get a complete idea of gardening. Read Rooftop Gardening: Way to Release Stress and Promote Health during Pandemic