A Guide to Eco-Friendly Home Gardening

Message from the Founder
Being self-sufficient with our food needs and growing our own food seem, over time,
to have become antiquated concepts. When I was growing up, we had little choice
but to rely on our natural environment for our food. Most of the fruits and vegetables
we ate were grown, gathered or picked from our own villages, and even around our
own homes. So we knew exactly where our food came from and its quality.
But now, unfortunately, the situation has changed. With greater urbanization and
commercialization, we have become more accustomed to shopping for our produce.
When we buy raw produce from groceries, we rarely know where it comes from, what
goes into growing it or the adverse effects it may have had on the environment. As a
result, our younger generations are not as healthy as we used to be, and people are
getting sick far more often.
This is the reason that Dilmah decided to focus resources to reintroduce the traditional
practice of home gardening, to promote healthier and more environmentally-friendly
lifestyles. Since 2011, through the Dilmah Conservation Sustainable Agriculture
Research Centre (DCSARC), we have strived to create greater awareness among
urban communities about the tremendous benefits of home gardening, both to the
health of our families and to our environment.
Through this publication, I hope that readers will be motivated and inspired to start
their own home gardens and contribute in your own small way to a better, healthier
lifestyle and a safer environment for all of us. If you already have your own home
garden, I hope the information in this document will help you learn even more
about how to yield the best-quality produce for your family while protecting the
environment around you.
Not only will home gardening contribute towards healthier lifestyles, but it will also
contribute to addressing the food security needs of our country and the world.
Merrill J. Fernando
Founder – Dilmah Conservation