Under the influence of the new-fangled trend of the green economy, one in four residents of Lombardy became interested in gardening: vegetables are now grown on more than a million terraces
Balconies, terraces and walls of houses - gardens conquer the Italian cities. In the Lombardy region, there is a real boom in vertical gardens in which residents themselves grow vegetables and herbs. To enrich the dining table, lettuce, eggplant, peppers and tomatoes are grown together with fragrant herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme). Fruits are also not forgotten: more and more large and small flowerpots appear with strawberries or other fruit berries. However, in most cases today, gardens are not arranged on the ground, but in apartments: both as a hobby and in order to save on the purchase of products. This trend in Lombardy was determined by the main agricultural organization of Italy, Coldiretti, counting more than a million terraces in the region, converted into gardens. It follows that every fourth pawnshop devotes his free time to a new green trend.
At the same time, not only the elderly or the heads of families are engaged in the art of gardening. Compared with the data obtained five years ago, today in Lombardy the number of young people who are fond of planting plants on the balcony has increased four times. Boys and girls discover the secrets and tricks of interacting with nature in an urban setting, thanks to tips distributed on the Internet or on television. Modern youth under 25 are obviously more attentive to nature compared to previous generations. So the situation is assessed by an experienced 35-year-old flower grower Fabiano Oldani:
"The most popular plant among young people is the super-hot chilli pepper from South America. It is followed by tomatoes, arugula and all kinds of mint."
The latter allows the young generation to independently prepare various cocktails at home. Passion for "high-rise gardens" also spread among immigrants, especially among Hindus, Pakistanis, and South Americans. For foreigners, the average age of such a hobby increases to 40 years.
But how much does it cost to set up a private garden in the middle of the city? “To create a portable garden, a minimum investment of 20-25 euros is enough,” says Oldani expert. “You need to find only a few wooden containers, fill out the ground and purchase directly the plants that you want to grow. Sufficient sunshine, peace and regular watering - and your personal garden will grow in violent colors.” And more and more Lombards are putting these useful tips into practice.
In total, Italy has about 6.5 million tall gardens, and almost 17% of them blooms on the balconies of Lombardy. The leader in the regional ranking of Milan, where there are more than 470 thousand eco-friendly vertical gardens. On the second step of the podium were Brescia and Varese (136 thousand), and on the third were Como and Pavia (64 thousand). And it is likely that these numbers will increase further, as next year the EXPO World Exhibition will be held in the region and Milan and Lombardy will become the capital of bio-nutrition and land conservation.
