Tea vegetation want well-drained, acidic and light-weight soil that provides their roots sufficient room to develop deep. They simply can’t develop on soil that has a tendency to retain an excessive amount of water. And that’s ceaselessly the explanation why most tea gardens are on hill slopes, the place the temperature has a tendency to be cool or moderate and there’s considerable rainfall. Of path, that doesn’t imply that those vegetation can’t develop on plains, supplied these kinds of prerequisites are met. So from that perspective, Kolkata, with its excessive, humid summers, isn't in reality superb for a tea garden. But the town’s only tea garden in the middle of Eco Park has been generating respectable, drinkable tea for quite some time now. Though the production hasn’t been commercialised, the garden produces its personal emblem of tea. So, as the town’s scorching summer time approaches, the workers are going that extra mile to keep the garden flourishing. The tea plant, Camellia sinensis, prospers in areas with no less than 127 cm of yearly rainfall and inside a temperature vary of 13 to 29 degrees Celsius. “Basically, it needs prime rainfall and moderate temperature with explicit dietary needs from the soil,” said the Neil Law, the founder and spouse of the tea garden, tea front room and golf enviornment at Eco Park.
When West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) chairman Debasish Sen had get a hold of the idea of starting a tea garden in Kolkata, it had sounded impossible. Neither does Kolkata get the considered necessary quantity of rainfall, nor are summer time temperatures here are compatible for tea-growing. But Sen knew what he sought after and a few years in the past, he witnessed an illustration on tea gardening by way of Kalyani University. He instructed us, “I’d noticed many new tea estates at heat places like Siliguri and even Dinajpur. So, if they may develop tea there, why couldn’t we do it in Kolkata?”
Straight from the Dooars
Once the decision was taken, a three-acre plot was chosen at the Eco Park premises in May 2014 and HIDCO started work at the garden in affiliation with a private tea corporate. “Then, the idea itself was radical and we didn’t know if we would prevail. There have been failed makes an attempt to begin tea gardens in the city up to now,” said Law. Nevertheless, the crew of gardeners and scientists came up with a lot of tactics to care for the prime temperature and the low rainfall. But as they couldn’t create the combo of soil, 24 truckloads of soil and four,000 tea saplings had been brought in from a tea estate in the Dooars.
“While tea vegetation want heavy rainfall, they cannot tolerate wet soil, so the ground needed to have a slope,” said Azad Goswami, the chief supervisor of the garden, who has been actively concerned with the project since its inception. And to reverse the effects of low rainfall, the garden was equipped with water sprinklers and an underground drip irrigation machine, which fed drops of water at once to the roots. Large trees like mango and royal poinciana had been planted to offer colour to the saplings.
The combat
The first year handed smoothly, with most saplings surviving and increasing. “We may see new leaves and buds. But as it takes no less than 3 years for the plant to mature, we couldn’t pluck them,” Goswami said. Then, simply when they thought they completed the impossible, more than 1,000 saplings died the following summer time. “They merely couldn’t take the warmth. The leaves dried up and the vegetation died,” Goswami added.
That’s when they spotted the problem. There was a manicured pebble garden to the west of the tea garden and the principle street to its east. “So, during the summer time, the bituminous street and the pebbles in that garden would soak up warmth and heat the encircling air. We immediately created a thick inexperienced wall to make sure the hot wind doesn’t hit the saplings at once,” Goswami instructed us.
The trick labored, however that hasn’t stopped a few vegetation from death once in a while. “We don’t have to fret about the vegetation during wintry weather and monsoon. But for the remainder of the year, it’s a large challenge,” said Law.
At present, the garden has more than 2,200 tea timber, which have acclimatised to the town’s climate and are generating wholesome tea leaves. But they too want special care. For instance, the existing vegetation want a large number of irrigation, however cannot undergo sprinkled water during summer time. “Only drip irrigation is helpful. Even sudden rain in summer time may cause large issues for the vegetation,” said Goswami, adding that the recent hailstorm killed nearly the entire buds.
Getting the flavour proper
The quality of the tea produced is, of course, now not on a par with Darjeeling or Assam types. But when the tea was plucked and processed for the first time in 2017, tasters spotted a unique Indian gooseberry-like aftertaste. “Till now, we don’t know the reason in the back of it, however are attempting the whole thing with fertilisers and the soil to do away with that aftertaste,” said Goswami. Despite the truth that some folks like the original taste, all the crew is now working to do away with the aftertaste. “It’s the most important challenge for us now. We hope we’ll be able to do away with it inside a few years,” Law added.
Yes to education
As of now, the tea produced in the garden is used for inner gifting functions. As the project was meant to educate folks about tea and attract tourists by way of creating a mini Darjeeling at Eco Park, there are not any plans to marketplace the tea in the close to future. However, the tea front room is starting a path on tea tasting from April. “Tea is without doubt one of the most fed on drinks in India, however there aren’t any correct lessons at the topic. So, we imagine correct education at the topic is needed. So, at the side of any other companions, we're starting a path on tea increasing, processing and tasting,” Law signed off.
When West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) chairman Debasish Sen had get a hold of the idea of starting a tea garden in Kolkata, it had sounded impossible. Neither does Kolkata get the considered necessary quantity of rainfall, nor are summer time temperatures here are compatible for tea-growing. But Sen knew what he sought after and a few years in the past, he witnessed an illustration on tea gardening by way of Kalyani University. He instructed us, “I’d noticed many new tea estates at heat places like Siliguri and even Dinajpur. So, if they may develop tea there, why couldn’t we do it in Kolkata?”
Straight from the Dooars
Once the decision was taken, a three-acre plot was chosen at the Eco Park premises in May 2014 and HIDCO started work at the garden in affiliation with a private tea corporate. “Then, the idea itself was radical and we didn’t know if we would prevail. There have been failed makes an attempt to begin tea gardens in the city up to now,” said Law. Nevertheless, the crew of gardeners and scientists came up with a lot of tactics to care for the prime temperature and the low rainfall. But as they couldn’t create the combo of soil, 24 truckloads of soil and four,000 tea saplings had been brought in from a tea estate in the Dooars.
“While tea vegetation want heavy rainfall, they cannot tolerate wet soil, so the ground needed to have a slope,” said Azad Goswami, the chief supervisor of the garden, who has been actively concerned with the project since its inception. And to reverse the effects of low rainfall, the garden was equipped with water sprinklers and an underground drip irrigation machine, which fed drops of water at once to the roots. Large trees like mango and royal poinciana had been planted to offer colour to the saplings.
The combat
The first year handed smoothly, with most saplings surviving and increasing. “We may see new leaves and buds. But as it takes no less than 3 years for the plant to mature, we couldn’t pluck them,” Goswami said. Then, simply when they thought they completed the impossible, more than 1,000 saplings died the following summer time. “They merely couldn’t take the warmth. The leaves dried up and the vegetation died,” Goswami added.
That’s when they spotted the problem. There was a manicured pebble garden to the west of the tea garden and the principle street to its east. “So, during the summer time, the bituminous street and the pebbles in that garden would soak up warmth and heat the encircling air. We immediately created a thick inexperienced wall to make sure the hot wind doesn’t hit the saplings at once,” Goswami instructed us.
The trick labored, however that hasn’t stopped a few vegetation from death once in a while. “We don’t have to fret about the vegetation during wintry weather and monsoon. But for the remainder of the year, it’s a large challenge,” said Law.
At present, the garden has more than 2,200 tea timber, which have acclimatised to the town’s climate and are generating wholesome tea leaves. But they too want special care. For instance, the existing vegetation want a large number of irrigation, however cannot undergo sprinkled water during summer time. “Only drip irrigation is helpful. Even sudden rain in summer time may cause large issues for the vegetation,” said Goswami, adding that the recent hailstorm killed nearly the entire buds.
Getting the flavour proper
The quality of the tea produced is, of course, now not on a par with Darjeeling or Assam types. But when the tea was plucked and processed for the first time in 2017, tasters spotted a unique Indian gooseberry-like aftertaste. “Till now, we don’t know the reason in the back of it, however are attempting the whole thing with fertilisers and the soil to do away with that aftertaste,” said Goswami. Despite the truth that some folks like the original taste, all the crew is now working to do away with the aftertaste. “It’s the most important challenge for us now. We hope we’ll be able to do away with it inside a few years,” Law added.
Yes to education
As of now, the tea produced in the garden is used for inner gifting functions. As the project was meant to educate folks about tea and attract tourists by way of creating a mini Darjeeling at Eco Park, there are not any plans to marketplace the tea in the close to future. However, the tea front room is starting a path on tea tasting from April. “Tea is without doubt one of the most fed on drinks in India, however there aren’t any correct lessons at the topic. So, we imagine correct education at the topic is needed. So, at the side of any other companions, we're starting a path on tea increasing, processing and tasting,” Law signed off.
Rising temp a challenge for Eco Park tea garden
![Rising temp a challenge for Eco Park tea garden]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
March 25, 2019
Rating:
