Ramezan Rostami’s domestic greenhouse on his rooftop produced 1,300 kg of organic cucumbers in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended March 20).
He first started greenhouse farming as a hobby in 2013 in his 1 sq meter backyard. It has now expanded to 160 sq meters on his rooftop and the yard, supplying part of his hometown Birjand’s need for cucumbers. Rostami’s greenhouse has created jobs for two other people in Birjand (the provincial capital of South Khorasan in the east). He uses hydroponics technology and automated drip irrigation causing no leaks or damage to his house, reports Mehr News Agency.
Hydroponics is a subset of hydro culture for growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions without soil. Terrestrial plants can be grown with their roots in the solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite or gravel.
A graduate of agricultural engineering, Rostami plans to build a reservoir on a private property using drip irrigation to plant other vegetables. Birjand has a cold desert climate with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is low, and mostly in winter and spring, making it dependent on irrigation.
