Bhubaneswar, Aug. 30: The trend of rooftop gardens is fast catching up with more residents growing common herbs used in preventive health care along with vegetables.

On the occasion of World Kitchen Garden Day today, members of Kitchen Garden Association in the city organised a special meet for the women members comprising homemakers and working professionals for the first time to make them aware about the use of growing medicinal plants.

Sugata Nayak, a homemaker from Gajapati Nagar, who chaired the women's session, told The Telegraph: "Plants such as lemon grass, tulsi, pepper, aswagandha, ginger and lemon can be used to prepare quality herbal tea. It helps to reduce stress."

Nayak also said that at least 10 houses have started growing both vegetables and herbs.

"The rooftop gardens also help the households grow quality vegetables with less investment when the market remains volatile forever," she said.

"We not only want to harvest vegetables, but plant medicinal plants and change the entire surroundings. Once more and more people become aware of our objective, we can bring in a massive change in the rooftop skyline of Bhubaneswar," she said.

Well-known writer-turned-organic farming crusader Abhay Singh said: "The entire Western world is now rejecting edibles grown with the use of artificial chemicals and fertilisers. We should also do the same. Members of the kitchen garden association believe in this and will also try to educate others."

Since 2004, the Kitchen Gardeners' International celebrates World Kitchen Garden Day on the fourth Sunday of August to create awareness on the benefits of fresh food produced at home with the use of locally available organic resources.

The international body now functions in more than 100 nations and has more than 35,000 members.

Maheshwar Khillar, the man behind the rooftop kitchen garden movement in the city, said: "In collaboration with the horticulture directorate, Saheed Nagar Cultural Samiti and Ekamra Workers' Club, we are trying to take the concept to other parts of the state. Today members from seven districts of Odisha were present at the meet."