J-K: Post harvesting process at full swing in Srinagar's tulip garden
Aug 25, 2021
Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], August 25 : Gardeners in Srinagar have upscaled their preparations for the next year's Tulip garden festival here.
Speaking to ANI, a gardener at Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden at Cheshmashahi in Srinagar, Nazir Ahmad said, "As of now, we are harvesting seeds of the ones we have sown. We do harvesting, threshing, winnowing and storing activities to make these tulip bulbs bloom. We keep them protected till the next season. Again, we prepare flower beds for the next season and this process continues over the year."
Another gardener, Mohamad Shafi said, "You can see, as of now, we are doing post harvesting of seeds. It is very important step. We preserve the seeds in cold storage to avoid fungus. It is not an ordinary job and requires a lot of manpower. Officers also come here to keep a check on a regular basis."
The officials highlighted the importance of protecting this garden and lauded the preparations done by the gardeners for the upcoming Tulip festival that is held annually in Srinagar. 
Dr Inam who is the In-charge of the Tulip Garden said, "Each Tulip bulb is graded on the basis of its size. As of now, for protecting the tulip pods in chambers of cold storage. We are preparing for the next year's Tulip festival."
Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden, previously Model Floriculture Center, is a tulip garden in Srinagar. It is the largest tulip garden in Asia spread over an area of about 30 hectares. It is situated on the foothills of Zabarwan Range with an overview of Dal Lake. The garden was opened in 2007 with the aim to boost floriculture and tourism in Kashmir Valley.
Tulip Festival is an annual celebration that aims to showcase the range of flowers in the garden as a part of tourism efforts by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. It is organized during the onset of spring season in the Kashmir valley.
The best time to visit the Tulip Garden is between March-end and early April.
