Mulberry, sugarcane and bush orange: Meet three organic gardeners who are growing it all on their terraces

Tempted to create your own little green patch and cut down on trips to the supermarket? We ask the experts for advice on how to grow lunch

A sunbird peeks out of its nest in Madhavi Guttikonda’s terrace garden, at Arilova in Visakhapatnam. Beside it, a bumblebee brushes past a tall bunch of sugarcane jutting out of a wide earthen pot. Between growbags and pots lush with fruits and vegetables stands Madhavi, busy harvesting mulberries.

“This is my abode of peace,” she says, with a wide smile. What started as an experiment with growing organic leafy greens for her home kitchen a few years ago, changed the course of her life when she launched her YouTube channel Mad Gardener in 2018, with the help of her children. As Madhavi explained her methods of growing vegetables at home on the Telugu platform, her following grew steadily, and is currently close to five lakh. “I feel I am a part of the journey of so many people who are growing their own vegetables. This is my biggest satisfaction,” says the Visakhapatnam-based YouTuber.

Walking with her through her thriving terrace garden is like getting hands-on experience in learning the science of the soil. "People just see the vegetable produce and marvel at it. But the real magic happens under the soil. That is the soul of the plant," she says. “New soil does not have microbes; hence the mechanism needs to take off; microbes need to breed. The important thing is to check the soil moisture and feed the soil dung and compost," she adds 

Passionate about plants from an early age, Madhavi says she worked her way through the errors that most beginners make and learnt to understand the needs of the plant. Her videos seek to address that. "The first experience with growing vegetables can be a challenging one. Most people give up after the initial setbacks. That is where you should not give up," says Madhavi, who received the Rythu Nestham Award (a recognition for contribution to the field of agriculture) last year in the terrace gardening category by the Vice-President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu.

Her terrace garden has a dedicated section  for flowers, with orchids, hibiscus and chrysanthemums. But her passion lies in growing seasonal vegetables that have a short harvest cycle such as varieties of gourds and beans, tomato, cabbage, chilli and cauliflower as well as leafy greens like spinach, amaranth and sorrel. Fruits such as mulberry, dragon fruit, papaya, strawberry, cherries, lemon and sugarcane are also a part of her home garden. "About 90% of my kitchen needs are met through this," says Madhavi, adding that she regularly distributes her produce among friends and neighbours.

Turning kitchen waste into compost is one of the major parts of her gardening process, as Madhavi uses it as a soil base for growing many of the vegetables and leafy greens. She also shares tips to deal with pests using natural fertilisers. “I talk about my observations and interact with others through comments on their experiences. So there’s always that personal connection,” she says. "Spending time in my garden is meditative for me. As kitchen gardeners, we are also designing the inner structure of the fruit and vegetables that we consume. I believe plants can sense our presence and this probably helps in increasing their yield."

Bindu CK’s terrace garden is only about 800 sq.ft in area, but it produces everything from the local green chilly to the exotic zucchini. At Aymanam in Kottayam, Kerala, where temperatures range between 28 degree to 32 degree Celsius, it is difficult to imagine growing fruits such as oranges and strawberries, which are known to thrive in cooler climes. In over a year, Bindu has accomplished this.