If you’ve ever lived in Delhi, chances are you know all about its infamous heat. Growing any plant, let alone a thriving terrace garden, seems almost impossible here.

But not for homemaker Sumanthi Chelliah. In the polluted air of the city, she breathes the cool and clear air of her garden.

Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Sumathi moved to Delhi in 2004 with her husband, who was the assistant director of New Delhi Municipal Corporation’s Horticulture department.

The air pollution, especially during winters, was harsh on her health, and soon she developed breathing problems and dust allergies.

“Doctors advised me to stay indoors or live in a place that has fresh air and greenery. They also told me to consume organic vegetables,” she recalls to The Better India.

Worried about her and her family’s health, she met with horticulture experts through her husband who suggested that she try her hand at rooftop farming.

They gave her seeds of vegetables like tomatoes, brinjals and spinach, which she began growing on her terrace.

Her first harvest was a success, and soon she started to grow all kinds of vegetables.

She grows plants including insulin plant, kala basa, lemongrass, mint, banana, orange, guava, carrot, beetroot, celery, broccoli, red cabbage, zucchini, pumpkin, maize, muskmelon, watermelon, strawberry, ajwain, moringa and jasmine etc.

Additionally, she also uses her kitchen waste to make organic compost and uses natural pest repellent such as buttermilk, fermented curd, neem oil, fish bones and cow dung to keep insects at bay.

What started as a small garden is now spread on her 3,000-sq ft terrace and produces 5 kg of organic vegetables.

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