Bearing the extreme heat and constant sweat of Indian summers, there’s but one solace we all eagerly anticipate — Mangoes!
Did you know you can cultivate these magnificent mangoes right on your terrace?
Urban gardener Elizabeth Kota grows five types of mangoes in her terrace garden, besides other fruits like figs, grapes, passion fruits, and pineapples.
“When we finally moved to our own house (in Hyderabad) from a congested rented apartment, I found space to put together a terrace garden, which was always a dream,” says the 47-year-old.
Her journey as an urban gardener started during the lockdown when she found herself relatively free from professional engagements.She started by growing seasonal vegetables like okras, brinjals, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, etc, before moving to plants. Successfully growing vegetables gave her the confidence to try planting some fruits too.
She started with chikoos, mangoes, and grapes. Later, she found many varieties of these fruits and planted them too.Her key to success? The right potting mix. She mixes red soil, river sand, cow dung and neem cake in a 3:3:3:1 ratio.
For fertilisers, she uses kitchen compost and vermicompost along with cow dung. She makes her own pesticide repellent by mixing 5 ml of cow urine in one litre of water or diluted neem oil.
Other than maintaining her garden, she also started a YouTube channel called Eli’s World, where she shares her farming techniques, tips, and tricks.
Additionally, she also charges Rs 25,000 for setting up 40 grow bags for new farmers — which includes potting mix, fertiliser, seeds, and pesticides. She also visits those gardens twice to check the growth, under the package.
For eager and new enthusiasts, she says, “There is no need to spend a lot of money or space to begin organic farming. You can even put together a garden on a 100-sq-ft terrace for less than Rs 1,000.”