As a child, Rema was so impressed by seeing her grandmother taking care of the trees and plants in the courtyard that she too became her colleague. Gradually, she got a deep knowledge of plants, seeds and fertilizers and she got involved in this work with full enthusiasm. Today he has converted his same organic terrace garden into business.
Started growing organic vegetables around the house
Rema Devi, 56, a resident of Kottayam, started growing organic vegetables around her house in the 90s. Then the only aim was to fulfill the needs of vegetables for the family. But in the last few years now it has also become a source of good income for them. Regarding this hobby, Rema says, “My grandmother had been a successful gardener for years. She used to grow many types of vegetables in the courtyard and the vacant plot near the house. In childhood, my younger sister and I used to help them. It is because of his influence that today I like gardening so much. It was from him that I got such good information about growing vegetables in organic ways.
Troubled by the vegetables in the market, started gardening
Rema further says, “Mother too was always very interested in farming. That’s why I majored in Botany. Then such an incident happened in my life that I got deeply attached to gardening. Once I was making vegetables brought from the market and suddenly a strong smell of some chemical started coming from it, then I felt that I cannot feed such dangerous food to my children and then I started growing vegetables at my home. Grandma’s information came in handy in this.
Teaching methods of gardening to people from YouTube
Rema has been growing vegetables and fruits on the terrace of her house for the last 20 years. She also started her YouTube channel, through which she is giving training to urban people, so that they too can fulfill their hobby of gardening in our place. Rema also collects the seeds of vegetables and distributes them to the people. He believes that terrace gardening can be done in very sustainable ways and at low cost. At present, she is earning around Rs 60,000 per month only from the business of seeds. They are getting orders from all over the state.
Sells these seeds through social media
Rema told that she sells these seeds through social media. The cost of these seeds ranges between Rs 25 to Rs 40 per packet, depending on the variety and availability of vegetables.
Precaution has to be taken for terrace garden
Rema says, “While taking care of the terrace garden, it should be remembered that it is the topmost layer of our house. To ensure its safety and avoid leakage, I have water proofed my entire roof with white cement. Use an iron stand instead of placing pots or grow bags directly on the terrace.”
