Sugandhadevi, a resident of Kollam, Kerala, had always wanted to try her hand at farming.

However, her household duties kept her occupied and she could not follow her dreams for decades.

It was only when she hit 40 that she was able to follow her passion. She says it all started when she saw a Facebook video about a woman who practised large-scale farming. With the help of her village panchayat officials, she procured some grow bags to try her hand at terrace farming.

Unlike most, she started with growing paddy. And soon enough, she had her first harvest of 45 kg of rice which she grew until 2022 but stopped to focus on growing more vegetables. Currently, she grows all the vegetables that her family consumes which includes tomato, cabbage, chilli, pea, lady’s finger, brinjal, cauliflower, carrot, greens, and cholam (corn).

“My family and I get to eat organic food which helps us remain healthy even in this age of serious illnesses,” she says.

Growing her yields organically, she shares that her secret mixture is made with soil, sand/wood dust and cow dung in a 1:1:1 ratio.

“The mixture should be left for 14 days before adding seeds. Make sure it doesn’t dry up in the meantime. After seven days, mix potassium, urea and cow dung powder in one cup of water and add the mixture on alternate days. The yield will undoubtedly surprise you,” she says.