Sumithra Srikanth – Aapti Gardening Solutions

Sumithra Srikanth’s gardening journey began in 2003 when her gardener sowed a few tomato seeds in her new house and she was able to harvest 25kg of produce. Three months after sowing, however, the plant stopped yielding as much as it initially did and Sumithra’s gardener started spraying a chemical called “ROGOR” to enhance yield. Sumithra quickly realised that ROGOR was one of the chemicals that leaked from the Union Carbide Factory at Bhopal and that the vegetables she and her family were consuming were very likely full of this chemical. This motivated Sumithra to grow her own vegetables to ensure that her family, especially her kids, consume chemical free vegetables. Thus began her journey to grow completely organic – chemical free – vegetables, greens and herbs.

Sumithra’s home garden in RA Puram, Chennai is around 2000 sq. ft. spread across 3 balconies/ terrace spaces and an additional 500 sq.ft. on the ground, around her house. She grows a host of vegetables, such as, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, chillies, snake gourd (long and short), bottle gourd, pumpkins, ash gourd, ivy gourd (kovaikkai), 3 different varieties of brinjals, bhajji molaga, capsicum, cabbage, cauliflower, karamani, narthangai, lime, Malta Lemon, yam, drumstick, ginger, Thai ginger, manga inji, cucumbers, colacassia, okra. She also grows a variety of greens including arai keerai, molai keerai, pacha thandu keerai, Ceylon Keerai, methi; herbs like karpooravalli, mudakathan, sudoku thakkali, dhudhuvallai, mint tulsi, mint, curry leaves, bay leaves, lemon grass, pandan leaves, manathakkali, kizhanalli, Basil (Thai, Italian and Red Basil),Turmeric and Aloe vera; and, pulses such as tuvar dal, green gram dal and Lima Beans… and that’s not all! Sumithra grows several flowers like lilies, malli, nandiyavattai, roses, marigold and ornamental plants including Bouquet Pineapple, Adeniums, Ferns and Bonsais.

Naturally, a garden of this size and variety requires constant care and maintenance. Managing pests is a major challenge, but according to Sumithra, part of nature.

She states that organic plants are not easy to manage and need constant monitoring. For instance, it is not enough to spray pesticide once and then forget about it like a chemical pesticide which can kill the pest in a second. Rather, plants need repeated application of natural pesticides like neem oil extract.

For her own garden, Sumithra’s favourite homemade pest control measure is the 3G – Ginger, Garlic and Green Chillies, which she supplements with store bought neem oil. Both are dissolved in soap nut water before usage. Plants also require additional nourishment and the right amount of water to help them grow. Compost is a great source of nourishment and Sumithra makes four different types of compost at home: aerobic, anaerobic, vermicompost and compost from leaves. To meet water requirements, she has installed a drip irrigation system in one portion of her garden and her well acts as a water source, collecting all the rain water harvested on the premises. For her, gardening is not about just pouring water but about observation and watching for growth / problems and health of the plant.

It has taken time for the garden to flourish as it does today and for Sumithra to learn how to manage her garden. She says,

“I have learnt “patience” from my plants. Initially I had many plants to manage and pest attacks happened simultaneously as they are close to each other. Slowly through these years, I have learnt the art of managing them with care and patience. Every problem always has a solution.”

Sumithra’s garden has also made her and her family self-reliant, especially during disasters –

“Whether it was the Tsunami or Cyclone Vardah or this lockdown, while people around me panicked about procuring vegetables. I was calm and enjoyed harvesting from my terrace and cooking without a hassle. I decide the menu based on what I harvested each day. It is a joy to see that the seed you have sown has sprouted, flowered and is giving you vegetables for your consumption.”

She also finds calmness and positivity in gardening – “I sing to my plants. I play Jazz music to them as I have read somewhere that they love that music. I find a lot of solace in being around them.”

To encourage and help more people with gardening she started her own store – AAPTI GARDENING SOLUTIONS, 3 years ago.