Sunday, June 15, 2014


The Green Garden is a farm run by a set of youngsters who worked previously in a volunteering company in its environment project. With an ambition to promote health, nutrition and environment, the green garden has a long way to go.

Organic Vegetable


I have been in to organic farming since 2002 as soon as I finished my graduation in engineering. For me organic farming was very interesting . I was able to see the good things in it but then it was not easy. I was challenged in many ways by different people and things. The struggle continued till 2010 when I decided to move in to jobs. my first job was an environmental project which was ran by an UK based Indian company. I felt I was in a job where you get paid for serving farmers to go organic and I was able to see many scope in it. But at one point, started realising that there is definitely scope for improvement but, not through the company. Because its a profit making company and not an NGO!

I expressed my thoughts to my two team mates at workplace and they said," Let's move together in to your farm and work hard to create a set-up that could sustain ourselves at the same time provide opportunity to serve the farming community". One of my best moments!

Back at home, my friend and  former colleague Swathi welcomed my thoughts and we became, from a team of 3, to a team of 5 as her husband, Johnson also joined us. Also one of my former volunteer and good friend, Jo, encouraged me further to contribute. Finally, we quit the job in May 2014 and came back to my home town, Tirunelveli.

In May 2014, we started looking for species of birds, plants and native cows to grow in our farm. We went to Manapparai to buy our native kangeyam cow. would like to name it. Any suggestion?
Also bought a pair of katchakatti black sheep from Vadipatti  which is a fast declining species in Tamilnadu. We bought native country chicks of varying breeds like Aseel, Kadaknath, eurasian, dwarf breeds.

We procured about 485 native seedlings from a nursery ran by a women self-help group. We also bought various herbal seedlings too.

It was at this stage, one of my good friend joined our team. It was his long time dream to contribute to a community project. We could feel our team strengthening up!

At the farm,  many things needed a fix. The vermi compost unit's roof had been blown away in the wind. We
needed a shelter for the chicks separately. There was a large invasion of Parthenium plants all over the farm.

Every day, Strange looks and funny comments pass by us.
            What is she trying to do?
             she thinks she can manage with farming?
             What a strange team?

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