Hyderabad Mom Grows 5 Mango Varieties on Her Terrace

A business owner in Hyderabad turned her empty rooftop into a thriving fruit and vegetable garden that would make any farm jealous.

Elizabeth Kota started her terrace garden in 2020 when her family finally moved from a cramped apartment into their own home. The lockdown gave the 47-year-old cookware business owner the perfect opportunity to pursue her longtime dream of growing organic produce.

She began with seasonal vegetables like okra, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Within months, her family stopped buying vegetables from stores except for onions and potatoes.

Encouraged by her success, Elizabeth moved on to the real challenge: growing fruit trees in containers. Today, her rooftop garden boasts grapes, figs, apples, bananas, watermelons, pineapples, and an impressive five varieties of mangoes, along with citrus fruits and more.

Her secret lies in the potting mix: red soil, river sand, cow dung, and neem cake combined in a 3:3:3:1 ratio. She uses only kitchen compost, vermicompost, and organic pesticides made from diluted cow urine or neem oil applied every two weeks.

The harvest feeds her household and gets shared with family and friends. Elizabeth plans to lease land for commercial organic farming to serve people who want chemical-free produce but lack time to grow it themselves.

The Ripple Effect

Elizabeth's garden does more than feed her family. She now trains new urban farmers through the horticulture department and helps families set up their own terrace gardens for around 25,000 rupees, including all supplies and follow-up visits.

Her YouTube channel, Eli's World, teaches thousands of viewers her farming techniques. Videos regularly reach 5,000 to 10,000 people searching for ways to grow their own food.

She also manages four WhatsApp groups filled with aspiring gardeners asking questions and sharing experiences. Through these platforms, Elizabeth proves that organic farming doesn't require wealth or vast space.

According to Elizabeth, anyone can start a productive garden on just 100 square feet of terrace space for less than 1,000 rupees. Her own 300-pot setup cost about 30,000 rupees over time, but she emphasizes that grow bags offer an even cheaper alternative.

Daily maintenance takes less than an hour once the garden is established, though Elizabeth admits she visits her plants like children every two hours. She hopes to formalize her teaching into crash courses for beginners who want healthy, homegrown produce.

Her message is simple: store-bought vegetables and fruits lose flavor and nutrition due to chemicals, and children deserve to taste real food grown with care.