(Image source from: Manoramaonline.com)

In spite of the harsh climate of Arabia, Jyothy, a Non-Resident Indian, has successfully grown vegetables and flowers at her villa compound in Doha's Matar Qadeem.

Although Jyothy came to Qatar as a nurse at Hamad General Hospital, she later shifted her focus to farming. She is married to Thomas, a businessman. The couple hails from Kuttyadi in Kozhikode district of Kerala.

Winning Formula

The secret behind Jyothy's success is Direct Composting Technique (DCT). Empty tins are cut from the bottom and one-fourth of the cans are sunk into the sand. Leftover food and vegetables are dumped in the tins and allowed to compost. This turns into compost pretty fast. When vegetables are planted, the tins are kept close to them.

The chief benefit of the method is that the roots of the plants are not cut while providing fertilizer. From her experience, Jyothy says that cutting sardines into small pieces and putting them in the tins can replace the use of fish amino acid.

From Kerala's own beans to the bitter gourd, okra, brinjal, tomato, ivy gourd, cucumber, ash gourd, bottle gourd and Muskmelon (shamam fruit), you can find everything in this garden. The moringa tree is without leaves but full of drumsticks. Beans and bitter gourd are plucked every other day. Carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, potato, lettuce, and watermelon can also be found here.

One can as well find Cape gooseberries here, which is uncommon in the kitchen gardens of other Malayalis here. Likewise known as golden berry, this is the wild fruit that used to be once commonly found in Kerala. It is difficult to spot one in Kerala these days. Jyothy bought its sapling from Al Dosari Park in Doha. The sour and sweet fruit that is available at supermarkets in Qatar could set you back by 50 riyals, however small its packet be.

Jyothy is as well growing flowers in pots that are fixed or hung from outer walls of her villa. She is also active in several groups and collectives of farming enthusiasts in Qatar such as Hope, Haritham, Vayalum Veedum, Nammude Adukkalathottam Doha and Krishiyidam Qatar.

-Sowmya Sangam