From Rooftop to Table: How a 74-Year-Old’s Lush Bengaluru Garden Sustains Her Family with Over 1000 Plants

In the heart of Bengaluru’s bustling Banashankari neighborhood, where concrete often overshadows greenery, 74-year-old Mala Raghavan has created a verdant oasis that defies urban constraints. Her terrace garden, brimming with over 1,000 pots, is a testament to her lifelong passion for plants, transforming her home into a self-sustaining haven. From juicy tomatoes to exotic dragon fruit, fragrant jasmine to hefty ash gourds, Mala’s garden not only feeds her family but also nourishes her soul, offering peace and purpose. This inspiring story, rooted in decades of dedication, shows how urban gardening can thrive with creativity and care, even in a city as fast-paced as Bengaluru.^[0]

What began as a teenage hobby in Chennai during the 1980s has blossomed into a life philosophy for Mala. Her rooftop jungle, dense with fruits, vegetables, and flowers, is more than a garden—it’s a vibrant ecosystem that attracts bees, bulbuls, and admiring neighbors. As urban farming gains traction in India, Mala’s journey offers practical lessons and heartfelt inspiration for anyone looking to grow their own food, no matter the space constraints. Let’s explore how she built this green empire, her tips for success, and the profound impact it’s had on her life and community.^[1]

A Lifelong Love for Gardening

Mala’s journey began at 18, under her mother’s guidance in Chennai, where she learned the art of nurturing flowers, fruits, and vegetables. “I fell in love with the soil,” she recalls, describing how she’d spend hours tending to plants, captivated by their growth.^[1] After moving to Bengaluru following her marriage, family responsibilities paused her gardening, but once her children were settled, she dove back in with renewed vigor. “My plants are like my children,” she smiles, a sentiment echoed by the care she pours into each pot.^[0]

Her ground-floor garden, thick with shanbagam, betel-leaf vines, and coffee bushes, eventually outgrew its space. Ten years ago, Mala took a bold step, relocating her garden to the terrace and investing several lakhs in heavy-duty grills to fend off marauding monkeys—a common urban gardening challenge in Bengaluru. This move not only saved her harvests but expanded her canvas, allowing her to cultivate an astonishing variety of plants.^[0] Today, her terrace is a living mosaic of jasmine, chrysanthemums, cacti, curry leaves, bananas, brahma kamalam, and a dozen shades of hibiscus, alongside edible crops like pumpkins, tomatoes, and dragon fruit.

A Self-Sustaining Food Source

Mala’s garden is a powerhouse of productivity. Her family rarely buys vegetables, relying instead on homegrown pumpkins, chow-chow, tindora, avarakkai, greens, chillies, and tomatoes. Last month, she donated six 15-kg ash gourds to a nearby temple, a testament to her garden’s abundance.^[0] Flowers, too, come from her pots—she hasn’t purchased jasmine or hibiscus in years. This self-sufficiency aligns with India’s growing urban farming movement, which, according to a 2025 Times of India report, is helping Bengalureans reduce reliance on markets while fostering sustainable living.^[7]

The garden’s output is shared generously. Neighbors receive ripe produce, and Mala offers succulent and dragon fruit cuttings at nominal prices, spreading her passion for gardening. Her approach mirrors findings from the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), which promotes dragon fruit as a low-maintenance, high-yield crop for urban terraces.^[6] By integrating fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals, Mala creates a balanced ecosystem where bees and birds thrive, enhancing pollination and pest control naturally.

Overcoming Challenges with Resilience

Gardening, especially in an urban setting, isn’t without hurdles. Mala faces pests like squirrels stealing tomatoes, rats nibbling roots, and insects boring into buds. A heartbreaking loss of 50 rose plants to an unknown cause left her reeling, yet she persists, viewing challenges as part of the journey. “Plants are pure energy. You give love, they return peace,” she says, a philosophy that keeps her grounded.^[0]

To combat pests, Mala employs organic methods, such as neem oil sprays, a technique recommended by urban gardening experts for its effectiveness and eco-friendliness.^[15] She also maintains fish-filled tubs to control mosquitoes, showcasing her knack for sustainable solutions. Her heavy-duty grills protect against monkeys, a costly but necessary investment. These strategies highlight her resourcefulness, a trait shared by other Bengaluru gardeners like Lizy John, who grows strawberries in water bottles and vegetables in PVC pipes.^[4]

Mala’s Tips for Aspiring Urban Gardeners

Mala’s 50 years of experience offer valuable lessons for anyone inspired to start their own terrace garden. Here are her top tips, blended with insights from urban farming experts:

Start Small, Dream Big: Begin with easy-to-grow plants like tomatoes, chillies, or curry leaves. “You don’t need a big space—just a few pots and patience,” Mala advises.^[0]
Use Quality Soil: Invest in a mix of cocopeat, vermicompost, and soil for optimal drainage and nutrients, as recommended by Bengaluru gardener Anu Ganapathy.^[3]
Protect Against Pests: Use neem oil or garlic-chilli sprays to deter insects naturally. Regular inspections, as Mala does, catch issues early.^[15]
Maximize Space: Utilize vertical gardening or repurposed containers, like the drums used by Mangaluru couple Ahmed and Sajida for dragon fruit.^[2]
Embrace Diversity: Mix flowers, fruits, and vegetables to attract pollinators and create a balanced ecosystem, as seen in Mala’s garden.^[0]
Invest in Protection: For urban challenges like monkeys, sturdy netting or grills are worth the cost to safeguard your harvest.^[0]
Be Patient: As Seed2Plant notes, dragon fruit takes 1–2 years to fruit, but the wait is rewarding.^[16]

These tips align with advice from Bengaluru’s urban farming community, where innovators like Indira Ashok Shah grow mangoes in buckets and coffee on terraces, proving that creativity conquers space limitations.^[5]

The Broader Impact: A Model for Urban Sustainability

Mala’s garden is more than a personal triumph—it’s a blueprint for sustainable urban living. By reducing her family’s reliance on markets, she cuts their carbon footprint, aligning with global trends toward local food production. A 2025 Citizen Matters report highlights how Bengaluru’s home gardeners are combating food insecurity and climate challenges through terrace farming.^[19] Mala’s generosity in sharing produce and cuttings fosters community bonds, echoing the ethos of groups like Oota from your Thota, which encourages growing food for self-sufficiency.^[17]

Her garden also supports biodiversity. The buzz of bees and flutter of bulbuls create a microhabitat, a stark contrast to Bengaluru’s urban sprawl. This aligns with Neelima Gudipati’s approach of mimicking natural forest conditions to sustain wildlife.^[7] Mala’s story inspires neighbors, with some starting their own gardens, though few match her zeal.^[0]

Conclusion: A Legacy of Green Living

At 74, Mala Raghavan moves carefully due to arthritis, yet her terrace garden thrives with the energy of youth. Her 1,000+ pots are a testament to resilience, creativity, and a deep love for nature. By feeding her family, sharing with neighbors, and donating to her community, she embodies the spirit of urban farming. Her story, rooted in decades of experience, invites us all to pick up a pot, plant a seed, and nurture a greener future. As Mala says, “Give love to plants, and they return peace.” Start your own garden today—you might just find that peace, too.^[0]

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