ATGLife Mates: Featuring Gayatri Ganesh

Meet Gayatri Ganesh, whose gardening journey took root when she moved to the Nilgiris six years ago. Inspired by the region’s incredible, temperate climate, she embraced self-sufficiency, growing organic, chemical-free vegetables—not just for her family but for her entire community.

How did you start gardening?

ATGLife Mates - Featuring Gayatri Ganesh

I started gardening in a serious way when I moved to the Nilgiris 6 years ago. Given the awesome, almost temperate climate, I felt a duty to be self-sufficient and grow organic vegetables, free of chemicals for me and my family, and later my community as well. With the no-dig method pioneered by Charles Dowding, it is easy to start growing vegetables. Within 6 months I was growing enough leafy and root vegetables to feed a family of 3. By the end of year 1, we were self-sufficient in most vegetables, except for onions, ginger, and garlic. I started growing with seeds from All That Grows. I kept going back to ATG because of the high germination rates, and non-GMO and open-pollinated seeds. The no-dig growing method combined with high-quality non-GMO seeds from ATG was a winning combination for me. Germination rates within the expiry dates have always been very successful. My vegetables grew strong and healthy, and my no-dig beds.

What are some of your favourite plants to grow in the garden?

My favourite plants to grow are vegetables - lettuces of all types, leeks, sweet corn, spinach, tomatoes, beetroot, and carrots to name a few. The rewards are much greater than the sum of your efforts. But I started with ornamental flowering plants from a local nursery and once I was confident that I could create healthy soil, and understand the needs of the plant, I moved on to vegetables.

What are some of the plants that you’ve not had as much success with?

Ginger - my climate in the Nilgiris is partly responsible, peas, and some types of flowers from seed are hard to germinate.

Are there any new plants on your wishlist?

Echinacea is a medicinal plant with large blooms, whose flowers, stems and roots can be ground up to make a paste that can cure colds, cuts and bruises, and skin problems - works for both humans and their pets.

What would you like to say to our new gardeners?

Just start. It's ok if some plants don't make it. The instructions are simple and they never change. Plants need healthy soil, water, and light and especially your love and care. But the most important is to source high-quality non-GMO seeds. Try companion planting of flowers and vegetables to keep away pests naturally.

"My vision of a garden and food forest evolves slowly in the spaces behind dreaming and waking. In that space, I walk through what my mature food forest and garden would look like, the paths I want to follow, and the shrubs that will greet me around the next corner. In that dream, I am released from human time, younger still while my garden ages." (from my published piece: Dig No Further: Renewing the Soil and the Self)

Any gardening hack you wanna share with us?

I highly recommend the no-dig way of farming - be it on a large or small scale. The method promotes the natural regeneration of soil by growing in compost that is spread over mulched weedy beds. No-dig or no-till is a low-impact method that allows you to work alongside and give back to nature.