Dubai: Indian expatriate Sam George Abraham and wife Bindumol’s home farming was so impressive that the Dubai Municipality declared them winners in its Grow Your Food campaign in May.
The couple received a Dh5,000 cash prize for growing 10 varieties of vegetables in their vertical garden with around 180 pots as well as vines on their ground floor balcony.
It was Abraham, a technician with Dnata, who started the balcony garden in his home in Hor Al Anz in Dubai with three or four pots to teach his daughters about growing plants.
“When my elder daughter shared her queries on vegetables with me on a trip to a supermarket, I decided I needed to do something about it,” he said.
His wife Bindumol, who is employed as a nurse, said her husband’s endeavour began despite not knowing anything about home farming. “He started in a small way,” she said.
“He referred to books and sought the advice of experts. Now he has acquired the skills. He has made maximum use of the space available by fixing wooden planks and creating a vertical garden.”
The couple, who have two school-going daughters, has been growing their garden for almost seven years now.
“Here in Dubai, September to March is the best time to grow vegetables. So we start our preparations in August,” said Abraham.
Each August they start sowing the seeds in seeding trays and ready their pots with fresh soil.
“We [produce] about 15kg of vegetables every year, and we share it with friends,” said Sam.
In summer, Bindumol said, they switch to planting mostly flowering plants and herbs.
Cauliflower, she said, is the hardest to grow here because it has a long growing season and requires a cool climate.
The couple believes that with a few simple tools, a little space, and a desire to assist nature in plant growth, any-one can be a good farmer or gardener.
“You just need to use high-quality seed, plant at the proper time, modify soil with organic matter, avoid overwatering, and examine plants often to keep away problems,” said Bindumol.
“My garden is an inspiration to other people as well. Many of my friends started their own home garden after seeing our success,” said Abraham.
The Abrahams’ home farm has:
Tomato
Chillies
Eggplant
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Bitter gourd
Bottle gourd
Spinach
Capsicum
Okra
Curry leaves
