Imagine row after row of fresh vegetables in your backyard — tomatoes, pepper, eggplant, mint, curry leaves, beans, chillis, amaranthus, palak, coriander, okra, capsicum.

All fresh, crisp, glistening with dew drops, free of pesticides, healthy and delicious to boot.

Thanks to rapid urbanisation and shrinking of available garden space, this becomes a far fetched dream. And the only vegetables one ends up eating are those that you bring home in a shopping bag. Not if Sam T. Ahilan, Chairman of Aashi Kitchen Garden has his way, 'Yes, there is a lot of urbanisation taking place in India. But people still enjoy gardening. Our Vegetable Grow Bags allow you to do gardening in the small space of your backyard,' he says unpacking one such bag.

It is a compactly packed mass of treated coconut fibre, which acts as the growth medium. Attached to the bottom of the bag are a packet of seeds and three different fertilizers to be used at different stages of the growth cycle, 'This product (choir) used to be discarded as waste but we realised that it can be used as a growing medium and have commercialised it. Choir has high water holding capacity, aerates the root system and generates growth with much less fertilizer that an ordinary medium. The key is to treat it properly and get consistent medium.'

The medium will support the growing plants right through its growth and development period. This way you are assured of a consistent supply of vegetables right through the year, 'It is not just healthy but economical,' says Sam, 'You will not longer need to purchase your vegetables but can enjoy it straight from the garden. The vegetables will not only be free from contamination, fresh and full of vitamins that you don’t lose due to transportation but you can also get vegetables at a price 50-70 per cent cheaper than market rates.'

The bags will be retailed through a number of franchisees, 'That is going to do three things. Gardening itself is going to give you enjoyment, you are going to have fresh vegetables in your own backyard and we are creating jobs in the form of franchises.'

Call 9886195494 for details.