Kitchen gardening just got a lot more easier

Those who are interested in kitchen gardening but always stop short of pursuing it, finding the tasks of procuring sand, fertilizer et al too cumbersome, can now heave a sigh of relief. For these people, a company is offering “vegetable bags”, comprising vegetable seeds with sand and manure. One just needs to unpack these bags and water them to see vegetables growing.

The company, Anar Coir, has called the product Aashi. The kitchen gardening bags include 12 varieties: tomato, brinajl, lady’s finger, cucumber, capsicum, bush beans, coriander, curry leaves, spinach, amaranthus, mint and chillies.

Besides standard packages, Aashi offers customised packages for households that suit their space and preferential vegetable requirement. Technically equipped team of Aashi and their franchisee partners take care of the installation of the package and thereafter provide appropriate guidance to ensure a good harvest.

Commenting on the concept of the bags, chairman of Anar Coir, Sam T Ahilan, said whatever vegetables come to the market are highly contaminated, as studies have indicated. Besides the chemical content of vegetables, he said, their sky-high prices are another concern for the middle class, who are forced to reduce their consumption of vegetables in the face of rising prices, compromising on their health.

Explaining the economic rationale, Ahilan pointed out that for a middle class family of four, the total consumption of vegetables in a year is approximately 412 kgs. Assuming the average price of any vegetable is Rs 45 per kg, the annual expenditure is about Rs18,540.

On the contrary, the average per kg cost of Aashi kitchen garden vegetables will be around Rs20 and the annual expenditure on Aashi package will be around Rs8,000, translating into an annual saving of about 55 to 70% of the current vegetable budget.