High above the bustling streets of Thiruvananthapuram, a quiet green revolution is unfolding — on a 500-square-foot terrace. Here, surrounded by the hum of the city and the warmth of the southern sun, 48-year-old gardener Padma Suresh has created an oasis teeming with life, flavor, and a whole lot of inspiration.
Raised in the lush village of Vellarada on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, Padma’s roots run deep in farming. She grew up watching seeds become sustenance, seasons guide harvests, and soil nurture life. And though city life pulled her away from her village, it couldn’t shake off the green in her fingers.
Over the past 12 years, she’s lovingly transformed her modest rooftop into a flourishing kitchen garden. From fiery chillies to sweet cherry tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers to juicy brinjals — every corner of her terrace whispers a tale of resilience, care, and the quiet joy of growing one’s own food.
But this isn’t just a story of homegrown produce. It’s about sharing knowledge, inspiring others, and passing down the age-old love for farming — especially to little hands eager to dig into the earth.
As Padma puts it, cucumbers are the perfect first plant for young gardeners. Easy to grow, quick to harvest, and delicious straight off the vine, they make the ideal gateway into the world of edible gardening. Here’s her friendly, step-by-step guide — tailor-made for curious kids and patient parents.
Step 1: Pick the Perfect Sunny Spot
Cucumbers are sun lovers. They thrive in warmth and light, so finding the right spot is step one. A sunny balcony, a bright terrace, or even a corner patch in your backyard will do the trick.
Padma’s terrace, where over 200 plants thrive, is a perfect example. Let kids pick a corner they can call their own — a patch of promise where their green dreams will take root.
Step 2: Get Your Hands Dirty
This is where the fun begins. Preparing the soil is messy, hands-on, and a great way to bond with nature. Padma swears by organic compost — a mix of vermicompost, cow dung, and neem cake. No harmful chemicals here, just good old earthy goodness.
Let kids mix the compost with the soil and feel how it crumbles and smells — this is the ground where their cucumbers will grow strong and healthy.
Step 3: Plant the Seeds of Possibility
Now it’s time to plant. Use small pots or grow bags if space is limited — cucumbers aren’t fussy, just a bit needy when it comes to spreading out.
Push the seeds gently about 1–2 cm into the soil. Each seed holds the magic of transformation, and kids will love the thrill of planting something that, in a few weeks, they’ll actually get to eat.
Step 4: Water with Love (and Routine)
Once the little sprouts appear, they’ll need water — regularly, but not too much. Padma recommends watering every morning and evening, a perfect habit for kids to build discipline and learn responsibility.
It’s their chance to become caretakers — watching something grow because of them.
Step 5: Help the Vines Climb
Cucumbers grow on climbing vines, so they need a little help reaching for the sky. Set up a simple trellis or frame where they can curl and cling.
Building the support structure can be a fun DIY session for parents and kids. And as the vines grow taller day by day, so will the sense of pride.
Step 6: Go Organic Against Pests
Every garden has its villains — but Padma’s approach is straight from nature’s playbook. She uses a powerful organic fertiliser and pesticide mix made from sardine fish and jaggery.
Chop up the sardines, mix with jaggery, seal it in an airtight container, and stir daily. The end result? A nutrient-rich tonic that keeps plants strong and pests away — and it’s a fun science experiment for young gardeners.
Step 7: Harvest the Happiness
After weeks of watering, watching, and waiting — it’s time. When cucumbers reach about six inches and turn a healthy green, it’s harvest season!
There’s something magical about plucking your first cucumber — grown with your own hands, nurtured with patience and love. For kids, it’s not just a snack. It’s a reward, a story, and a memory.
A Garden of Life and Lessons
Padma Suresh’s terrace garden is more than a patch of green in the city — it’s a living, breathing classroom. It teaches sustainability, patience, and the incredible joy of self-reliance. It shows how anyone, anywhere, can reconnect with the earth — one pot, one plant, one cucumber at a time.
And in a world growing more distant from nature, her message couldn’t be more timely: you don’t need acres of land to grow something beautiful. All you need is a bit of space, a seed of curiosity, and the will to get your hands dirty.