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Her passion for coffee, desserts and music has been brought together under one roof at her café. A food and travel enthusiast, Zee is constantly re-inventing her menu and introducing new flavours to the city, all the while advocating the farm to table approach, by growing many of the vegetables at their farm and supporting local farmers.
How did you start gardening?
The state of West Bengal had announced a self imposed week long lockdown before the National lockdown was announced in March 2020. My family and I decided to go to our farm for the week, away from the city as covid cases were on the rise. The National lockdown was announced two days later and we found ourselves unable to return to the city.It was then that I started my gardening and farming journey. I used locally sourced seeds to begin with, but got very interested in microgreens as well. I found All That Grows on Instagram and placed my first order in 2021. There’s been no looking back ever since.
What are some of your favourite plants to grow in the garden?
I have been growing seasonal vegetables since 2020. These include a whole lot of gourds in the summer along with brinjal, tomatoes and sunflowers. In the winter, I grow a lot of green leafy vegetables, salad greens, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and pak choi. I grow basil and microgreens throughout the year.
What are some of the plants that you’ve not had as much success with?
Melons, red capsicum, bulls blood beet microgreens and red amaranth microgreens.
Are there any new plants on your wishlist?
Catnip (since I have cats).
What would you like to say to our new gardeners?
There’s no such thing as “I don’t have a green thumb”. With the right kind of seeds, environment and growing conditions, anyone can grow and keep plants alive.
Any gardening hack you want to share with us?
Start composting if you are not already. I use coffee grounds, banana peels, all vegetable peels, eggshells, fish scraps and chicken bones to make fertiliser. Takes a little effort, but goes a long way.
Any particular Instagram accounts you follow for inspiration?
I'm on Instagram as: @baganfarm and @zareenalidesai.
Here are a few accounts I follow on Instagram:
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