Meet the gardeners teaching London how to grow South Asian crops

This summer, Hina Joshi, Rishi Shah, and Niru Patel are teaming up with Capital Growth to lead a practical workshop on growing South Asian vegetables in the UK. 

All three trainers are experienced growers with a passion for permaculture, having all qualified in permacuture design. Rishi is a gardener at Capel Manor College in Enfield, and Niru trained at Capel Manor College as a professional gardener. Hina has also trained in community orcharding with The Orchard Project.

Discover their expert tips for cultivating bottle gourds, chickpeas, okra, and more- even in cooler climates.

In this interview, they share their passion for organic homegrown produce, practical advice for beginners, and why urban gardening is essential for sustainability.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into growing South Asian vegetables in the UK?

All three of us are Gujarati and we met while taking part in a permaculture course in 2022, where we learnt about growing organically without chemicals and pesticides. Growing up eating South Asian vegetables like dudhi, karela, and okra, we’ve long known their health benefits and made them a staple in our diet. Many families, with roots in South Asia once grew these veggies using traditional, organic methods on family farms

How do you adapt your gardening techniques to suit the UK’s climate, which is different from South Asia’s?

Many South Asian veg need a long growing season, so seeds can be sown indoors using heated propagators or you can even use a hot water bottle! Some tender crops like karela, dudhi and turia need warmer temperatures to grow successfully so growing them in a greenhouse is better. Other veg and herbs are easy to grow directly outside in our UK climate e.g. mooli, methi and dhania.

How do you see urban gardening contributing to sustainable food practices?

Urban gardening can play a huge role by reducing air miles and will provide easier access to fresh, nutritious food. Growing organically also helps to increases biodiversity above and below the soil which improves the nutrient content of vegetables.

What advice would you give to someone interested in growing South Asian vegetables in their garden?

Do it! Start small with one vegetable and gradually learn what works best for your garden's conditions. Not all South Asian vegetables will thrive in every environment, so begin with experimenting with varieties that are known to be more adaptable to cooler climates.

While our "Growing South Asian Veg" workshop is now fully booked, the growing doesn’t stop here- you can catch them at the London Permaculture Festival on July 6.

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