Westville boy grows food with heart and soil
The green house, which was a birthday gift from his father, is filled with fruits and vegetables which Yarshan has planted and tends to everyday.
YARSHAN Kumarasamy is a young, talented man with the greenest fingers. At the age of 11,
Yarshan owns a greenhouse that is filled with fresh fruit and vegetables that he planted and tends to each day.
His love for gardening started when his mother brought home the Checkers Little Garden plants.
“I started with growing those and watching the seeds coming up just fascinated me. After those, I planted a sunflower. It grew bigger and bigger and, when it bloomed, I was so happy,” beamed a proud Yarshan.
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After he witnessed the plants grow, he started to plant more. “Then the monkeys were eating my fruit and vegetables,” he laughed. On his birthday, in September, his dad gifted him a greenhouse.
“I was so happy, I actually burst into tears, it was the best present!”
In addition to this, other family members brought him seeds and decorations. The green house, which he tends to, is filled with herbs, strawberries, blueberries, cabbage, spinach, chillies, brinjal and lettuce.
His love for gardening also stems from motivation by his late grandfather.
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“My grandparents motivated me. They once brought me a bunch of vegetables that I planted and they gave me very useful trips,” he said. Early this year, his beloved grandfather succumbed to Covid-19.
“He did not get a chance to see my greenhouse, but I have planted a vegetable in the green room to honor his memory,” said the kind-hearted Yarshan.
The Grade 5 learner at Atholl Heights Primary School gives away the ripened fruit and vegetables to friends, family, and people in his neighbourhood. He said it makes him happy to know the vegetables he plants help provide a meal for others.
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When he is not in his garden, Yarshan enjoys playing cricket and hockey and loves art. “In my spare time I watch gardening videos on YouTube,” an online space he said has given him numerous tips to hone his gardening.
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