Vietnam Early, Jaboticaba, Milk Fruit, Abiyu… at first glance, these names might make you picture a faraway country or an expansive estate. But this remarkable world of exotic greenery flourishes right in the heart of Kochi, carefully nurtured by nature lover Anil Madhavan amid the concrete maze of Palarivattom.

After spending many years abroad, Anil finally gave life to his long-cherished dream of farming on a small plot beside his home. Today, that space has transformed into a lush green orchard filled with hundreds of plants, several of them rare or even unidentified. Trees bend under the weight of fruits, birds flit through the thick canopy, and the entire space exudes a cool, soothing calm unimaginable in the middle of a bustling city. This mini-forest stands as a testament to Anil’s passion, persistence and deep connection with the soil.

His urban orchard boasts an impressive collection of foreign and indigenous fruit trees: Milk Fruit, Jaboticaba, Vietnam Early jackfruit, Himalayan Mulberry, Barbados Cherry, Lilly Pilly, Rambutan, Avocado, Miracle Fruit, Thailand wax apple, and more. He also grows a wide array of mango varieties - including Alphonso, Priyoor, Kottorkonam, Polachira and several types of mangosteen such as Variegated, Brazilian, and Madhuri. Custard apple, star fruit, rolina and dragon fruit further enrich the diversity. The sheer range of crops and the meticulous care he gives them leave every visitor astonished.

A childhood rooted in farming
Anil’s love for farming is a legacy. Raised in a traditional agricultural family in Kuttanad, he grew up immersed in the rhythm of farm work. Paddy fields and vegetable patches framed his childhood and the family practised cultivation under the guidance of a relative who worked in the Agriculture Department. A cattle shed at home ensured a steady supply of organic manure and this has shaped Anil’s understanding of sustainable, chemical-free farming from a young age.

“My father loved mango trees,” Anil recalls. “We grew many varieties sourced from different places. At one point, about 40 types of mango trees stood on our property. So when I moved abroad, the hardest part was not touching soil and not planting anything. That’s why I began cultivating spinach and ladies’ finger in whatever little space I had in my flat at Kuwait,” he says.

Meticulous planning
Anil had already begun preparing his home and its surroundings long before he returned to Kerala after many years in Kuwait. Determined to reshape the space exactly the way he envisioned, he started planning well in advance. Once he finally moved back, he used his free time, especially during the COVID period, to design a detailed landscape model for his dream orchard.

With this blueprint in hand, Anil began working toward his vision of creating an `Eden Garden' in the heart of the city. He carefully sourced fruit-bearing saplings from the best nurseries, selecting each one based on personal preference, and nurtured them with unwavering attention. Creating an island of greenery within an urban concrete stretch was far from easy. Since most of the saplings were exotic varieties, they required extra care in terms of climate, irrigation and manuring. It took him nearly two years of persistent effort to build the farmland he had imagined.

A thriving heaven of biodiversity
Today, Anil Madhavan’s farm stands as a vibrant stockyard of biodiversity. From more than 30 varieties of foreign fruit trees to a wide range of ornamental plants, the orchard showcases an impressive line up. At the same time, he also had to make difficult choices due to the limited space available.

“I had to cut down a velvet apple tree that used to bear plenty of fruit. As the name suggests, it had a velvety skin and was extremely sweet. But space constraints and its strong smell left me with no choice. I also removed the Malabar tamarind and sapodilla trees to make room for new varieties,” Anil explains.

Every fruit tree in his garden, including Milk Fruit, Jaboticaba, Vietnam Early jackfruit, Himalayan mulberry, Barbados cherry, Lilly Pilly, and rambutan, now yields well and consistently. The only disappointment weighing on him is his avocado plant, which has yet to bear fruit even after five years. Beyond fruit trees, a diverse variety of aglaonema, ferns, loropetalum, orchids (mainly dendrobium), bougainvillea and roses too add colour to Anil's home and its premises.

The subtle art of setting up an orchard
The secret behind maintaining such a wide variety of plants and trees doesn’t lie only in the choice of planting materials or manure. It is the result of a well-planned routine and a style of gardening that works in harmony with nature. Every morning, Anil spends one to two hours in his orcahrd, watering the plants, clearing dried leaves and tending to each corner with care. He also dedicates time to the orchard in the evenings. This regular and continuous attention, he says, is the true secret behind the success of his fruit garden. Anil believes that the time he spends on the farm has also had a positive impact on his health.

How to take care of fruit trees
Before buying a new fruit tree, Anil suggests learning about its characteristics and requirements. The planting location should be chosen only after understanding how much water, sunlight and space the tree needs. He uses mostly organic manure and recommends spraying diluted cow urine to maintain plant health.

The biggest challenge, however, is controlling the giant African snail, an unwelcome visitor common in such farms. The main task is to locate the snails hiding among the plants and eliminate them by sprinkling salt.

A hobby that pays back
Anil Madhavan has also transformed his love for cultivating fruit trees into a modest but steady source of income. He buys tender saplings at low prices, nurtures them for several months, and sells them once they are stronger and well-grown. For him, the orchard is a small sanctuary that hosts the `little friends of nature' and offers him relief from the pressures of urban life.

“Once you step into the farm, it feels like walking into an air-conditioned space,” Anil says. “Even under the scorching sun, it stays cool and peaceful among the trees here. Different birds visit here to feast on fruits like guava and Barbados cherry. Watching them is a special experience.”

Toward a Miyawaki orchard
Anil’s next dream is to transform his orchard into a Miyawaki-style fruit forest. The idea is to create a dense forest of fruit trees within a limited urban space. He believes this will allow him to produce enough fruits for his family from his own land.

In this endeavor, Anil receives immense support from his wife, Gayathri and their son, Tejan Anil. “This would never have been possible without my family,” he says. “When I was abroad, it was my wife who took care of all these plants.”