Archive · 9 Oct 2026
Kerala Farmer Grows Potatoes in Towers Using Dry Leaves
C V Varghese is a farmer in Wayanad, Kerala.
He wanted to grow vegetables without needing a large plot of soil.
He made tall cylinders from metal mesh and filled them with dry leaves, hay, dung, and an organic soil mixture.
A pipe with holes in it helps water reach different parts of each tower.
He placed sprouted potatoes in layers as he filled the towers.
He also grew vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, and capsicum.
He planted crops in 10 towers in November 2020.
By the end of January, he had picked 120 potatoes and shared extra produce with neighbours.
C V Varghese, a vegetable farmer in Wayanad, Kerala, grows vegetables in five-foot mesh towers.
The towers are layered with dry leaves, hay, cow and goat dung, neem cake, and organic soil mix.
A perforated PVC pipe placed in the centre helps distribute water through the tower.
Varghese planted potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, capsicum, and other vegetables in 10 towers in November 2020.
By the end of January, he had harvested 120 potatoes from the towers and shared surplus produce with neighbours.
- Who
- C V Varghese, a vegetable farmer from Wayanad, Kerala.
- What
- He grew vegetables, including potatoes, in layered five-foot mesh towers using dry leaves and other organic materials.
- When
- He planted the towers in November 2020; the vegetables were ready by the end of January.
- Where
- Wayanad, Kerala, India.
- Why
- The tower method lets vegetables be grown upward in a small space rather than requiring a large patch of soil.
- Tower height
- Five feet
- Number of towers
- 10
- Potato sprouts per tower
- Up to 20
- Main growing materials
- Dry leaves, hay, cow dung, goat dung, neem cake, and organic soil mix
- Watering system
- A five-foot PVC pipe with holes spaced 3.5 inches apart
- Planting time
- November 2020
- Potato harvest
- 120 potatoes from 10 towers by the end of January