Hyderabad-based start-up Make Me Garden, which encourages people to garden with the help of their kits, completed a year of smooth and successful functioning in May, so they wanted to do something special. And they found the perfect win-win way to celebrate. "We source our products from those vendors who offer quality products and help society in a more meaningful way. So, we started a campaign on Milaap to accumulate funds to mitigate hunger and offer medical facilities and to anyone who donates over Rs 200, we offer them a green gift and in turn, our vendors get business too," says Rohith Gali, the 21-year-old who founded the start-up. What better way than this to celebrate their first anniversary, right?

They are available over the phone for any assistance that their customers might need

Though intended to promote horticulture through terrace and fusion gardening (not hydroponics, mind you), Make Me Garden also offers various products like seed calendars, coasters, tags and more. In a short span of one year, they have six to seven corporate clients and have helped 20 to 30 homes grow their own plants. "As per PM Narendra Modi's call to become atmanirbhar, we want to encourage people to grow their own produce, rather than to depend on anyone else," says the final-year BBA student from ICFAI Business School. They have various kits, from Pocket Garden for smaller requirements to Take Away Gardens. Most notably, they were the green gifting partners of Kajal Aggarwal's movie Sita and for director Sukumar Bandreddi's upcoming one, Play Back.

The team with actor Sonu Sood | (Pic: Make Me Garden)

Talking about their campaign, Rohith informs that they have about 55 supporters till date, some of whom have refused to accept their green gift as they feel it's their duty to donate. "These donors make us very happy," says the young entrepreneur. And though the target is huge, Rs 10 lakh to be exact, they are still very happy with the response this initiative has generated. He is also proud of his team of 10, all under the age of 25, who have supported him and the company relentlessly. Their ultimate aim is to make horticulture a trend.

The starting price of their kits is Rs 85

Which kit would you pick?
- Pocket Garden: Includes one pot of four inches, cocopeat, seeds of herbs or microgreens, organic fertiliser and water schedule chart
- Home Garden: Two pots of six inches and three varieties of seeds along with the usual
- Seed Burst: About 10 varieties of seeds

For more on their campaign, check out bit.ly/2Xhvy84