🌿From Backyard Herbs to Urban Jungles: The Hero’s Journey of Plant in a Box

Have you ever felt the need to slow down, breathe deeper, and reconnect - with yourself, with nature, with something real?

I did. And it changed everything.

Every meaningful journey begins not with certainty, but with a spark. Mine began not in a boardroom or a brainstorming session - but in the still, quiet heart of a global pandemic.

In early 2020, the world paused. Like many others, I found myself stripped of routines, disconnected from the familiar rhythm of urban life. Instead of high-rises and traffic, I was unexpectedly nestled in the embrace of a farm, surrounded by open skies, quiet fields, and the persistent hum of insects and birdsong.

At first, I was simply trying to make the most of the situation. I wanted fresh herbs for my soups and salads - basil for pesto, mint for my tea, coriander for dals and curries. So I started small: a few clay pots near the kitchen window, filled with seeds and hope.

But what unfolded next was not just a new hobby - it was a profound reconnection with something elemental. Watching tiny green shoots pierce through soil, reaching instinctively for the sun, felt like witnessing magic. I had unknowingly stepped into a world of cycles, rhythms, and life beyond screens and schedules.

This wasn’t just about food. It was about being alive in a more complete way.

The satisfaction of growing herbs quickly evolved into curiosity. Could I grow more? What if I built raised beds and grew my own vegetables?

So I did.

With concrete blocks and manure, I created vegetable patches. I planted tomatoes, beans, spinach, and okra - every seed a little experiment. I chose to grow organically - not because it was trendy, but because I was now fully invested in nurturing living systems without disrupting them.

I quickly learned that nature is generous, but she’s also unpredictable.

When aphids invaded, I didn’t reach for chemicals. Instead, I researched and discovered a technique that felt like wizardry: companion planting. I surrounded my beds with marigolds, whose scent repels common pests. And just like that, nature self-corrected. The vegetables thrived.

In these moments, I was more than a gardener. I was a student of nature, slowly decoding her wisdom.

That first growing season gave me confidence. I began thinking bigger. I planted fruit trees — mango, rose apple, jamun, chikoo, avocado - dreaming of orchards and long-term abundance.

But nature isn’t a linear teacher. She offers her lessons with love, but often cloaked in difficulty.

I encountered soil fatigue after repeated planting. Some plants refused to thrive. Heavy rains destroyed saplings. Ants colonized a patch. But each challenge became a new opportunity to learn.

We sowed peanuts during the monsoon not for yield, but to replenish nitrogen in the soil. I started making compost from kitchen scraps. I learned to observe the signs of plant stress, to tune into leaf color and soil moisture the way a musician might tune into rhythm.

Gardening was no longer a weekend pastime - it had become a way of thinking. A way of being.

Eventually, the world opened up again. The city called me back. But I wasn’t the same person.

Ten months on the farm had changed me in quiet, irreversible ways. I couldn’t unsee the peace I had felt, the groundedness that came from nurturing life with my own hands. I knew I had to carry this experience with me - not just as a memory, but as a mission.

And that’s how Plant in a Box was born.

The idea was simple yet radical: what if I could bring the serenity and vitality of my farm into people’s urban homes? Not everyone has the luxury of land - but everyone has a corner, a ledge, a desk, or a balcony. What if those small spaces could become green sanctuaries?

Plant in a Box would be my way of bringing the farm to the flat, the wild to the wall, the root to the room.

Starting Plant in a Box was both thrilling and terrifying. I wasn’t just selling plants - I was offering a new kind of relationship with nature.

We began by designing customized balcony gardens and desk landscapes. We curated indoor plants not just for aesthetics, but for function - air-purifying plants, low-light companions, herbs for windowsills, moisture-loving species for bathrooms.

I learned to ask the right questions:

• How much light does your space get?

• Do you travel often?

• Do you want a calming zone, a food source, or a design statement?

  
  

We partnered with potters, carpenters, and plant nurseries. We started offering ready-to-gift plant boxes with care cards and companion tools. We experimented with terrariums - miniature worlds under glass, perfect for desktops or bedside tables.

Every product we created aimed to echo the spirit of that original farm - resilient, healing, alive.

People often ask me, “Is this just about décor?” And I smile, because it’s so much more than that.

Plants slow us down. They anchor us. They remind us that life unfolds in seasons, that growth takes time, that care and patience yield beauty.

I’ve watched stressed-out professionals find calm while misting their peace lilies. I’ve seen children light up while planting their first seedling. I’ve helped elderly couples recreate the garden balconies of their youth.

Plants become part of our story. They teach us to show up - consistently, gently, without expectation.

And in a world spinning ever faster, that’s revolutionary.

Today, Plant in a Box is helping people all over the city rediscover nature - one box, one pot, one plant at a time.

We design:

• Balcony Gardens for tiny apartments

• Desk Terrariums for work-from-home setups

• Custom Green Corners for cafes, salons, and offices

• Gifting Solutions for birthdays, anniversaries, and corporate events

  
  

Each offering carries a bit of that original magic from the farm - adapted, simplified, and delivered to the heart of the city.

We’re not here just to sell plants. We’re here to help people remember.

If you’ve ever felt the urge to dig your fingers into soil, to nurture something, to surround yourself with living beauty - you’re not alone. That instinct is ancient. It’s wise. It’s human.

At Plant in a Box, we believe you don’t need a garden to be a gardener. You don’t need a farm to feel the rhythms of nature. All you need is a small space - and the willingness to begin.

So whether you want to transform your balcony, surprise a friend with a green gift, or simply bring a little more breath into your home - we’d love to be part of that journey.

Because every plant begins with a seed. And sometimes, so do the most beautiful parts of our lives.

— Rashi Jain

Amid the rustle of endings, a little green beginning 🌿