When it comes to the global south, particularly South Asia, ageing has to be examined in the context of rapid urbanisation and the multiple socio-ecological crises it creates. In the case of India, the southern State of Kerala is ageing at a rate faster than the national average. Besides, since the past decade, the State has been battling issues of food safety and urban waste management. As mass media reports of pesticide residue in imported vegetables and fruits led to a policy of self-sufficiency, the State supplied grow bags with common-use vegetables to the city folks to persuade them to take up gardening. Based on in-depth interviews of 150 urban home gardeners in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, it was found that, although the policy seeks to engage every urbaner with a home of their own in gardening in the city, it is predominantly practised by elderly urban folks. This paper first examines the various motivations of the elderly to engage in this practice and, through this, gain a perspective of ageing. Secondly, it shows how they create care spaces at home by examining the nature of the relationship these elderly gardeners build with their garden plants. Lastly, it shows how with the help of technology such as Facebook and Whatsapp, some of these senior citizens who found themselves with excess garden produce have set up weekly organic markets, thereby meeting the demand for safe food among urban citizens. Thus, it tries to highlight the ability of elderly middle-class home gardeners to care for themselves and capitalise on the growing demand for safe food in the city, thereby caring for the larger community.
