‘Vegetables are expensive, so I grew my own’ — M’sian housewife says her RM50 home-grown veggies now earn her RM5K–RM8K/month for selling them 50% cheaper than market price

MALAYSIA: In a quiet corner of Kelantan, a modest garden is growing far more than just vegetables — it’s growing independence, income, and inspiration for countless others across Asia who are trying to make ends meet.

Meet Noor Shahiran Yusoff (Sha), a 33-year-old housewife who turned a RM50 (S$15) investment into a thriving RM5,000 to RM8,000-a-month side hustle — all from the soil beneath her feet.

And while her success story sprouted in Malaysia, it’s a seed of possibility for anyone across Asia—from Singapore’s HDB flats, to urban rooftops in Bangkok, back lanes in Jakarta, corridor gardens in Manila, or even sunlit balconies in Ho Chi Minh City—wondering if there is something similar can be done to beat the rising cost of living like Sha did, one seed at a time.

From RM50 to a business rooted in resilience

It all started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many families across the region, Sha’s household was hit by financial uncertainty. Food prices were going up, income opportunities were down, and staying at home became the new normal.

“Vegetables are expensive,” she said in a Channel NewsAsia (CNA) Insider interview. “That motivated me to start growing and using my own produce in the kitchen.”

So instead of giving in to anxiety, she started planting a few vegetables in her 2,000-square-foot backyard—simple staples like coriander, lemongrass, and okra to begin with. It wasn’t a business plan at that time. It was just survival.

However, in 2023, thanks to social media, she began to notice something: other housewives were turning their home gardens into side hustles. Inspired, Sha did the same.

Her strategy? Start small. Sell what you grow. Use the profits to grow more.

From harvest to hustle

Sha’s breakthrough came when she realised people weren’t just interested in buying fresh vegetables—they wanted seedlings to grow their own. Urban families were also looking for affordable ways to cut their grocery bills, and Sha felt she could meet that demand.

Over time, her initial selection of five basic plants blossomed into over 70 types of seedlings, including rare herbs and high-demand fruit trees.

“One of the rarer ones is white ‘senduduk.’ The flowers and leaves of the white senduduk are used for medicinal purposes and health benefits. For example, if you have a wound or injury, you can crush the leaves and apply them directly to the wound,” Sha said.

She marketed her products in Facebook gardening groups, where hobbyists and homemakers were hungry for both knowledge and plants.

Orders then started pouring in—not just from Kelantan, but across Malaysia. Sha says her customers love to buy from her because her prices are up to 50% cheaper than in the market. Prices even start from just RM1.

“One of the most famous types I sell from home or market is the green chilli pepper,” she said, adding that “the second most popular type I sell is the long purple eggplant.”

Her other top sellers are:

• Water spinach (kangkung) – just RM1 per bunch
• Vegetable seedlings – RM5 each, with multiple harvests possible in three months
• Calamansi trees – RM25 for a plant that fruits year-round

She also offers mixed vegetable sets for RM5, which include ingredients such as eggplant, beans, and bird’s eye chillies—bundles that are both affordable and practical for the average household.

Today, her garden business earns between RM5,000 and RM8,000 each month, depending on the season.

No training. No loans. No staff. No fancy setup.

Sha started her business just by learning from others who were doing the same and sharing their experience on social media.

With just RM50, she slowly and carefully grew her business without taking unnecessary financial risks. She would even wait until she had profited at the end of the month before buying more seeds and fertiliser to avoid debt and to sustain her business.

What’s most striking is how low-risk and low-cost her business model is.

Instead of borrowing money or taking out a business loan to buy expensive tools, Sha let the business fund itself. She reinvested each month’s profits into seeds, equipment, and better soil, building slowly but steadily.

“With that RM50, I bought a sack of cocopeat, which cost RM10, two years ago. I bought seed packets from a farm shop. Each packet costs around RM5. I would get two to three types of packet seeds, so that’s RM15. Then I bought fertilisers for growing and flowering,” Sha explained how she initially invested in her garden.

Then, her lean approach paid off. After deducting costs, she keeps a steady RM3,000+ in net profit monthly, while avoiding debt entirely. It’s not just smart—it’s sustainable.

And she did it all while staying at home to raise her children.

It’s not always a bed of roses though…

Of course, even the best gardens face storms. Sha has to contend with seasonal flooding in Kelantan, which means scaling back operations during monsoon months to avoid losses. Plant disease prevention is another ongoing challenge when you’re growing 70+ varieties side by side.

However, she adapts. She scales down when needed. She manages risk by staying flexible, and despite these challenges, she’s never stopped growing—literally and financially.

“It gave me financial independence and confidence…”

While the income is empowering, what Sha values most is what the business gave her internally.

It gave her financial independence and confidence, she told CNA Insider, adding that she can even contribute while still being at home with her family.

“In a span of five months, I was able to buy myself a motorbike worth RM14,000 by cash from my own earnings, and now, I have managed to put a downpayment for a car, also from my own earnings, so this is a proud moment for my parents and my husband,” Sha expressed how happy she was for being able to enjoy the fruits of her labour.

Sha also shared that she didn’t expect that her income would be more than her husband’s. “I achieved this on my own,” she shared her proud moment, and added that, “I hope other housewives will also take the opportunity available to generate their own income.”

She’s now also thinking bigger. With a customer base across Malaysia, she’s exploring ideas to expand nationwide and even ship internationally, someday.

So, could you do the same?

Of course, you could! And yes, we do understand that not everyone has a 2,000-square-foot backyard like Sha, but that doesn’t mean her model can’t be adapted.

Across Singapore, balcony gardening and corridor crops are growing in popularity. In urban Thailand and Vietnam, rooftops are being converted into micro-farms. In the Philippines, small-scale vertical gardening is helping families stretch their pesos further.

Even with just a few pots, a window, and a social media account, along with your building management’s approval (if applicable), you could try:

• Selling starter herb kits (think curry leaves, pandan, mint)
• Teaching micro-gardening basics on TikTok or YouTube
• Offering fresh vegetable bundles to neighbours
• Starting a seedling swap or sale in your community group

You don’t need to grow 70 plant types or earn thousands a month on day one, but what matters is just starting. Like Sha, you can start with an affordable amount and slowly build your way up to something that generates a sustainable income and restores your sense of control.

A new kind of growth

Sha’s story is a gentle reminder: real growth takes root slowly.

Thousands across Asia just want to earn enough, live with dignity, and gain a little freedom.

Sha’s garden might not look like much from the outside, but from the inside, it’s a model of what’s possible for ordinary people facing extraordinary pressures.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Just plant a seed, nurture it, and watch what grows.

If Sha’s story inspires you, watch the full episode on CNA’s Insider’s Money Mind below:

In other news, when a Singaporean full-time Grab rider shared his story of earning a six-figure income while living in a RM1.4 million villa in Johor Bahru, the internet sceptics didn’t hold back. From “Really meh?” to “Sure ah? Can get S$4,000 to S$6,000 working as a Grab rider?” the comment section fired off their doubtful questions.

It also cued some haters, as the rider described one of the comments he received, mocking his earnings and hard work by telling him to just “Cut the c**p, bro! 4K to 6K with those working hours? Hahaha.”

And so, the man behind the helmet decided to deliver his proof to his doubters—Grab rider receipt style. “They said it’s impossible… but here’s the REAL proof of my Grab rider salary!” he wrote, adding: ‘You want proof? I’ll give you proof…’ — Grab rider discloses his payslip to sceptics, detailing how he nets S$6K/month in SG; RM20K in JB