Hello Hive
It is that time of the year when we grow vegetables along the river bank both as food for ourselves and a source of business for our community. This has been one of the most profitable businesses for my neighbors here and friends from another community who also have a small river surrounding them.
The bulk of the vegetables eaten within this region are grown all across the small rivers. Most of our mothers engage in this business, and possible means to encourage and empower them with better equipment for this work will be highly appreciated.
Our mothers here are not educated, and since most of them lack a job they can do, this has been the only work they do to support their families.
Having kept a garden of my own at home and grown some vegetables, I equally got a portion of space here and would be growing some veggies. I have gotten all the ideas and important things to do about growing vegetables.
The soil across the river banks is one of the most fertile soils that I have known. Each year when there is flooding, the rainwater washes lots of debris that gets decayed to nourish the ground here.
Besides, we now collect poultry droppings and store them in a sac beside our farms. We grow purely organic foods here.
The women here are very cooperative with each other and often assist one another with their task. Even though I am new here and most likely the youngest person in the group, I was welcomed and given a portion of the land to grow some vegetables. About 5 acres of land in this community is being used for this purpose.
The basic things to do about growing vegetables here are to get a demarcated portion of land, essential clearing, and preparation of the bed before we proceed to get seeds for planting. Hopefully I can get some good variety of seeds to plant here. The soil is generally fertile by the river bank with no need for the use of inorganic fertilizer.
Some of the farmers here have used organic fertilizer on their veggies, and even though they experienced some massive growth in the shortest time possible, those veggies often cause diarrhea and theft when eaten. This is one of the important reasons why I don't advise the use of inorganic fertilizer for growing veggies.
After our farm work and clearing of my own portion of the space here, we decided to purchase some vegetables and share them with our neighbors prior to the time I will be planting and growing some here. A fellow woman was in need of money and complaining bitterly of poor sales. In order not to leave her stranded, we bought vegetables for $2 from here and brought them home to share with our friends in the community.
We harvested her vegetables and tied them in portions, packing them in the car to bring home as this particular river is about a few minutes drive from home. I was a bit worried that the market for vegetables is poor at this time, and after the hard labor, they are still not able to sell their vegetables.
A lot of things must have contributed to the poor market of vegetables, as many families no longer afford 3 square meals; there is not much eating and drinking in our towns anymore.
Buying some veggies from her will give her some money for use, while those we shared this veggie with will also find it useful for food. In the meantime, I will need to get some seeds from the store and prepare them for planting here.