The harvest of old age is the recollection and abundance of blessing previously secured. — Marcus Tullius Cicero
The weather this August is what should have been for July, but I am still happy the rainy season came although very late.
Last night, while I was half asleep, the rain poured heavily and I thought it wouldn't stop until morning. After about two hours, it stopped, and by morning, the ground was drained but the leaves were still drenched by rainwater.
When there's lightning and rain, it will bring nitrogen back to the soil and the garden soil should be ready to capture and store it instead of running off.
This has been the problem of our orchard before, there are a lot of weeds but low in organic matter, leaving the soil eroded and depleted from nutrients. To slow down the erosion, I build organic barriers and shallow swales to slow down the undercurrent during floods and to capture organic matters and sediments in the long run.
Most of the flowers have died off already, but have self-seeded already and the flower seedlings are almost half a foot in height already. One that is still blooming is the lone sunflower bush which was attracting a lot of pollinators lately. I keep an eye on it, so I can disperse the seeds everyday in other areas of the orchard.
Now that the rain has come, I resumed my vegetable gardening activities again, since the rainwater would be sufficient enough while seedlings are still rooting.
I have heard somewhere that clay soil is actually nutrient dense, but without organic matter and moisture, it would be difficult for the roots to consume it especially during the dry season. That's why I am doing raised-beds instead of directly sowing it on the ground, to make it possible to grow crops almost year-round.
Growing What You Eat
In the recent months, I have been concluding some insights on how I should do things on life. Just one basic rule, if my great grandparents died of old age, why is there a need to follow workout routines and hyped diets?
My solution is to follow what has been practiced for centuries and what fits my genes—local and whole foods!
Do your own research, check your biological family tree, and/or see your professional health expert.
It doesn't matter what the health experts because I already have the data embedded in my DNA. If something worked for generations, surely that what worked and will work.
What remains to be emulated is the hardwork outside, in the fields or up the mountain. No more fancy workout machines, just brisk walking, manual labor, nature, and sunshine.
Growing More Purple Foods
One of my plans is to collect colored cultivars and varieties aside from the usual ones. Examples of which are purple-leafed leafy greens, purple and orange root crops, and pink guavas.
Just today, I completed a smaller raised-bed and accompanied it with its own bamboo trellis. It's about 2x2 ft. and should be enough to fit purple alugbati or Malabar spinach in it. Though I like almost all vegetables, alugbati is surely one of my favorites!
Its fresh, young leaves and stalks can be added to mung bean stew just after removing from the stove. Once cooked, it has a bit of a slimy texture, but that's what I like about it.
How about you, what are you growing now in your garden?
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About Me
@oniemaniego is a software developer, but outside work, he experiments in the kitchen, writes poetry and fiction, paints his heart out, or toils under the hot sun.
 | Onie Maniego / Loy Bukid was born in rural Leyte. He often visits his family orchards during the summers and weekends, which greatly influenced his works. |
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