Rain symbolizes darkness but also represents an essential part of rebirth. — Sabrina Claudio
Last month, I overheard that we will be experiencing La Niña this year.
That's when it just keeps on raining throughout the year, but that's already the normal in our region.
I remember that the national government made new rules for schools to postpone classes whenever there is an orange-level rainfall and the local teachers argued that if they followed it, there will be no classes for the majority of the year.
This is a good reminder that every place is unique and one solution will not work for everyone. Some people will have different tolerance over certain things and that should be accounted in every decision making.
Life will find ways
Last year, I transplanted fruit tree seedlings and different banana plants.
With the intense rainfall, some of it had wilted and died—that what I thought. After several weeks since the new year started, I discovered that my plants weren't dead at all.
Like my cherimoya seedling, its leaves turned yellow and fell off after being submerged in flood water for several days. Earlier today, I found new buds and leaves growing out of it. It gave me relief knowing that it given a chance of life.
The bananas that wilted had grown new suckers. Along with the lush weeds, the other vegetables and herbs are thriving, too.
To celebrate the rainy days, I brought a pouch full of Papaya seeds and randomly thown around the food forest. Maybe, some of it will actually sprout and live to become a productive Papaya plant someday.
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There are always surprises when growing a food forest, sometimes volunteer plants grow here and there even when you've planted its peers so far back then. If I'm lucky enough, there are ripe berries to pick around.
One of my goal is to make a shapeless food forest, no gridlines and corners, just planned randmoness.
Someday when the trees grow, I don't want straight paths leading to them, but a swirling path along different areas of the food forest leading from one harvest to another.
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For example, my raised beds are filled and lined with bamboo and wood that should eventually rot amd be part of the soil. Once that happens, the raised beds become nutrient-rich mounds that still continue make vegetables thrive even during flooding.
I also planted fruit tree seedlings, Moringa trees, and other tree seedlings at the random edges of the permaculture garden, so it can continue to heal the soil by lessening soil erosion.
One of the beauty of a permaculture garden is the lesser dependence to costly produce as you can infinitely grow vegetables by regrowing it from seeds or cuttings.
This luffa is already a 4th generation seed after planting one from my sister's home garden. Growing from seed is always exciting as you have chances grow something with new favorable characteristics that is better than its parent plant.
I also have propagated many plants from cuttings, suckers, and rhizomes. There is no assurance until when it can keep on regrowing, but maybe some of it can surpass an average human lifetime, cool, right?
A permaculture garden is always different from a normal vegetable garden and each garden is unique to another.
Some people have already good soil, while some are struggling to heal it. Some have no water, while some have an excess. With so many different settings, gardeners must find ways to make their garden thrive and celebrate its uniqueness.
One day, it will pay off.
In this stormy and seemingly chaotic world, we should learn to admire our growth amid the disorder. Continue to be resilient and thrive in this new world, because an abundant life always start with a single seed sowed for a brighter future.
Keep believing, someday your dreams will become a reality.
PINNED POSTS
 | A Sustainability Review of the Year 2022 Starting from January, let's have a trip down the highlights of my journey in self-sufficiency and sustainability. |
 | Clearing the Damage After the Storm Instead of falling into anxiety, I took time to make use of what the storm had given. |
 | Building Abundance with More Fruit Trees Amid the Economic Turmoil This year, I planned to initially plant 100 trees wherever possible until the year ends. |
 | Using Saltwater and Fire to Heal a Permaculture Garden Plant debris becomes natural mulch and organic matter. |
 | Harvesting Cucumbers After a Year of Labor As crops mature, harvest season began as well. |
 | Fermenting Fish Amino Acid for the Garden Crops It would be a sin to throw away such things, even the food scraps I turn it to compost now. |
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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