Being a green thumb allows me to enjoy planting without fear of having my plants die the next day.
Although everyone in the family loves gardening, not all are green thumbs.
My siblings would even joke about Mama's plant platform as a death row and being placed on that platform is a death sentence to any plant.
Yet Mama is a dedicated farmer, after years of being a full-time mother and housewife, now, she has more time to do farming when we, her children, all reached adulthood.
Papa is focused more on fruit trees and farm animals, while Mama and my siblings are focused on crops.
I planted herbs, spices, and pineapples, but is more focused on ornamental plants.
As a history, the place was unmanaged for decades and was colonized by tigbaw or wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum) which has damaged the soil quality.
It depletes the nutrients of the soil and kills other plants that tries to grow near it.
It's root system is also dangerous as it is woody and sharp, it can puncture and create deep wounds.
Almost every farm work, I had so many wounds and even my inch-thick Islander slippers got punctured, luckily it didn't injured me.
It's advisable to wear quality rubber boots and bring a sharp bolo knife to when weeding.
I prefer to work during rainy days as the hard mud softens and is easier to work without the extremely hot sun.
As a precaution, wear sunglass with UV protection and if possible wear a Camesa de Chino/protective jacket to protect skin from UV rays.
And again, scary, but always wear quality rubber boots in about just below knee-level to protect from fat cobras and other snakes.
cringes
Late in 2019, I decided to plant sunflowers. So I cleared an unused space at the farm, everyday I hike there and till the soil.
I continued planting until early January, then back again February.
I tried hybrid varieties of sunflowers, but it had a low germination rate, might be old stocks from stores.
I found my way to an animal vet store, selling animal feeds and bought sunflower seeds. It sprouted the next day after sowing.
Although it wasn't the best sunflower variety, it kept giving vibrance to the farm. We're drying the seeds as a chicken feed and for the next season.
I also bought seed packs which I sown next to the sunflower plot, but most didn't sprout, Mama's opinion was it might be old seeds which the longer it is stored the more the germination rate plummets.
Some plants are given to me by my aunt and some are found in our yard which I transplanted along the Sunflower Street.
This is what the sunflowers looked like last March and April before it was harvested, you can also see our farm cabin behind the sunflowers.
I hope to expand the flower plots and plant more flowers so I can start supplying flowers the local flower shops—or build my own shop.
Agri-eco farms are sprouting like mushrooms nowadays, I hope we can make our farms sustainable and beautiful too.
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About Me
@oniemaniego is a test engineer, but outside work, he experiments in the kitchen, writes poetry and fiction, paints his heart out, or toils under the hot sun.
 | Onie Maniego was born in Leyte, PH. He grew up in a rural area with a close-knit community and a simple lifestyle, he is often visiting his father's orchards during summer and weekends, which has a great impact on his works. |
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nice place you've got there! it is pretty hrd to work on damaged soils, but you have a lot of plants there!
i'd like to plant sunflowers too
Thanks @fanyokami!!
I did put complete fertilizer because there wasn't enough mulching material in the area, it helped the seedlings to gain momentum on growing, because in the first few day they got stunted.
You should give it a try! Sunflowers will surely brighten your garden and your day 🌻
Thanks @ecotrain, @spiritweb and 17+
Hi Onie, I wish I have a farm like yours. The quality of your soil based on the images I see here is good for avocado trees. I once had an avocado farm with 300 trees growing on a slope in Southern Spain. The trees like rocky combined with good soil. It would be a good. zone as avocados need plenty of water... in spanish the term for avocado is aguacate ... which means agua for water. We sold the property because there is so much work to do and we are "aging" retirees. The only pleasure you get is when the harvest comes and see that fruits are huge and there is plenty to harvest.
Hi @mers, I've only found your comment now.
That's amazing! Anyway, just remember it as a good memory. How are you right now by the way?