Hello again, fellow Hivers!
Today is another regular day. My sister and I went early to dig some soil for our vegetable plants. We dig some soil from this rotten coconut tree. While digging we found something. We were actually scared, thought it’s a snake living there. But it was actually an “abatod” or grub. This organism usually lived on rotten coconut or any logs there is. They help in decomposing woods which make it a good fertilizer or soil to plants for better growth. This organism can be eaten and it tastes milky.
Anyway, we went to our vegetable garden already. I put soil on the plants while my sister is watering the others. I am happy looking at the vegetables.
This tomato already has bear fruits. I looked at it closely and found that one of the tomatoes has a hole. It was eaten by an insect!
I looked around its tree and found the culprit! This little thing might be really hungry he made a big hole in the tomato.
I moved to look at the pechay (snow cabbage) in the ground. They were not doing well. There are holes in it. And the extreme heat isn't helping, too.
The “atsal” or chilli peppers on the other side are doing well. You can see it in the photo. I like this variety because even if the tree is still short, it already has a fruit.
Look at this small tree, so small but it already has a flower and a fruit, too!
The lemon grass is also growing better. They have become a mini fence of the vegetable garden.
We also have alugbati or spinach. I love it most when mixed with ginataang monggos (mung bean). I generally love leafy vegetables by the way hehe.
There’s a squash also which is thriving to grow. We have built a triles where it can continue to grow its vines.
The spring onion also is thriving from the heat. We put it in a recycled plastic water bottle. It has become thin since the weather got really hot. Even when we water it often it has not gone back to its healthy self.
We also have chili. This was given to us by our neighbor. Some chili are already red, means they are good to harvest because it’s already ripe. Some unripe chili has a purple color.
So story time why we have this little garden of ours.
You see, both of my parents grew up in families where farming is the real deal to survive. Long before sustainability became a word, they were already living it.
Growing up, I’d hear their stories of waking up before sunrise to water their vegetable garden, or walking barefoot through the rows of vegetables after school. My father still talks about how his mother would save every stalk of vegetables for her to plant, or how my grandfather would compost vegetable and fruit peelings without even calling it “composting.” It was just their life.
Those stories shaped me.
So, when we decided to turn our own backyard into a garden, it wasn’t just to save some budget for groceries, although that’s always a nice perk (haha). It was about living with intention, about showing and raising my own children that food doesn’t appear in neatly wrapped plastics on groceries. It grows. It takes time, it needs care, patience, and love.
Sustainable living is not a new trend. It should have always been the standard. We don’t even need a big space. A few pots on a balcony, used sacks, or even recycled containers can get us started.
When we decided to grow our own vegetables, we also learned gratitude, for the soil, for the time it takes to nurture life, and for the generations before us who we learned this wisdom. We also plant lessons for the next generation, showing them the value of patience, hard work, and respect for nature.
Here’s to living a sustainable life, and staying grounded, values I will proudly pass on to my children and the generations to come.
Note: Photos and words are mine. Photos are edited using Canva.