GREEN THUMB ON DUTY
Out of curiosity, Rowena Bohol, an admin officer from Cebu, bought seeds and tried to grow red okra and white eggplant upon seeing them on an online selling platform for the first time.
Her interest in planting came from her parents, both farmers, who influenced and taught her how to plant at a young age.
As per Bohol, out of her 20 red okra seeds, only eight sprouted and grew while for white eggplant seeds, only two became successful. She didn’t harvest the first few vegetables until they ripened and redeveloped new fruit. After it produced vegetables again, that’s when she harvested and added them to their meals. Red okra and white eggplant have no significant difference from the green okra and violet eggplant varieties, said Bohol. Their flavors and flesh are similar and the only distinct feature of both vegetables are their colors. Growing red okra from seeds to harvest only takes a month while white eggplant takes two months. This will also depend on the soil they are planted in; if the soil is good, they will grow faster, Bohol added.
For her plant medium, she mixes cow manure in her garden soil. She makes a natural pesticide made of liquid soap, baking soda, and oil mixed with water. Pests like grasshoppers are the only challenge she faces in growing her vegetables. Grasshoppers tend to eat the leaves and flowers of the plant so growers must know how to control them.
Since Bohol is currently out of work due to quarantine that was implemented to combat COVID-19, she has more time to tend to her garden. Her plants have become her source of income as she sells seedlings of her red okra, white eggplant, and other vegetables like moringa, sigarilyas, sitaw, mung bean, sibuyas dahon, and squash in their area. Posting on social media has allowed her to sell her seedlings to a wider market.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
TWO AGRICULTURISTS THRIVE DURING THE PANDEMIC BY GROWING ORNAMENTAL AND FOOD CROPS AT HOME
THE WORLD is facing an extreme challenge brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Food security has been compromised and the stability of the world’s economy has been threatened.
FAMILY REST HOUSE IS NOW AN AGRITOURISM SITE THAT OFFERS A TASTE OF REAL FILIPINO CHARM
ALMOST EVERY FILIPINO dreams of someday retiring into farming where they can relax in close proximity to nature, feel satisfied with growing plants, and even spend time with their family away from the usual bustle of everyday life.
PROLIFIC MILLENNIAL FARMER FINDS FURTHER SUCCESS IN INSPIRING VIEWERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
WE OFTEN HEAR that children of farmers don’t want to follow in their parents’ footsteps because there is no money in agriculture. In the case of Reden Mark F. Costales, not only does he manage the family farm, he’s also become an internet celebrity, instructing and encouraging Filipinos to go into agriculture via The Agrillenial, his YouTube channel whose videos are also available on Facebook.
OFW ESTABLISHED A GREENHOUSE IN SWEDEN TO SUSTAIN HER THROUGH LONG WINTERS
SWEDEN is a country in Europe with numerous coastal islands and inland lakes, along with mountains covered in both ice and snow. Due to the cold temperature brought about by being close to the North Pole, Sweden experiences long, and sometimes harsh, winters.
URBAN MICRO GARDEN: START YOUR GARDEN EVEN WITHOUT DIRECT SUN
IN GARDENING, “There are four important elements: sunlight, water, nutrients, and time. There is no such thing as green or black thumb,” this is what Liezl Rivera, an IT Project Manager and gardener from Taguig believes in. Same goes for space; gardening does not require a wide area to begin with. In her case, to maximize her balcony garden, she opted for the vertical technique.
MILLENNIAL TURNS BACKYARD GARDEN INTO SMALL FARM
DURING THE EARLY MONTHS of the COVID-19 pandemic, community quarantine was imposed in Luzon, and other areas in the Philippines to contain the spread of the virus. One concern during this period was of food security.
CANCER SURVIVOR CREDITS GARDENING WITH CONTRIBUTING TO RECOVERY
THE CRISIS that COVID-19 has brought to the world has made more individuals see the importance of nature and environment. But this is not a new trend. Many people have already realized the joys of tending plants and growing their own food even before the global health emergency has occurred.
CULTIVATING A FOOD FOREST: BOHOL PERMACULTURE FARM PRODUCES AWARD-WINNING TABLEA
NOT EVERYONE gets into farming voluntarily at first but there are many who come to realize that it is actually their calling.
COUPLE WITH NO AGRICULTURE BACKGROUND DEVELOPED A FARM FOR RETIREMENT
MANY PEOPLE INVEST in agriculture as part of their retirement plans. The same went for Jessie and Lea Dealas, both 60, who ventured into farming to secure their life after retirement.
AFTER 30 YEARS, A FARMER NOW OWNS THREE GARDENS AND PROVIDES JOBS AMID CRISIS
THERE’S NOTHING MORE SATISFYING than seeing the fruit of your hard work, especially after long years of failing and learning.
GOODELL: NFL LEARNINGS FROM 2020 TECHNOLOGY HERE TO STAY
One of the major benefits of playing a full season pretty much on schedule during a pandemic is what the NFL learned technologically from 2020.
A Teacher's Lifesaving Call
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Julia Koch began what was only her second year as a first-grade teacher in a virtual classroom at Edgewood Elementary School in Muskegon Heights, Michigan. One September afternoon a few weeks into the school year, she received a call from Cynthia Phillips, who was having technical difficulties with her granddaughter’s tools for online learning.
The Space Between Us
Pandemic life has spelled out the limits—and a few joys—of spending time together.
VALENTINE'S DAY 2021: THE TECH YOU NEED FOR A ROMANTIC WEEKEND
There’s no denying Valentine’s Day will look a little different in 2021. With restaurants closed in many parts of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic and international travel all-but-banned, this February 14 will be a more lowkey affair.
Facebook Steps Up Vaccine Misinfo Efforts. Will It Work?
As inoculation efforts for the coronavirus ramp up around the world, Facebook says it’s going all in to block the spread of bogus vaccine claims.
As Virus Cuts Class Time, Teachers Have To Leave Out Lessons
English teachers are deciding which books to skip. History teachers are condensing units. Science teachers are often doing without experiments entirely
Back to the Skies
United Airlines leads the way to the safe rebound of air travel.
THE NOT-SO-PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER
WHEN I STEPPED out of the house on the afternoon of January 6 to pick up my kids from their neighborhood pandemic learning pod in Washington, D.C., it was very quiet.
When COVID Becomes the Story
How Superstore leaned into a pandemic it couldn’t ignore.
The Group Portrait: Running Zoom on Zoom
How this group of executives managed a period of explosive growth while working from their own platform.