Where, oh where is that garden?

Many of you may be asking this question as we have not talked about or blogged for some time about the garden project. However, quietly behind the scenes, progress is being made and Lord willing we may even grow something soon!

The reality is that the soil here is terrible, mostly consisting of clay or sand and clay. Our attempts at making compost have been slow and only partially successful so we have some compost to boost the soil nutrition and improve the soil composition…but not nearly as much as we would like.

Our vermiculture (worm composting) has been more successful and we hope to have others in the community start worm beds soon. California Red worms have the ability to consume vegetable and fruit wastes and manure and produce castings that are rich in plant nutrients, beneficial bacteria and fungi and chemical compounds that also promote plant growth.

So…our hope is that the castings will support seed growth in our “not-so –great” soil and provide vegetables and fruits while improving the soil. Our MCC friends in Mexico reassure us that the first year is the hardest work and each year after should get easier as the soil structure and nutrition improve. We hope so.

We continue to be blessed with enthusiastic volunteers who help to make the burden of work lighter and just more fun.

Signe is a Danish volunteer here in Nueva Suyapa for the past 4 months. She is truly a ray of sunshine with her ever-present smile and optimism. She actually came to stay with Virgil and me for about two weeks when her volunteer house was full of visitors. What fun to get to know her better and meet her boyfriend, Sorne.

So, with a lot of digging, soil upgrading with sand and compost, and the beginning of the rainy season, I think we are soon ready to put seeds in the ground. I have started some seeds here at the house (cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, chives and peppers) and while I was at it, did some flower cuttings too.

Oh, and I almost forgot the long-awaited fence! Our garden area is in an open field that was previously covered with people’s discarded trash and scrub grass and also grazing cows!

We knew a fence was imperative to the success of the garden and have been working with the ministry to get it built. After several months of waiting, it finally became a reality this week. Virgil took several days away from his regular work to help put up the posts as it was a two person job with only one worker assigned. Thank you, Virgil!

All and all, I have learned a lot in the past several months about composting, vermiculture and soil preparation and hope the Lord will bless our efforts and make things grow. I also will begin my next learning phase in trying to teach others in the community and the children in the daycares (in Spanish) the things I have learned and generate an enthusiasm to worm compost and start their own family gardens.