We had our vermicomposting bin setup with the help of two friends (Xavier and Malou Peña) over the weekend. They brought a kilo of African Night Crawlers (ANC) worms and showed us how to properly prepare the bed.

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Compost: The Natural Way to Make Food for Your Garden by Ken Thompson is another reference that will be very useful for gardeners and farmers alike. A straightforward and easy reading that will serve as a composting blueprint.

Our backyard garden may be small but nothing compares to the simple joys of harvesting something from it. We gathered the first fruits of our pipinitos (mini cucumbers) after just barely two months after we first sowed the seeds.

For breakfast, we  sliced the pipinitos into thin pieces as salad and it was great with rice, sardines and scrambled eggs. We also prepared a blended pipinito smoothie out of our harvest. All we did was mix some calamansi juice, add honey to sweeten and some crushed ice. The result was a refreshing and delicious drink.

Growing pipinitos is easy. Sow the seeds directly and put a trellis near it (a tree branch will do), water regularly and wait for nature to run its course. We did not put any fertilizers nor applied pesticides but we got good results. Imagine doing this in your own yards.

My son often teases me that if I really want to be a farmer then I should start farming.  A recent meet with fellow farming practitioners and enthusiasts further inspired me to go for it. So I hatched a little plan and I am taking the challenge. I know that this will pale in comparison to what my farmer friends have but it is a start.

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This is a list of botanical plants, methods of preparation and insect pests controlled and or prevented.  No formal scientific study was undertaken on the effects of these botanical plants in the control of pests. However, with the integration of other (cultural, biological and mechanical) measures, an experiment at the garden at the Bureau of Plant Industry – Los Banos National Crop Research and Development Center (BPI-LBNCRDC) produced substantial amount of healthy vegetables.

This is worth a try. Afterall, all of them are easy to obtain.

I found these documents from the Natural Farming Philippines e-group and I think these will all be valuable references for the garden/farm. The guides were done and compiled by Josephine Gamboa who is a natural farming expert practitioner.

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Our weekend visit to the University of the Philippines Los Banos to attend an activity at the Boy Scouts Campsite gave us a reason to finally drop-by the Herb Republic Restaurant for lunch. The heavy traffic (it took us 3 hours to get to Los Banos from Cavite) did not dampen our moods. It was already past 12 when we got there. The place was a oasis considering the searing heat of the midday sun.

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I was quite surprised to see a hydroponics set-up opposite the marker of the the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park. The two-table set-up is in a sleepy and laid-back barangay of San Roque, Bulusan, Sorsogon. They grow lettuce and harvest them after 30 days.

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“Worm composting is a process for recycling food waste into a rich, dark, earth-smelling soil conditioner. One of its advantages is that it can be done indoors and outdoors, allowing year-round composting. Worm composts can be made in containers filled with moistened bedding.”

Vermicomposting is indeed a nice way to manage our biodegradable scraps/wastes and turn them into something useful for our garden. I found this Guide to Vermiculture and Vermicomposting from the Bureau Plant Industry website which is a useful reference to get us started. The document focuses on the production of organic fertilizer through the action of earthworms. There are many other resources on vermiculture and vermicomposting including a series of brief articles posted on EntrePinoys which will further enhance our understanding. A more comprehensive reference is the Manual of On-Farm Vermicomposting and Vermiculture By Glenn Munroe. The document can also be viewed from the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada.

The Sorsogon City Plant Nursery is just a walking distance away from our home in Sorsogon but I have yet to visit it until my recent trip home. The city nursery sits on a vacant lot at the Sts. Peter and Paul Subdivision near Gate 3.  I went there a day before going home back to Cavite.

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Balai Buhay is nestled on the slopes of Mt. Bulusan in the province of Sorsogon. The farm is in Baranggay San Roque just a few meters away from the chapel. There is a sloping access road from the main highway leading to the parking area. My brother told me about this place two years ago but I have not had a chance to visit it. Finally, we decided to drop by on our way back from a kayaking trip at the Bulusan Lake.

The farm doubles as a resort complete with a function hall and accommodation that can house about 40 guests. A room costs P1,000 for an overnight stay. A day tour will cost P80 per person with a complimentary drink of cold calamansi juice.

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