Today, I received a call from my boss asking me to help him with a small task before starting my day. I couldn't refuse, so I hopped on a bike and headed to his house, which is on the outskirts of town. I hadn't been to his house since the beginning of the year, and when I arrived, I found that half of his spacious compound had been converted into a mini crop garden.
That's when I remembered why he always asks me to bring yam buds from my father's farm in the village whenever I visit home – he likes a particular type of yam we call "yellow yam," which isn't commonly found or sold in the market.
"Wow! Which yams did you plant?" I asked as I approached the yam space, which he had planted close together to conserve space since he had manure to add.
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"Since you refused to bring yellow yam buds for me, I planted common yams and water yams. Take a look, they're already germinating," he responded. I bent down to inspect the sprouting yams and felt a rush of nostalgia as memories of farming with my family flooded back.
But I didn't stop there – I was concerned about the yams because, among all the crops he planted, they were the only ones that required extra care. So, I asked him about the lack of space between the yams, and he explained that he did it because he planned to add manure from his fish farm, which would provide them with the necessary nutrients. I chuckled and corrected him, explaining that it's not just about nutrients in the soil; crops also need space for sunlight, and crowding them can lead to shading and hinder their growth.
In addition to yams, he had planted chili peppers, specifically the yellow variety, which have a pleasant scent compared to the red ones, as well as tomatoes, pumpkins, water leaves, and pineapples. It was a diverse and well-rounded farm. He mentioned that he could have added cassava, but cassava tends to spread wide and shade everything.
In my country, the prices of farm produce have gone way up. Before, you could buy a yam for just $0.5, but now it costs around $2.5! It's really worrying. So, many people are starting to grow their own food in their gardens. Even though a small garden might not give you enough food for a long time, it can still help save money.
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When you grow your own vegetables, you don't have to buy them from the store. So, you can save some money. You can plant things like tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce. They're easy to grow and don't need a lot of space. Plus, you can pick them when they're ripe and fresh.
Having your own garden can also be fun. You get to watch your plants grow from tiny seeds into big, tasty vegetables. And when it's time to harvest, you can gather your family together to pick the veggies. It's a great way to spend time together and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
So, even though prices are high, there's something we can do about it. By growing our own vegetables, we can save money and have delicious, fresh food to eat
Thanks for reading
This is for day 2 of #mayinleo prompt.
Do well to read the full details here
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