WE ARE HERE! 2018

Happy New year! It took me a month plus to wish y’all happy new year. Some people said their 2018 officially started 1st of February, I for one started mine 1st of January but I haven’t created time to upload my first post of the year.

Work has been a bit busy and activities at the farm is a bit slow now, we prepping for the planting season. We harvested the dry maize though harvest wasn’t so great because the rains stopped earlier than expected but we are thankful for the little we could salvage.

Thanks to our moms, who make out time to prepare healthy hygienic pap for their families. They bought it off our hands. Looking forward to the planting season and we can only pray for a bountiful harvest.

The cassava farm is doing well, can’t wait for the rains to come, and yes Water melon is part of the mix now, seeds are ready, the land is been prepared, arrangements are on going so we can have an early start. Can’t wait to see what this year has in store for us. CIAO

SWEET HARVEST

There’s nothing as sweet as the feeling of joy and pride that comes from one’s accomplishments. After several months of toil and sweat nothing beats been able to see results and the satisfaction one derives from knowing that you didn’t give up but finished your course to the end. Many have embarked on similar feats but are nowhere to be found because they lacked the will to carry on in the face of daunting challenges.

On the farm we suffered quite a few; the army worm attack, squirrels and birds eating the ripe maize and wrong advice on how to tackle them. However, it helped in prompting research and learning other creative and safer ways to tackle pest on the farm. All these discomfort helped to make me better on the farm. Challenges shouldn’t deter us; they should be stepping stones to been better in areas of our lives that need to be better.

Oh yes! We had lots of fresh sweet corn to eat and sell as well as fresh okra and pumpkin leaves for personal and commercial consumption. I can’t begin to describe how happy I was that I was able to prove that your outward physical appearance doesn’t equate the strength you carry on the inside. Having a slender frame doesn’t mean you cannot lift things three times your weight, or because you haven’t tried something you can’t be good and successful at it.

Stay focused on your goal, never look back, drown out the excuses, eliminate the you can’t syndrome and draw strength from your insides, the tiny part of you that dares you to imagine its possible, nurture that part until it helps you override all your doubts. The harvest is indeed sweet and you can’t afford not to taste it and of course share it with those around you. Ciao

 

 

WE GOT VISITORS

On a bright beautiful morning, I arrived at the farm only to realise that my precious budding maize plant was attacked by a pest I had no idea about. My okra farm wasn’t left out as the second batch of okra planted was under attacked by a red looking insect I had no knowledge of. Imagine an amateur farmer like myself, though I have heard of pest on farmlands, I was experiencing it first hand and nothing prepared me for what was about to ravage my entire farmland.

I quickly ran to the nearest agricultural shop to get chemicals that would be effective based on popular advice, even though I intended not farming with chemicals. In my desperation to salvage my farm I wasted money not considering other inexpensive ways to tackle the problem on ground. It was under control for a while and it was then I went on the internet to find out what other local farmers where facing and doing. I discovered my visitors was the dreaded army worm and a simple solution of ash and chili pepper, neem seed extracts were used to forestall the attack for those who were organic farmers; while others used Ampligo and Glo-emmatacin powder all these I got from other young farmers I follow on the internet. My okra got attacked by some red insects that look like red aphids not still certain about it but someone might just be able to help me out from the pictures attached in the post.

I was able to salvage the situation, thankfully before too much damage was done. No man is an island and it is good for you to have people who are experts or professionals in your area of interest to guide you when it’s needed. The place of research cannot be over emphasized, you must keep learning. Do not let what you seeing discourage or deter you from your goal, all you need to do is reevaluate your situation and find out better ways to tackle it. Nothing sweet comes easy so expect challenges or opposition it is part of the growth process, embrace it and crush it like a boss. ciao

 

 

ALL I SEE IS GROWTH

The rains finally made its way and the thirsty dry grounds gulped all the water and all the precious seeds under the ground that had been planted with love, sweat, pains and aches finally budded. Oh what joy when I came around and saw the luscious green sprouts of maize and vegetables, I danced and laughed and cried because all I could see was growth and I was thankful that all the toil was gradually paying off. I was elated I took lots and lots of pictures but guess what? Some mischief I didn’t foresee was going to spring up.

I watched my farm closely in the following weeks and then noticed all my hard work was being tampered with, birds or was it squirrels wasn’t sure what it was at the time, started uprooting my maize plant from the ground. Same thing was happening in my neighbour’s farm so we devised a method to discourage this. We made…..and found old tapes, those old radio cassette; rolled out the tapes and tied it all over the farm when there is wind, it wobbles and sends a signal that people were on the farm and the sun made the tapes reflect silvery lights so discouraged the birds from coming down to feed.

The essence of these, protect your growth at all cost, no matter what may spring up to try to pull you down hold on to the little progress you’ve made. Don’t let the naySayers remind you that this thing is not going to work out instead be secretive about your progress not everyone needs to know step by step how you progressing with your ideas. Some people only need to see the final result, not everyone must be involved in your journey through all the pitfalls and victories, let your success call their attention.Ciao

 

 

 

 

GIVING UP IS NOT AN OPTION

Whoever said tilling the ground was easy, no wonder the bible said that ‘’man would eat bread in the sweat of his face.’’ Not an exact quote but you should find the actual quote in Genesis 1: 19. Oh yeah! Farming is not joke especially when it’s not something you accustomed to and you can’t afford to pay workers because you are barely scraping available funds to buy seeds and do other important stuff. It was definitely like a rollercoaster; scary and exciting at the same time.

I remember all the digging and weeding and planting under the hot scorching sun, trying to make sure the seeds were in the ground in anticipation for the rain, the sleepless nights worrying that the rains would come as expected or my blistering hands that would keep weeding in spite of the pain. The body aches and pains that come with the territory. Did I think about quitting? Oh yes! But the determination to achieve was much greater than my discomfort. If for anything I wanted to prove to all the doubting Thomas’s that this working momma can farm like a pro. Lol

Yes, I had an 8am-4pm job, had a family to cater for and I added farming to my already spilling plate. That is where my multi-tasking skill was strengthened coupled with learning to prioritise my daily activities and making out time for all the things I needed to do on a daily basis. The most comforting part in all of these was the fact that I was having a ball and learning to push myself beyond my perceived abilities and level of tolerance.

If you wondering if I made mistakes, yes! I did. I made lots of them which I would be sharing in later posts. It’s ok to make mistakes but giving up is not an option, it should propel you to doing better or trying out more beneficial alternatives. People often say great things don’t come easy and I definitely agree and I have come to realise that great value is placed on things we have worked hard to achieve. The next time the thought of quitting comes to your mind, remember that great things don’t come cheap, they come at a price and are definitely more rewarding than those we got on a platter. Do enjoy the photos below, I was having a ball. ciao

 

DO WHAT YOU MUST

Yass! I told myself I was going to make my 2017 count by doing something I’ve always wanted to do but didn’t know how or what to do to get started. I wasn’t exactly sure if it was some whimsical feeling or something concrete but I was determined to do something even if I failed while trying. I haven’t updated my blog this year but I have got lots to share over the final days of this year.

I remember growing up as a child, my siblings teased me a lot for being fearful because I would normally show fear or caution in doing daring things like climbing trees way up to the top, I would rather stay at a level I consider safe in the event of a fall and the would call me ole(lazy). I never took it to heart though, because deep down I knew I wasn’t what they called me.

I remember how they were so scared of how I would deal with labour when I had my son but I gave birth like a boss (lol), need I say they were shocked and proud of me the way I handled childbirth; they probably thought fear would cripple me and turn me into a drama queen in the theatre but thank God it was a memorable experience.

Okay, back to why I decided to put up this post; so I wanted to farm badly but I had no idea what to do, I googled some materials, started following young farmers on social media, gulping all I could lay my hands on and eventually I made up my mind about crop farming and so decided to plant vegetables and maize. I wasn’t sure about how to acquire land but I kept my ears open and eventually I was told I could get over a plot of land where I work to test run my farm at no cost to me.

I remember the first time I publicly voiced my interest someone, practically laughed and said I must be kidding that I wouldn’t be able to do the tedious job of farming, guess I didn’t look like a girl raised on the farm or in a village, I wasn’t perturbed as a lot of people tried to discourage me but thanks to a friend and big aunty who at the time was also venturing into farming who encouraged me and told me to drown out those voices telling me I couldn’t.

O boy! Did I listen to the negative voices, hell no! I went right ahead, got the land cleared and prepared my tools to embark on my journey. Little did I know that we will gradually grow from that plot of land in the coming months. I have got lots to share but this will do for now. I will be uploading pictures along with the post so you have a feel of the thrill I had trying my hands out at farming.

However, 2017 is drawing to an end, don’t feel bad about those things you didn’t put to action, your plans, goals, ideas, dreams etc. it is never too late to start. It doesn’t matter how many people are already doing what you want to do, believe in yourself, shut down the negative voices in your head and around you, surround yourself with people who will cheer you and if you can’t find any, cheer yourself up, fix your gaze on that idea, that dream and take deliberate steps to actualise it. Don’t wait till 2018 is upon you, those steps might be shaky, wobbly, don’t fret, and keep taking it until they become stronger and firmer. You owe no one but yourself to be the best version of you. Ciao.

Getting started…