Corn and Coffee

Transplanted the corn near the fence. I will use this to create a barrier between my vegetables and compost area

Corn from Edu's garden

Planted my first coffee tree! This is robusta coffee from Cavite,

Enroll at UPOU's Organic Agriculture Course this Year

E-mail from Larry Cruz of FMDS, UPOU:

* Please be informed/reminded of the opening/orientation of the 2nd batch of Organic Agriculture (OA) non-formal course offering on 26 January 2013, Saturday, 9am-12nn, UPOU, LB.
You may join us face-to-face or online via:

http://www.justin.tv/upopenuniversitylb

to meet personally or virtually your "successors" and encourage them with our advocacy for organically-grown farm produce.
Those who can join us physically will get the chance to see the initial development of the OA Demo Farm we are setting-up at UPOU.

Hope to see you.

Thanks & regards,

Larry

Let's Grow Lettuce!

This is a raised bed I made for my lettuce. I used hollow blocks to support the soil. I got the idea from an organic garden that I saw in Tagaytay.

The farthest part of the bed has already been planted with two kinds of lettuce but I realized that the bed was not high enough. I raised the level of the bed on the next half.

This is my compost pit where we put the cafe's vegetable and fruit peelings. I bordered the perimeter with oregano to neutralize the smell of decaying organic matter.

New Plants for the New Year

Celosia plants from Tagaytay

Marigold from Tagaytay

Oregano from Edu and Ate Marisse

Tarragon from Edu and Ate Marisse

Sweet Basil from Edu and Ate Marisse

Lettuce

Pechay in a box

A Healthy New Year to Everyone!

* Greetings! After spending half the year last year studying about organic agriculture at the UP Open University, I decided that this should be the year to pass on the knowledge to my family and friends. I have listed down five feasible goals for a healthy 2013:

Goal # 1: Provide myself with sufficient herbs, fruits and vegetables for consumption.

Goal # 2: Provide fresh produce for my family at least once a month.

Goal # 3: Teach organic farming methods to my family and help them setup gardens in their houses.

Goal # 4: Improve our cafe employees' diet with food from my garden.

Goal # 5: Conduct a workshop seminar in organic agriculture in the neighborhood and other small communities.

* My family and I just got back from Tagaytay for a four-day vacation at the Christian Development Center. Before the New Year, all the members of the family had a blood analysis and nutritional counseling with Ptr. Millet Buenafe. We found out from my blood sample that I was dehydrated, lacking in oxygen, acidic, and had too much caffeine in my blood stream. The counselor told me that if I can't let go of coffee, I should drink at least a liter of water for every cup (8 oz) of coffee. After that we all had green smoothies made from kale, lettuce, banana, and other leafy greens and fruits. The next day we visited an organic garden and drew some inspiration from it.

* Hopefully we'll get to encourage one another to stay fit and healthy. After all, it's much more expensive to go to the doctor than to maintain a healthy lifestyle! The experience also inspired me to consider adding green smoothies to our cafe's beverage menu (http://www.cafeantonioelbi.blogspot.com). Here's to good health, God bless!