Making an Herb Spiral

* The Herb Spiral! A few weeks ago when we were designing our final project in Cabiokid for a permaculture design training course, one of my classmates, Gwyneth, suggested that I should put an herb spiral in my garden. I actually drew that suggestion into my project plan. 

* Yesterday, I was reading the STEP Systems Thinking book and came across the principle behind the herb spiral.  Sun-loving herbs are placed on top while water-loving herbs such as mint are placed at the bottom part. So when it rains, most of the water will trickle down to the mint plants while the topmost plants capture most of the sun. I was intrigued with the concept and Googled images of herb spirals. Most of them were made of bricks. But I wanted to make something without buying anything. I saw that I had many broken pieces of concrete lying around the garden and I have coconut shells that I gathered from a tree that was trimmed. Then I scraped off some finished compost that I use to cover my layers in the compost heap. I also added some soil from mounds I found around the garden. This afternoon, I bought a few herbs to complete the spiral. And here it is!

Kainos Farm Week 9: Planting Herbs

* We bought a bunch of quick-growing herbs such as citronella, dill weed, and tsaang gubat from Ofel's Garden in Bay to plant around the perimeter of zones 2 and 3. As you can see, the land still looks kinda bare and the farm is vulnerable to strong winds and noontime sunlight. But not to worry, we have planted many fruit trees already in guilds and also around the whole perimeter of the farm. It doesn't look like much yet.

* We planted fruit trees, citronella, and dill weed in this third windbreak. I designed three windbreaks to protect the crop and veggie garden from the strong cool winds. Dill weed can grow very fast in a short time. Here in Daang Kalabaw Community Garden, I've grown a dill weed up to 6 to 7 ft a year ago. And it has survived many typhoons already. So I thought I can use that plant as a short-term remedy for the strong winds. The fruit trees and leguminous trees will eventually catch up. Citronella and dill weed also produces a strong smell when agitated. It can be used to ward off mosquitoes and other pests without us having to shake it all the time, thanks to the wind. I've learned in Cabiokid that citronella doesn't really work (in terms of warding of mosquitoes) if you don't agitate it. When I finished transplanting all the herbs, it provided the garden with a corridor that continuously provides a sweet and strong smell every time you pass by.

* Here's the third raised bed that we finished. I mulched this before I left last week and then we will drench it in manure tea when we finish brewing it.  

My Cabiokid Permaculture Experience

* It's just been 4 days since I came back from Cabiokid for a weeklong permaculture training course at Cabiao, Nueva Ecija. To be part of a training course like this, where you get your feet wet and your hands dirty, was one of my goals for 2014. 

* My classmates were awesome. We were diverse--culturally and linguistically--with delegates from Belgium, Toronto, Isabela, Bicol, Oroquieta, Quezon, Boracay, Negros Occidental, and Laguna. The experience reminded me of the summer youth camps I used to attend when I was in high school. And of course, you had to be really interested in permaculture to even Google the phrase "permaculture in the Philippines." I knew I was in good company from the very first day.

Photo by Gwyneth Williams 

* The first two days were pretty hardcore. The morning and afternoon sessions were 2 to 3 hour-long lectures on permaculture theories and concepts. Then in the evening we would watch documentaries. The first two were pretty depressing, I must admit. But the third movie, Dirt, was a pretty uplifting one. Our teachers, Bert Peeters, Tholits, and Luz were easy to get along with and they were very down-to-earth. Days 3 to 4 were spent on the field while the last two days were dedicated to drawing and presenting our final project outputs.

* I really still can't figure out how I would put into writing my 7-day experience in this amazing place. Looking at the photos alone is already overwhelming. When I was there, I was texting my friends telling them that they should take the course next year and experience Cabiokid for themselves.

* We did a lot of drawing activities. I liked that even though I had the drawing skills of a preschooler. It really challenged me to come up with different designs in such a short time.

* When I came back, I couldn't stop talking about permaculture. I've been blabbering about permaculture for four days now. I really hope I can get more opportunities to share this unusually simple framework for sustainable development to other people.

* Tomorrow, I'll be at Kainos Farm to share my experience to our farmers. Probably I'll redesign the whole farm again. Who knows?

* I have a 4-phase project plan for my permaculture design for Daang Kalabaw Community Garden. Phase 1 starts this Sunday. I'm sooo excited!

UPOU-Organic Agriculture Batch 4 Field Visit to Our Garden

Photo by Von Eugenio

Photo by Von Eugenio

Daang Kalabaw Community Garden would like to thank Batch 4 of the UP Open University (UPOU) Organic Agriculture course for visiting us last Saturday. It was a really fulfilling experience for all of us, especially the kids because they saw how our community looked like a few years ago. And now people started coming to visit us (and giving us cookies!) and appreciate what we have been working on for the past two years.

It's really great to share the feeling with the younger generation. And they're also experiencing success along with me in terms of community solidarity and improving the landscape of where we live in. At least, they now know the joy of gardening and growing your own food. Our story is not really unique. I know there are many communities out there who have done the same. The difference is, we really made an effort to show the outside world what we have been doing here. From beginning to present. It encourages and inspires others to do the same. Let's not do this for the sake of becoming famous, for money, or any crooked or greedy reasons. Let's do this because this is the right thing to do. It's the way people should live. To be good stewards of creation, one that values life, nature, and the Creator who designed all of this for us to enjoy.