After trips to two inspiring farms, Joy and Kerry’s in Bulacan and Toby
and Marissa’s in La Union, I finally made my way to Calatagan last Saturday with my
Mom, maximizing the use of the last days my boys are still in China.
To jump start this year-long hiatus from active involvement in the land, my last project being the mobile beach house, Ben a local contractor
introduced me to some people. First we
met Resty, the prawn farm technician from another barangay to see what can be
done with our unused fishpond. Second,
we went to a dealer of trees coming from Talisay. Third, we checked out some vegetable farms on
the other side of the mountain passing through some gorgeous views of Balayan
Bay.
I returned to my Mom’s farm with ideas ready to be put into action.
This is the initial list of trees we’d like to plant: narra, acacia,
caballero, lauan, molave, kakawate, eucalyptus, mahogany, gmelina, yakal,
kamagong, anahaw, santol, langka, suha, calamansi, duhat, kasoy, guyabano,
bayabas, rambutan, mangosteen, kaimito, sineguelas, chico, sampaloc, atis, yellowbell,
gumamela, kupang, passion fruit, bignay, pili, antipolo, apitong, papaya,
aratilis, banana, lemon, cacao, flame tree, rubber tree, balete, calachuchi,
kaimito, banaba, agoho, lumbang, tanguile, bagtikan, sampaloc, balimbing,
kamias, bignay, bagras, champaca, malunggay, dayap, ad infinitum, to be continued, etc.
This is the draft plan that I intend to show Toby and ask for his
advice and suggestions:
January
- Tree nursery
– collect seedlings from the farm and nearby areas
- Start
composting to make our own fertilizer (continuous throughout the year)
- Charcoal
making (continuous throughout the year)
- Repair and
revival of fishpond – experiment first with tilapia and bangus
- Study what
are the good vegetables to plant – decide on 3 to 5 types of vegetables to
plant
- Make a plan
for the trees for lumber area – what trees and which areas
- Prepare for
the harvesting of mangoes
February
- Harvest and
sell the mangoes
- Study prawn
farming
- Study
vermicomposting and using enzymes to make fertilizer
March
- Continue
harvest and selling of mangoes
- Introduce
vermicomposting and use enzymes to make fertilizer
- Study raising
goats and free range organic chicken
- Prepare the
designated area for planting vegetables
April - May
- If prawn
farming is viable to get into and there is already electricity, prepare
the ponds for prawn farming
- Prepare the
designated areas for tree planting
- Prepare area
for raising goats and free range organic chicken
- Plant the
vegetables
June
1. Plant
the collected tree seedlings at the start of the rainy season
