One of the best blessings we received from God after our wedding is our house. It is an answered prayer. The unit was just reopened to buyers when I found it; I think it was the last one for sale in the subdivision. We got the house just in time before our wedding. Praise God! An advantage of owning one is being able to do anything you want with it. For us, we would like to steward our home in a way where we can experience love, peace, joy, and abundance. 

Residing for more than a year now, we already did several projects in our home sweet home. From buying new furniture and appliances to installing shelves and cabinets, it is a joy to see our home improved little by little. Then came the COVID 19 pandemic. All we see, day and night, aside from each other, are the walls, ceiling, stair, and our small humble front yard/garden. 

Before this COVID-19 crisis, we already have potted plants and herbs in our garden. Plants were potted because the top soil of the yard is mostly sand and stones. Grasses are also all over and quite prolific. It is challenging to turn our front yard into a greener, edible, and sustainable space. But nothing can stop an enthusiastic and we-have-all-the-time-in-the-world-to-do-this mindset. This quarantine gave us (especially me!) the chance to make our garden look better. 

What did I do? 

1) Ground Preparation 

Starting something is always the hardest part. So let us take it one step at a time as they say. When Rheyn got pregnant, our garden was left aside. It did not look bad, but it can be improved. Everything was potted, but I wanted to plant directly on the soil now. I started by digging the soil in one area and removing the sandy part, weeds, and stones. Using the right equipment can make work easier. If you are serious with gardening, investing in trowel, rakes, and hand fork is a good start. Ours is just an old trowel so you could probably imagine the hard work. 😀 

I replaced the removed sandy soil with composted garden soil. We are composting our biodegradables for a year now so we have a lot of good healthy soil stored in our pots. If you happen to live in an urbanized area, you can do composting in pots (We’ll have a separate blog for this). Healthy soil is a key ingredient in your garden. You may opt to use raise beds or pots (the larger the better), depending on what’s available in your area and the type of plant you want to grow. 

This is my favorite part—we got free vermicast from our local government unit! More nutrients for the soil, yey!  

2) Sowing of Seeds 

We love vegetables! Our space may be small, but we have our favorite vegies in there! Okra, radish, and kangkong were directly sown in our garden beds. Mustard, pechay, tomato, and eggplant were transplanted when their true leaves appeared. We also have growing ampalaya seedlings! I’m not an expert on this but my wife is. Thanks to her advises, we are able to grow a lot of good vegetables in our yard.  

3) Watering and Maintenance 

I enjoy this part a lot! It is now my form of exercise! I love watering the plants, especially when I see them growing day by day. Maintenance means checking on them every morning for pests, weeding out, or just simply talking to them (baliw lang?!). ? Of course, you would want to harvest from what you sowed. They will not bear fruits if we would not take care of them. 

Making and maintaining a vegetable garden, no matter how big or small it is, is easier said than done. It actually took me at least a week to finish preparing the ground and planting the seeds in our small packet of land. And the process continues every day. Perseverance is key. 

It has been more than a month now since the enforcement of enhanced community quarantine in our place, and I would say that the time we’re enjoying right now is a blessing from God. I learned how to treasure each moment and spend it joyfully with my wife and baby. We were able to work on projects that surely add value to us. I hope that you will also lift your spirit and start your own garden in the comfort of your homes. We may not have all the physical luxuries just like before the pandemic, but we have the time and chance now. We can do this! 

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. 

Ecclesiastes 9:11