Gardening titbits
You need to be informed about the plants you want to put in your garden, for example, if you are to plant watermelons, you should know that they do not require a bed
What you need to know:
Gardening is like learning; there is always something new which is why you need to learn from other gardeners
The Bible says, wherever there is a multitude of counsellors, you will find wisdom. So, below are some tots of wisdom gleaned along the way from different gardeners:
Source of the seeds
Yokoyakim Omwodo Akanga, a farmer in Bira Village, Mulanda Sub-County in Tororo District cautions gardeners on sourcing seeds: “Get seeds from people you trust. This will give you assurance that the seeds are good and secondly, you will be assured of help from your source in case the seed do not turn out as expected.” he says.
Getting help from neighbours
Lillian Katiso, an avid gardener and resident of Kyanja reminisces on good neighbour relations and how they can help trim your labour costs:
“I use cow dung (for fertiliser). I buy some flowers and the man who does the gardening for some people plants them. I prefer to use people in the neighbourhood. You are not employing them, but you are giving them work to do, being a friend to them.When his cows try to eat my flowers, he chases them away. It is also easy for him to come.
Be informed about the plant
Francis Murungi, a farmer and agronomist with Miracle Farms in Gerenge on Entebbe Road uses water melon as an example of the need to know what you are planting:
“Water melon doesn’t require a bed – plant it directly. Clear the garden and make sure it is clean. Get seeds of the right quality, because you can get fake seeds. Then you may not end up getting water melon that cannot be bought anywhere, small, prone to diseases and not sweet, nor is it red inside. And you may have bought the seeds at a high price. But while all this seems to be simple information, if you do not know how to deal with water melons, you might end up losing a whole season.”
