ASTRID’S GARDEN, 10th February 2013, Nitiprayan

MISSION: To establish an edible garden in the front yard and making compost pile at the back yard. To create a sustainable design based on permaculture principles. To gather people in working the garden together. To learn together in making beds, compost and garden related. To have a feast on Chinese New Year and finish all the cakes. To have the fun in the garden and in the kitchen (for kitchen team).

CHALLENGES: Sandy texture of land, rocky even. Inexperience and a lot of improvisation along the way (obviously, this is our first time).

LOCAL RECOURCES: Finding local resources like rice stalks nearby the rice fields in Nitiprayan area. Most of the time dry rice stalks become unused and being burned in the fields. This rice fields and stalks own by Paul’s landlord (the farmer on the left). We got the unused dry rice stalks for free of course. In coincidence his younger brother had some cows, so we got some cow dung also 😀

PLAN: Above are basically the general plan (ignore the feet).

Get down and dirty, girls!

Chopping woods for compost.

Keep shoveling! Bhumy is showing how to do it.

Infiltrating the kitchen

The fine example of using cangkul to create beds for putting compost in.

Deciding the design.

Making pumpkin cake, organic pumpkin fresh from Bumi Langit harvest.

Dig, boys, dig!

The happy cangkulers.

Eating together a Chinese New Year’s feast, arranged by Sonya and the kitchen team!

Sonya and the Rat Poison Kitchen Team

The rock separator, piling and crushing team! Rocking!

Waterways set up.

Piling the beds with greens!

Recharge by food!

Worm test!

Bhumy and Sonya making a little performance!

Yoga in the garden

Local spectators!

Finish for today, folks, WATCHAAA! *kung fu moves*

ACCOMPLISHMENT:
Turn out we did not finish in one day. The land is full of rocks and building ruins. It took longer than needed to separate the rocks while digging the land. Although the first day of work change the whole landscape of the front yard and we also finished making the waterways in front of the porch. We would be needing more compost piling. Paul and Dyah sacrifice their overgrown green bushes and banana trees. Food finished though like plan! A sunny fine happy fun day!