Today at noon, I went to my patio to dig out the haldi saplings that i had sown in June last. It is a practice in tamil homes to tie haldi saplings around the pongal pot( i have already blogged about its significance).
It was a overwhelming feeling when i dug out the soil to uproot the tubers of the haldi saplings.
It was a feast to my senses, when i felt and smelt the earthy soil combined with the fresh fragrance of the tender haldi tubers with little earth worms wriggling and adding life to the soil. With each sapling costing around Rs.30 each, i felt proud to have raised 10 saplings with limitations of space , sunlight and pigeon menace, whats more it got its nutrition from kitchen wastes which turned into compost and added soul to the soil. I know its a very small harvest, but i am glad about the little organic harvest:)
I have got to show and share more......my microgreens, lettuce, strawberry saplings, tomato story, twin bean tale, amaranthus, alternanthera, curry leaf, mint, chilli tale and more... all grown in upcycled containers and most from kitchen spice box seeds (except lettuce, SB and curry plant)...let my erratic BSNL get fixed, will share more of my organic mini produce.....with all these i feel like a mini farmer...no....,a macro.....or may be even a nano farmer.....but i am enjoying the little produce and the mixed emotions I go through while the tomato blossoms drop, the chilli flowers form a beautiful red chilli, when that little bean plant gets affected with aphids, when my yellow capsicum plant sprouts from the seed and the seed coat precariously hangs on to the baby plant.....million mixed emotion of loss, gain, pleasure and pain.
If such a small patch of garden with less or no investment can give me such a mixed feeling, i sometimes think of the farmers who take loans and face losses after sweating and toiling against man made and natural odds. And after all these odds, when they do reap a harvest, what they get is a paltry sum that does'nt match their efforts. Being a farmer is a tough job indeed!
Bravo Farmers!
I could have waited for more days to get a better harvest of haldi, but my idea was to grow the saplings and harvest for pongal to tie it around the pongal pot.
Bravo You !
ReplyDeleteThere's something to growing a life, I think. That's why all those emotions you have so nicely described even if one can get one tulsi to thrive.
I'm sure the pongal will taste extra nice. Have a happy festival.
Thank you:) hope you had a great time too.
DeleteThe feeling you get when you walk into fully stacked vegetable bazaar is something earthy. You would want to quickly get out of a meat shop even if you are a non veg.
ReplyDeletethe greens you grow at home even off a square meter soil wha its an awesome feel.
ABsolutely agree with you. Thank you:)
Deleteawesomeeeeeeeeee... this is silly but in summers I sow a few plants of Wheat and even Corn.. just so i dont forget my roots , and the most important job FARMING. One day if all goes well will be returning to it all , god willing - Life Willing.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great Pongal ..
Bikram's
Why silly? i understand the nostalgic feeling when you sow and grow wheat and corn because i am planning to grow pigeon pea for the same reason once a bigger pot falls vacant. Hope you get back to farming and your wish comes true. Thank you Bikram:)
DeleteYou are doing so great, Asha! Love your green efforts! Your last few lines about farmers reminded me of something KG told me a few days ago. He said that in our country everyone who produces something of value can fix the price he wants to sell it at, but not the farmer! :(
ReplyDeleteIt really feels nice to put those little efforts, Shilpa! Ever since i started growing, there is not a day i don't think of those unsung and hardworking tribe called farmers.
ReplyDelete