Garden Update

The garden is coming along nicely.  We have been able to establish farm records to determine planting times.  This term we were able to provide veggies the first week of school.  We are also producing enough to provide vegetables to the schools two days a week.  Our biggest issue is still transportation to the schools.  We can get it there consistently once a week, but it is really variable on the second day. 

Here is some of our cucumbers and cabbage.  The cabbage is being attacked by snails right now.  Funny thing about northern Ghanaians is they are deathly afraid of snails.  In the south they eat them, but in the north they fear them.  We are the only ones who are brave enough to pick them off and kill them.

 

You can kind of see from this picture the difference in how the garden is looking.  We have twenty established beds now.  It’s getting bigger all the time.

Scott is making some organic insecticide out of the leaves from the neem tree.  We pound the leaves and let them soak in water over night and spray the next day. 

 

This is our new okra bed.  We just planted it.  We hope to get a good harvest this rainy season.

Our bera beds are looking amazing.  Previously we thought everyone was calling it bra, but we found out it is actually bera.  We thought it was a lot funnier when we called it bra.

 

This is ayoyo.  Ghanaians put it in soup.  It gives the soup a nice slimy texture like snot.  The flavor is good but the texture is not the best.

 

Here are some of the local kids who come and help us on the weekends. 

Overall we think the garden is going well.  We have days of major frustrations, but we are glad to know that a thousand kids are getting to eat fresh veggies at least once a week.

 

This is the most massive birds nest we have ever seen.  It is right on the outskirts of the garden.  It is so big a human could probably fit in in. Two hamerkops are building it.  We haven’t seen any babies yet but we will try and get some pics.