4 months ago in April Monzer and Roula, two of our students, decided to take the responsibility for running our garden farm when their programmes were put on hold.
They stepped up to the plate – and it has gone really well!
They have learned a lot through own studies as well as through their practice. Learning by doing is one of the keys to studies, work and life here at CICD – and not only in the garden!
There are a million details to remember and do the right way, and at the right time...everything from the spacing between plants when you transfer them outside...what to do about slugs...how to get rid of rats...what about the fungus....which kind of compost is best to use where...and so on.
Monzer and Roula have organised how to get everything done together with our short term garden volunteers. The volunteers have contributed not only with more hands in the work, but also with good ideas and useful knowledge.
Roula says: “It gives confidence when you manage to find the solutions to how to do things through your own studies and research. That is really nice! We have also learned how to solve many problems using what we have here, instead of having to buy something new every time.”
Monzer says: “To learn how to grow food was one of my aims with coming to CICD. So this opportunity was perfect for me, even though it has also been very difficult sometimes.”
Harvest time is here
Now in August and September it is harvest time. Here are some of the results so far: 5 kg broadbeans, 4 kg cucumber, 30 kg courgettes, 8 kg French beans, 6 kg grapes, radishes, many many boxes of lettuce and lots of jars with dried mynte, chamomille, coriander and parsley. Even our 2 fig trees have started to produce a lot of fruit!
We have 5 big beds of 3 x 14 m with potatoes - around 1500 seed potatoes were planted in the spring and now they are soon ready to take up. The 15 very big tomato plants are doing well in one of the green houses – having grown from seeds in April to a height of more than 2 metres now...and soon we will also have fresh cobs of corn!
Mmm! There is nothing like a meal made from our own veggies!
Click here to read how the garden farming season started off at CICD in April: StartingGardenFarming