The other day I got an email from Wei inviting some of us to help Ma’o Organic Farm build a garden at He’eia Fishpond.
I had so much fun. I wish I’d gotten there earlier than I did. By the time I arrived they were layering compost, chicken manure, sand, and soil. I got to shovel coconut shell mulch from the back of a pick-up truck into wheelbarrows–which is alot more fun than it might sound. It took half an hour with all of the people involved to finish setting up the soil. One of the fishpond guys was playing thumping music from his truck and someone laughingly said ‘wow, this music really makes you work huh?’ and it was true. At one point I was shoveling compost into buckets so rhythmically that I didn’t notice when we started to hit the grass underneath. The girl from the fishpond that I was shoveling with said ‘I don’t like to exercise so I like hard work’. I nodded in agreement and droplets of sweat went flying everywhere.
For lunch we had sandwiches and salads and a delicious mango crumble that Wei made as well as Zippy’s chili. Afterwards, Gary from Ma’o talked about the strategy for growing in the new garden beds.
He mentioned a book that helped him when he was getting started called Hawaii Good Garden at Rainbow Books. It was pretty fascinating. He said some of the seeds or transplants could start producing in days.
I can’t wait to visit the garden after it’s had a chance to grow.
Three One Nine 