Fiji’s landowners with nothing growing should get out early tomorrow morning when it is cool and start preparing their land for planting.
Year 2021 has been the perfect planting season with good rainfall and ideal weather.
Residents of towns and cities should have every square foot of their yard dug up to grow root crops, fruit, herbs and vegetables.
The lucky landowners living in the countryside should be planting fruit trees to be ready for tourists to enjoy when the borders open.
I want to share with you some tips on planting which I’ve picked up and used while managing sustainable tourism properties.
Compost
Place your wet rubbish (vegetable trimmings, cassava peelings and left over meals) in a compost bin, box or hole along with your grass cuttings. Place your left-over tea leaves in the compost as well. Every so often, make sure you turn it over or mix it up using a spade or fork.
Nursery
Build yourself a little nursery from vivi sticks and place dry coconut fronds on the top, near your tap and hose.
Plant the seeds you have collected from the kitchen or purchased from the closest seed supplier.
There are lots of hardware shops selling seeds and market vendors selling seedlings.
Short-term crops
Once you have prepared your soil, it is healthy and good for growing.
Let’s start with short-term crops that can be harvested in three to six months.
Now that we are in winter, the best vegetables to grow this season are Chinese and English cabbage, lettuce,
capsicum, okra, watermelon, pumpkin, tomatoes and climbing spinach (the easiest green vegetable to grow and one that every home in Fiji should grow).
Feed your family these healthy veggies and barter spare crops with
Medium term crops
For medium-term crops you need to prepare a plot by digging holes one foot deep, three — nine metres apart and place some compost in it, animal manure and “wet rubbish”, then top with cut grass.
Plant Rotuman dwarf coconuts, passion fruit, kura, bananas, vudi, lemons, guava, limes, coffee.
Long term fruit trees and timber
Prepare an area around the perimeter of your land or on the steeper slopes and plant trees that will bear fruit or can be harvested for timber.
Every home should have an uto (breadfruit) tree in the yard, a Rotuman dwarf coconut that produces nuts in three years.
Farmers in the West are now planting food trees such as sour sop, coconuts, moringa, uto, mangoes, cacao, kavika.
These trees when fruiting will supply your family with fresh fruit almost throughout the year.
Feel good
Planting keeps you and your family fit, young and old can join you to make it an enjoyable event, it gives you good feeling of accomplishment when you watch seeds and seedlings grow, your family’s diet will improve and so will your mental health and you will save money.
So get out there and plant!
Greg Cornwall provides expertise in international Resort and hospitality consulting under Pacific Islands Resort Consultants.
- GREG CORNWALL provides expertise in international Resort and hospitality consulting under Pacifi c Islands Resort Consultants.
