My Farmer Chronicles

Good morning readers. My topic today is not my usual travel blog. Today I will be sharing with you the time my friend Ermy and I ventured out into farming! Yes you heard that right! The nurses became a farmer Joes. We did this during our first year in Guernsey as we were needing some past-time and hobby and because we figured why not have our veggies free. Ermy is from the Mountain Province, and I am a farmer's grand daughter and had some farm experience as a kid. That is about all our farming experience so far.

So the first thing we did was find an allotment for rent, as we were not land owners and cannot afford to be so. The cheapest one we could find costs 120£ for a year. That is 5 plots including free water and free horse manure for fertiliser as the owner's sister owns a ranch. Then we moved on to finding farming equipments, boots, plant tents, seeds and seedlings. Some we bought and some we asked from others.

When we got all the equipments we proceeded on to cleaning and weeding the plots which I would say was the hardest part of the whole farming process. As the plot we got was overgrown with weeds and some old root crops which were very challenging to remove. It was back breaking I tell you, but we finally saw soil! We tended to the soil breaking them down and making them softer and adding fertiliser on it so it is ready and optimal for planting.

We planted strawberries, blueberries, pumpkins, cucumbers, beans, onions, potatoes, herbs, rocket salad, pak choi, and other random things. We watered it every chance we got. Ermy and I were alternating depending on our work schedules and sometimes we both come together. And after a patient waiting period of 2 months our crops were thriving and ready to harvest. It was the best feeling seeing the literal fruits of our labour.

Initially, we harvested for our own consumption. We enjoyed beautiful organic meals and fresh mint teas to our hearts content. Then we realised we just cannot consume them all. So we started giving them away to close friends and also selling them for cheap.

The Filipino community in the island is very helpful. Someone was advertising our crops freely on the Filipino community group. They love our pak choi 🥬 or pechay as we commonly call it back home. It is very hard to find it in markets and shops Guernsey. In fact the odds are almost NEVER and they usually cost a fortune too.

Some people came to our plots to personally experience harvesting veggies and get pechays! And some just ordered via online messaging and texts. We harvest for them and deliver it by foot if they live close by, and we ask them to collect it from our apartment if they live quite far.

Unfortunately we had to stop farming as the weather started turning harsher. Winter was coming. Also, our work load became too hectic and exhausting that we just could not manage our time anymore.

Overall, we did love our farming experience. There is a certain sense of fulfilment from eating and earning from something you have worked hard for. It is not an easy job and it does not pay so well considering all the effort you put into it. That really made me develop a higher appreciation for the professional farmers who feed the masses after this plight.

I do wish to do this again in my own backyard when I am able to afford a house. I want to live sustainably off the land someday! That's all. I hope you enjoyed this article. Cheers!