Tanam Sayur (Vegetable Planting)

After MCE, while waiting for the results, I was buying latex from the smallholders at the 'Rancangan Tanah Pinggir' in Ulu Senaling with Abah Rahman. It is normally done by the afternoon. As soon as lunch is taken, I embark on vegetable planting at the area by the side of the house. Using basic tools and bare hands, I prepared the planting beds for my vegetables. I started with the easiest of them all - tapioca!

Happily seeing it grown and after we started eating the young leaves and harvesting the tapioca, I embark on planting more vegetables. Prepared the planting beds and sowed beans, 'petola', groundnuts, sugar cane, peria and all other vegetables; seeds of which I could buy from the market in Kuala Pilah. As the days passed, there were rows and rows of planting beds planted with vegetables. For the creepy crawlies, I used small branches and twigs for the plant to grow up and climb on.

For manure, we used natural manure made of lamb shit, goat shit and chicken poo. Mixed it all up with water in a big pail, stir them thoroughly and pour them over the seedlings or the plants for their food and chemical supplies. I would visit the neighbour's lamb and sheep barns and chicken houses to collect the shit and the poo. Every morning, the vegetables have to be watered and occasionally manured. They grow and produces much for us to consume. At times when there are extras, we would send and 'sadaqah' them to our neighbours or for occasional people who comes to house.

At one time, one of our relative who was a Lecturer with UPM; came to the house. He commended me for my effort in planting and taking good care of the vegetables; which was economically good for the family. I still hold that interest until now!