Davaoeña who started container gardening in apartment now owns urban farm business
By BENJAMIN SARONDO
Most Filipinos love to plant on a farm, in their backyard, inside their house, and in many other places. Some own their land, while others rent just to pursue their passion for farming.
Jess Muñoz Paderna, 33, owner of Ssagel’s Garden, started her gardening journey in her rented apartment in Davao City. “Ever since, my husband and I dreamed of having a garden, but we were not able to pursue this dream,” she said in Taglish.
Ssagel’s Garden is an herb and vegetable garden that started in 2021. What made Jess pursue building her own garden was a scarcity of lettuce supplies at a church where they usually buy them. “In 2020, at a church where we always visit, they sold lettuce. But one time, they did not have harvests, and there I realized that to avoid scarcity with the supply of lettuce, we would grow it in our own garden.”
Jess recalled that the unavailability of garden space in her rented apartment did not stop her from gardening; she started growing vegetables, such as spinach, tomatoes, cabbages, and many more, in a container with the help of her husband. “Our main goal is to grow vegetables we can enjoy in our meals. We want a garden that can provide us with fresh produce.”
Jess admitted that she struggled before having her own garden, but currently, she owns her own garden space with a greenhouse where she grows lettuce, onions, radish, string beans, basil, chives, rosemary, sweet corn, strawberries, cucumber, tomatoes, lemon, and many more.
Her journey as gardener
Jess was very dedicated to starting her own garden since she learned about gardening even before having her own garden space. “I learned from watching videos online about gardening,” she said. But what’s most important, according to Jess, is to apply all the learning in an actual garden to have first hand experiences and adjust the techniques depending on the success rate of each.
Before establishing her garden, Jess said that she first assessed all the resources available near her area, which helped her minimize her costs. “I asked myself if the lot would be enough and effective to grow vegetables, and if there was sun exposure and water supply, especially since I planned to use a hydroponic system.”
Jess stated that she purchased garden soil because the soil in the area is not good for the vegetables. Also, instead of buying packed seeds, she said that seeds from consumed fruits and vegetables should be kept and planted instead.
Since all of her needs were available, Jess proceeded to plan the garden layout and the plants she would grow. She said that this is important to maximize the space in her garden. Then she started planting vegetables, but she first planted the vegetables that were easy to grow and that her family enjoyed eating.
Diverse gardening
“What is unique about our garden is our diverse approach to growing food. We do hydroponics, raised beds, and container gardening,” Jess said.
She stated that she spent a lot of money on her hydroponics setup since she decided to have a greenhouse constructed and purchase materials to grow lettuce and other vegetables through this system. “But for the raised beds and container gardening, we only spent a small amount of money.”
Also, the method she applies to her garden, considering the costs, is the in-ground gardening approach, where she directly plants the seeds in the soil. This method provides versatility and allows her to maximize her garden space.
Jess added that the seeds and soil she uses in her garden can be purchased at hardware stores and grocery stores. “Each pack of seeds can cost around 60 to 80 pesos, while the garden soil per sack is 100 pesos.” Also, she said that she spent 500 pesos to buy African night crawlers for a constant supply of vermicast.
Growing together
To ensure that the seeds they plant will grow, she stated that she uses different planting techniques.
One is intensive planting, a method where she plants two different kinds of vegetables near each other that have different growing seasons and durations of growth. This method can minimize wasted space.
Also, she does companion planting, where she plants vegetables that grow in the same season and work together in terms of size and duration. Jess said that she does this planting technique with cucumber and lettuce, cabbage and radish, onion leaves, okra, and many more.
Lastly, there is planting by batch. “For example, if we have a pack of radish seeds, we do not plant the seeds simultaneously. At first, we only plant 10 seeds, and when we harvest them, we wait for two to three weeks until we plant another batch of seeds,” Jess stated.
Gardening routine
Jess stated that she is used to her tasks in the garden since she follows a particular routine for gardening. She starts with planting the seeds, transplanting, fertilizing, watering, monitoring, and harvesting.
Also, she is the one who decides what vegetables they will grow in a particular space in the garden area.
But when her son started attending school, Jess admitted that she could not focus on the garden. That is why she hired someone who would accomplish the tasks in the garden while she was spending time with her family. “To maintain the garden, I hired someone to do the tasks that I would be unable to do.”
Since infestation is a challenge in gardening, Jess makes sure that there will always be someone who will monitor the quality of the vegetables and fruits. In addition, to overcome this problem, she said that she increased the biodiversity in the garden. “We planted different plants and crops that can attract beneficial insects and animals.” She added that at first, she thought that birds were a kind of pest, but then she realized that these birds helped her get rid of small insects that damaged her harvests.
“Gardening is beautiful and rewarding.”
Jess hopes that more people will be interested in gardening since it will benefit not only one’s physical health but also their mental health. “For me, gardening is very important, and it is my break from the busy city life. In a garden, you can find time to slow down and be at peace.”
Jess said that gardening broadened her connection with other people and nature. She also learned that she can get inspiration from other gardeners on ways and techniques she can apply to her own garden.
She also considers it a good business because, aside from making money from planting fruits and vegetables, she can also serve her nutritious harvests to her family. “I love cooking, and it is very helpful that the ingredients I need are accessible in my own garden.”
She said that those who want to start gardening must start small and enjoy every step. Document everything from planting to harvesting to be reminded of the progress and fulfillment of every harvest.
Photos by Jess Muñoz Paderna
