Start an EL garden today and have a ready food source
Whether one has or has no money, food source during the enhanced community quarantine remains a problem.
A great way to ease the problem is practicing edible landscaping or growing your own crops in an aesthetic manner.
By doing so, you will have your own supply of food at your doorstep while keeping your yard beautiful.
Starting your own edible landscape garden does not require a big space.
A 2×4 square meter-area would provide more than enough for a family’s needs.
Some of the crops that you can plant aesthetically in such an area are eggplants, chili, lettuce, pechay, and sweet potato.
It is entirely up to you on how to position these in your garden: whether alternately or by rows; or by using some hardscapes such as customized pots, pebbles, woodchips, and lights among many others. Your imagination is your only limit when it comes to designing your garden but here is an example of how you may arrange your edible garden:
Sample 2×4 sqm edible landscape garden designed by Bryan V. Apacionado, a faculty member at the Institute of Crop Science of the College of Agriculture and Food Science. Design is digitally created by Aaron Angelo R. Dimapilis, Draftsman III.
From this small edible garden, one can harvest crops that will provide the following 17 possible nutrients that our body needs, according to Dr. Leila Africa of the Institute of Human Nutrition and Food of the College of Human Ecology.
| Nutrients | Eggplant fruit, purple, boiled, ½ cup, 45 g | Pepper, chili leaves, boiled, ½ cup, 45 g | Pechay, boiled, ½ cup, 45 g | Sweet potato leaves, green, boiled, ½ cup, 45 g | Sweet potato leaves, purple, boiled, ½ cup, 45 g | Lettuce raw, 1 cup, 25 g |
| Water | 42.12 | 39.06 | 42.57 | 41.895 | 42.12 | 23.525 |
| Energy (kcal) | 10.8 | 23.4 | 9.45 | 13.05 | 10.8 | 5.5 |
| Protein (g) | 0.45 | 0.81 | 0.765 | 0.495 | 0.81 | 0.325 |
| Total Fat (g) | 0.045 | 0.135 | 0.225 | 0.315 | 0.135 | 0.1 |
| Carbohydrate (total) | 2.205 | 4.725 | 1.08 | 2.07 | 1.575 | 0.85 |
| Fiber, total dietary (g) | 0.675 | 0.225 (crude) | 0.495 | 1.215 | 1.125 | 0.45 |
| Sugar, Total (g) | 0.9 | – | 0.36 | 0.315 | 0.315 | 0.4 |
| Calcium (mg) | 13.5 | 39.15 | 69.75 | 25.65 | 26.1 | 24.25 |
| Phosphorus (mg) | 12.6 | 7.2 | 13.5 | 10.35 | 17.1 | 8.5 |
| Iron (mg) | 0.225 | 0.765 | 11.7 | 0.72 | 0.99 | 0.85 |
| Sodium (mg) | 0.45 | 1.8 | 5.4 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 4.25 |
| Beta-Carotene (ug) | 36 | 913.5 | 609.75 | 576 | 643.5 | 450 |
| Total Vit A (ug) | 5.85 | 152.1 | 101.7 | 95.85 | 107.1 | 75 |
| Thiamin, Vit B1 (mg) | 0.0315 | 0.0405 | 0.027 | 0.0135 | 0.0135 | 0.015 |
| Riboflavin (mg) | 0.018 | 0.036 | 0.045 | 0.0225 | 0.0405 | 0.0275 |
| Niacin (mg) | 0.225 | 0.27 | 0.315 | 0.18 | 0.225 | 0.125 |
| Vit C (mg) | trace | 2.25 | 24.3 | 3.15 | 4.05 | 4.75 |
So start your own edible garden today and prove for yourself the Edible Landscaping Project’s call that “no Filipino should be hungry.”
The Edible Landscaping Project is funded by the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research, with UPLB Chancellor Fernando C. Sanchez, Jr. as its project leader and Maria Charito E. Balladares, Rowena P. De Guzman, Norma G. Medina, Bryan V. Apacionado, Ryan Rodrigo P. Tayobong, Remuel O. Torres, and Melanie C. Ilang-Ilang as project staff. (Maria Charito E. Balladares & Melanie C. Ilang-Ilang)
