Fighting a war against covid and contributing towards self sufficiency.

COVID-19 hit Bhutan very badly from the beginning of 2020. The most hit were the educational institutions, service industries like hotels, restaurants and  other travel and tourism  sectors. 

School closed from the first week of March with online teaching using different versions of social medias like WeChat, WhatsApp and Google classroom. It was little hectic to streamline these in the beginning, but, everything was taken care in due course of time.  

Scarcity of vegetables and fruits with the international boarder  closed was  major concern of everyone during the pandemic. Staying home was what everyone could only contribute  to fight against the deadly virus at this juncture.

In addition to what I  could  contribute during the pandemic, I thought I  could  make better use of the little space in the apple garden  nearby owned by one of our relatives by growing what is possible. We grew few vegetables like potatoes and beans from the time we shifted to this apartment but not with much interest . But, with the spread of  pandemic  and closure of School, I felt I should also contribute to  self sufficiency. 

Lettuce and coriander growing in a milk foil container

 

Keeping these contributing factors in mind, I concentrated in growing some vegetables during my off hours. My interest in growing vegetables boosted with the greenery and the yield I harvested which further motivated to add more varieties later. To my surprise at one point of time I counted and there where around 17 (seventeen) varieties of vegetables available there. The Pictures can be seen linked below.

Ref:        https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1ZYclrOaHkAg2MvqixfcTnNPq8Tzd06EP

In addition to what I was already doing, I developed a small space between the building and the retaining wall into a garden. I also collected some soil and started to grow some plants in  old buckets, wooden boxes, flower pots and other containers.

Ref:         https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1ZYclrOaHkAg2MvqixfcTnNPq8Tzd06EP

We grew Dallay  and other Indian variety of chillies,  Dhania, spinach and  tomatoes in the containers. They were placed around the house besides the drain.  It was so much of fun to spend time when it was already risky travelling somewhere, visiting vegetable market ,friends and relatives during the pandemic. 

We grew so much that we shared what we grew with neighbourhood. We enjoyed harvesting each of them. We grew so much that we didn't buy any vegetables from the time we started to harvest from March till mid December with some preserved in the deepfreeze. We had difficult during the first lockdown to nurture them as the  garden fell in another zone, but we somehow managed. At last when it was difficult to bear the cold frost of December,  we plucked what ever Saag was available and processed it into Gundruk. It turned to be yummy too.

Ref:     https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1ZYclrOaHkAg2MvqixfcTnNPq8Tzd06EP

I feel it would be better if the  government  encourages and support the use of small  empty spaces within  the colonies in the city to grow something that is possible by developing spaces alongside. These spaces would not only be safe from the unwanted growth but  also prevent and bar those living nearby who dispose rubbish unethically. This would certainly contribute towards self sufficiency and keep those retired  individuals living in the apartments with no land  to keep themselves occupied.