“How is it possible for you to kill a Cactus?” My boss asked me after I managed to kill a lovely specimen that he offered me when I arrived to the office. My name is Geovanna, and I pledge guilty of impersonating a good gardener!
Many years later, many cacti neglected, I decided to embark in the quest of developing a community garden at our school. I wasn’t certainly an expert, but living in Dubai made me long for the greener countries where I lived before.
We started with some planters, a great partner in crime (Nina) and lots of enthusiasm. We discovered how kids, of all ages, were eager to take part and enjoyed the different aspects of growing vegetables, removing waste from landfills via bokashi composting, making soil, preparing naturals fertilizers and organic pesticides.
We planned together, we mixed our soil, we planted seeds, we watered the plants, we saw them grow and we even saw them die. We learned the importance of patience, observation, care and consistency. We saw how hungry caterpillars could decimate plants in a really short time, but we understood that in any environment, balance is key. We planted flowers to attract pollinators and beneficial insects and we enjoyed harvesting tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and basil.
It has been a wonderful experience, specially for someone who wasn’t really born with a “green thumb” but who certainly developed a much greener heart.
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