Kuching Urban Farming

Organic farming is gaining popularity in Sarawak, many households have ventured into small-scale farming of herbs and vegetables, and urban folks have turned their backyard into a productive urban garden.  urban farmer not only produce green, fresh and healthy vegetables and fruits for their family but also contribute to environmental sustainability and mitigate climate change.

To share their experiences and knowledge of gardening and farming, Kuching urban farming enthusiasts formed a social media group called Kuching Urban Farming, this group initially is a platform for sharing experiences and knowledge about urban farming. Now we have a natural farmers market to share and sell our access produce to locals. 

There are varieties of products from backyard gardens or urban gardens being sold in this once-a-month Natural  Farmers market including vegetables, fruits, edible plants, ornamental plants, herbs, dairy products and jungle products.

Kuching Natural Farmers Market is a good initiative to encourage more urban residents to participate in urban farming, more people participating in urban farming will increase and diversify organic agricultural produce. The increase in various healthy organic agricultural products will certainly benefit the urban population, organic food will not only improve our health but it will also reduce the waste of food resources.

Tips for starting an urban garden

Water, light and soil are three basic requirements for plants to grow:

1. Sunlight is crucial, find a corner in your balcony or backyard where the plants have access to at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight.

2. Soil-potting mix is commonly used in container gardening, this medium can easily be available from local nurseries, or you can create your own potting mix according to your plants' needs.  Shallow-rooted plants require 6 inches of soil depth, and deeper-rooted plants need at least 1 foot of soil depth, choose your container based on your plants' needs.

3. Water -plants grown in containers need frequent watering as the containers dry fast. Watering daily is necessary to provide adequate moisture for plant growth.

Kuching Natural Farmers' Market 7 September 2024: 

Kuching Natural Farmers' Market	KNFM at Local Council Car Park

The Mayor of Kuching City visited KNFM-Photo by Nately John	Ornamental Plants-Photo by Nately John
Ornamental Plants-Photo by Nately John	Edible Organic Plants-Photo by Nately John
Cultural performances @KNFM-Photo by Nately John	Photo by Nately John

有机农业在砂拉越越来越受欢迎，许多家庭开始小规模种植药草和蔬菜，城市居民将后院变成了富有成效的城市菜园。城市农民不仅为家人生产绿色、新鲜和健康的蔬菜和水果，还为环境可持续性和减缓气候变化做出了贡献。

为了分享他们在园艺和农业方面的经验和知识，古晋城市农业爱好者成立了一个名为“古晋城市农业”的社交媒体小组，该小组最初是一个分享城市农业经验和知识的平台。现在我们有一个天然农贸市场，可以与当地人分享和销售我们的农产品。

这个每月一次的天然农贸市场出售各种来自后院菜园或城市菜园的产品，包括蔬菜、水果、食用植物、观赏植物、药草、乳制品和丛林产品。

古晋天然农夫市场是一个很好的举措，鼓励更多的城市居民参与城市农业，更多的人参与城市农业将增加和多样化有机农产品。各种健康有机农产品的增加肯定会使城市人口受益，有机食品不仅可以改善我们的健康，还可以减少食物资源的浪费。

开始城市菜园的提示

水、光和土壤是植物生长的三个基本要求：

1. 阳光至关重要，在阳台或后院找一个角落，让植物至少能接受 6 到 8 小时的阳光照射。

2. 土壤盆栽混合物通常用于容器园艺，这种介质可以从当地苗圃轻松获得，或者您可以根据植物的需要制作自己的盆栽混合物。浅根植物需要 6 英寸的土壤深度，深根植物需要至少 1 英尺的土壤深度，根据植物的需求选择容器。

3. 水 - 在容器中生长的植物需要经常浇水，因为容器干得很快。每天浇水是必要的，以提供足够的水分供植物生长。

Why and How I made cheap organic fertilizers.

My principles of natural farming are very simple, I am using natural components of the ecosystem and returning to nature.  the weeds, branches, fruit peels, and falling leaves I return to the soil in solid or liquid form.  These natural components of the ecosystem contain everything needed to nurture the soil, a healthy soil produces healthy plants, healthy plants mean healthy foods for me and at the end of the day, this will have a significant positive impact on our environment. This effort is like a chain that connects every part of the ecosystem. 

As a conscientious hobby farmer and a foliage enthusiast, I choose to make organic fertilizers at home and at my farm.  Home-made organic fertilizers break down and release nutrients into the soil over an extended period, this gives enough time for the plants to absorb the vital nutrients they need.

This homemade liquid fertilizer is very simple, all I need is weeds, fruit peels, falling leaves and a barrel or a container, Simply add all the materials and rainwater to a barrel or a large container, cover it, and let it sit for about four weeks, stirring weekly

After the tea is made, use a sieve or cheesecloth to strain out the plant material. Dilute to about one part of tea to ten parts water. Use this mixture as a direct fertilizer simply by adding it to the soil at the base of each plant. Any plant, including vegetables, can benefit from this.

Liquid fertilizer made from natural components of the ecosystem

Ready to use liquid fertilizer

我的自然耕作原则非常简单，我利用生态系统的自然成分，回归自然。杂草、树枝、果皮和落叶，我以固体或液体的形式回归土壤。这些生态系统的自然成分包含滋养土壤所需的一切，健康的土壤可以培育出健康的植物，健康的植物对我来说意味着健康的食物，最终，这将对我们的环境产生重大的积极影响。这种努力就像一条链条，连接着生态系统的每个部分。

作为一个尽职尽责的业余农民和植物爱好者，我选择在家里和农场制作有机肥料。自制的有机肥料会在较长时间内分解并向土壤中释放养分，这为植物吸收所需的重要养分提供了足够的时间。

这种自制液体肥料非常简单，我只需要杂草、果皮、落叶和一个桶或容器，只需将所有材料和雨水放入桶或大容器中，盖上盖子，静置约四周，每周搅拌一次

液体肥料好后，用筛子或粗棉布滤出植物材料。稀释至约一份液体肥料兑十份水。只需将这种混合物添加到每株植物根部的土壤中，即可将其用作直接肥料。任何植物，包括蔬菜，都可以从中受益。

Edible Aloe Vera ( Aloe Vera Barbadensis)

 

Edible Aloe Vera(Aloe Vera Barbadensis)

About:  Aloe Vera is a hardy succulent semi-tropical plant that, at the present time can almost be found worldwide. There are various types of Aloe Vera, the edible variety is Aloe vera barbadensis, and the leaves are thick and very fleshy
Nutritional Value:           Enzymes: It contains 8 enzymes: aliiase, alkaline phosphatase, amylase, bradykinase,                           carboxypeptidase, catalase, cellulase, lipase, and peroxidase.      Minerals: It provides calcium, chromium, copper, selenium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium and zinc.       Vitamins: vitamins A (beta-carotene), C and E, B12, folic acid, and choline.       Sugars      Fatty acids: It provides 4 plant steroids; cholesterol, campesterol, β-sitosterol and lupeol.      Hormones: Auxins and gibberellins that help heal wounds and have anti-inflammatory action. 4.  Others: It provides 20 of the 22 human-required amino acids       Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2763764/
Grow and Care:
Cultivation :	Propagate by teaching younger plants from the adult plants' base or the joint root system. Aloe Vera cannot be grown by leaf-cutting
Soil:	Doing well in the draining soil, you can create your own mix using equal parts of loam, sand and compost.
Sunlight:	Give the plants adequate sunlight, prefer 8-10 hours a day.
Water :	Aloe Vera consists of 98% water, so do not water the plant if the soil is moist, water the plant only when the soil is parched.
Fertilizer:	Fertilize once a year with a low nitrogen, high phosphorous and low potassium fertilizer such as 15:30:15 or 10:40:10, do not overdo it which will cause the plant to grow in an unhealthy manner.

简介：

芦荟是一种耐寒的亚热带多汁植物，目前几乎遍布世界各地。芦荟有多种类型，可食用的品种是芦荟属植物，其叶子厚实且肉质丰富.

营养价值：

酶：含有 8 种酶：淀粉酶、碱性磷酸酶、淀粉酶、缓激酶、羧肽酶、过氧化氢酶、纤维素酶、脂肪酶和过氧化物酶。

矿物质：提供钙、铬、铜、硒、镁、锰、钾、钠和锌。

维生素：维生素 A（β-胡萝卜素）、维生素 C 和维生素 E、维生素 B12、叶酸和胆碱。

糖类

脂肪酸：提供 4 种植物类固醇；胆固醇、菜油甾醇、β-谷甾醇和羽扇豆醇。

激素：生长素和赤霉素有助于伤口愈合并具有抗炎作用。

其他：提供人体所需的 22 种氨基酸中的 20 种

种植和护理：

栽培：

通过从成年植物的基部或联合根系中培育幼苗来繁殖。芦荟不能通过叶子切割来种植

土壤：

如果在排水良好的土壤中生长良好，您可以使用等量的壤土、沙子和堆肥来制作自己的混合物。

阳光：

给植物充足的阳光，最好是每天 8-10 小时。

水：

芦荟含有 98% 的水，因此如果土壤潮湿，请不要给植物浇水，仅在土壤干旱时才给植物浇水。

肥料：

每年施肥一次，使用低氮、高磷和低钾肥料，例如 15:30:15 或 10:40:10，不要过量，否则会导致植物以不健康的方式生长。

Why being a hobby farmer.

The weekend is a good time to enjoy and relax yourself, to enjoy the weekends, some people go out to movies, some play spots or hang out with friends, so it completely depends on one interest.  Being a hobby farmer, going to my farm to do farm work is the most exciting and enjoyable thing.

My farm is the place for me to heal myself through connection to the land, nature and the food source, by practising regenerative farming, I will be able to restore balance to its ecosystems, this is an ongoing effort that I will keep doing for many years to come.

The green, natural and diverse environment in my hobby farm makes me feel happier and generates many positive emotions. I am directly involved in the whole process of food production organically, it is so exciting seeing the seed germinate later on thriving into a big tree and producing fruits.  Fruiting season on my farm brings excitement not only to me and my family but to other living things also, pollinator like bees, beetles and beautiful birds are coming from everywhere to share the excitement.  

Everything I do on my farm makes me feel very happy, and self-sustaining and a sense of achievement.

周末是享受和放松的好时机，享受周末，有些人出去看电影，有些人去运动，或者和朋友出去玩，所以这完全取决于一个人的兴趣。作为一个业余农民，去我的农场做农活是最令人兴奋和愉快的事情。

我的农场是我通过与土地、自然和食物来源的联系来治愈自己的地方，通过实践再生农业，我将能够恢复生态系统的平衡，这是一项持续的努力，我将在未来许多年里继续这样做。

我的业余农场的绿色、自然和多样化的环境让我感到更快乐，并产生了许多积极的情绪。我直接参与了整个有机食品生产过程，看到种子后来发芽长成一棵大树并结出果实真是令人兴奋。我农场的结果季节不仅给我和我的家人带来了兴奋，也给其他生物带来了兴奋，像蜜蜂、甲虫和美丽的鸟儿这样的传粉者从四面八方飞来分享这种兴奋。

我在农场里做的每一件事都让我感到非常快乐、自给自足并且有成就感。

Green oranges

Crystal fruits

Purple Sugar Apple	Buddha's Hand	Moses Avocado
Abiu	Belimbing Buluh	Rollinia
Mulberries	Purple Guava	Durian D168

Water Spinach

Golden Bak Choi

Brinjal

Rain Water System	Elderberries
Guards of the farm	Red Banana

Yellow Rambutan	Nangcam	Fiddlehead
	Durian	Abundance of harvest

Lime

Crossbreed pomelo+green orange

Jackfruit

Breadfruit(Artocarpus Altilis) 面包果

The most rewarding aspect of being a farmer is connecting to the land and the food source.  Seeing the fruits of one's labour is a good deep fulfilment.  There is endless excitement in watching seeds sprout and grow into a bountiful harvest.

Mature breadfruits	Mature breadfruits
Mature breadfruits	Mature breadfruits

I planted this breadfruit four years ago, and now I enjoy the excitement of harvesting it.  Breadfruit, a tree of the mulberry and jackfruit family, a large fruit of the tropical regions is a staple food of most people in this region. Its name is derived from the texture of the moderately ripe fruit when cooked, similar to freshly baked bread and having a potato-like flavour.  

The trees are monoecious, with male and female flowers growing on the same tree. The male flowers emerge first, followed shortly afterwards by the female flowers. The latter grow into capitula, which are capable of pollination just three days later. Pollination occurs mainly by fruit bats, but cultivated varieties produce fruit without pollination. The compound, false fruit develops from the swollen perianth and originates from 1,500 to 2,000 flowers visible on the skin of the fruit as hexagon-like disks.(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadfruit#:)

This beautiful fruit tree grows 12 to 18 metres high and is not suitable to grow in your urban backyard, it is commonly cultivated in suburban or rural areas, people with larger urban land can be cultivated.

Nutritional value :

作为一名农民，最有意义的事情就是与土地和食物来源建立联系。看到自己劳动的成果是一种极大的满足。看着种子发芽并长成丰收的果实，让人兴奋不已。

我四年前种下了这种面包果，现在我很享受收获它的兴奋。面包果是桑树和菠萝蜜科的一种树，是热带地区的一种大型水果，也是该地区大多数人的主食。它的名字来源于这种中度成熟的果实在煮熟后具有的质地，类似于新鲜出炉的面包，并具有类似土豆的味道。

这些树是雌雄同株的，雄花和雌花长在同一棵树上。雄花先长出，雌花紧随其后。雌花长成头状花序，三天后就能授粉。授粉主要由果蝠完成，但栽培品种无需授粉即可结出果实。复果假果从膨胀的花被中发育而来，由 1,500 到 2,000 朵花组成，这些花在果皮上呈六边形圆盘状。

这种美丽的果树高12至18米，不适合在城市后院生长，通常在郊区或农村地区种植，拥有较大城市土地的人也可以种植。