Take a Risk, Grow a 19th Floor Garden

This is the first of what will be my gardening series. I live in crowded Taipei, Taiwan, where people are mashed together, and so are the buildings. If you are interested in gardening and live in an apartment, there aren't many options. Sometimes you must take your life into your own hands and grow a garden. Mine happens to be on the 19th floor of the tallest building in the area.


As you can see, I have what you might call a desperate situation. Working with what really can't be considered a balcony, more like a man-made cliff, I tend my sprouting crops. It is a location not meant to be used. There is no door. I actually have to climb out the window! As of right now, I have tomatoes, basil, a stunted coffee plant, thyme, and papaya seedlings, the basics that any life-threatening garden should have. It's a meager and almost depressing "garden."

However, I do follow the most up to date gardening practices:

Compost
In the red trash bin, I also have compost, or my attempt at compost. What it really is is a kitchen scrap bin left outside. It is too small to adequately compost. If you have the resources, check out How to Compost. However, I prefer mulching as a method to build the soil.

Permaculture
I've implemented the permaculture theory of making your garden like a forest. I try to recreate the forest floor with decaying plant matter. In my "bed" I use scraps as fertilizer (don't know what I base this on or if it works), kinda like sheet mulching, but without the sheeting and carbon. I do know that it does attract micro organisms that may or may not benefit the plants.


Companion Planting/Guilds
Another gardening technique demonstrated here is companion planting or guilds, as it is called in Permaculture. This uses plant diversity as a way to build a mutually beneficial situation. Just as some insects are good for plants, plants can also create a symbiotic system. Tomatoes and basil have been said to be a so called "guild." The onion pieces are just there because several months ago my girlfriend bought a huge bag of them (as can be seen in the first picture). I used all of one of them, and they proceeded to grow in the refrigerator so my roommate put them outside.

As far as I know, all my to-be products will be organic and natural. Until the day I can have a plot of land that I can implement permaculture on, this approximately 2sq. meters (and 60 meters up), will have to do. Even in this smallest of spots I cling to the hope of not falling to my undramatic death and of creating something I call grand. Unfortunately, there would be no honor, only stupidity, related to my death.

To all of you who risk something for a greater good, I commend you.

Alternatives during the Credit Crisis

I propose all who are just barely scraping by, those, who if they lost a couple of hours at work would be forced to desperate measures, the people with little mouths to feed and bellies to fill, take up arms. But not arms in the common sense. Have a hand in the undoing of your undoing. Take control of your present and future. Create a revolutionary garden. Learn how to grow your food so you no longer pay market prices for “fresh” fruits and vegetables. Have your hand in the soil, securing you and your families’ future. The power is in you. If you have no job, no land, and no help, yes, your road is much steeper and less clearly laid. But what choice do we have nowadays? We can almost no longer afford to drive to the super-market, much less buy the stuff in it. Be your hero. Be your families’ hero too.

I do... or do I?

We all have a relationship with money. For most of us, its like being in a fickle relationship. Sometimes we love it, hate it, or feel apathetic towards it. Our moods change as it comes and goes from our lives. It's like that saying, "If you love something let it go. If it comes back, it's yours." This can also be applied to money. But with money, just because it came back doens't mean it's staying.

Don't marry money because it knows no loyalty

We base our general attitude on our past experiences with it. But whether we love or hate it, when it gets down to it, we need money. So we might as well reconcile our past emotions or attitudes we have and try to get along with it.

Sometimes we feel money is cheating on us - going out when we don't know, lying to us, saying it'll be back, then we can't find it. We try to call it and it doesn't answer so we leave a message. And it never calls back. Other times we love money. It feels so good to hold it in our arms. We get a sense of security and a warm feeling inside when it's home.

With all these emotions, how should we treat this psychotic relationship? I try to remember that money is a tool not a personality. It feels indifferent and has no memory and doesn't care if its near or far. Not to talk behind its back, but money gets around. Money is something we can use to achieve goals. We must remember that we can use money to help, and we can use it to hinder. But most importantly, whatever worth we give it, we must not forget that we need to value people more.

In contrast with money, people do have memories, emotions and they do care. People get happy and sad by the way you treat them, and visa versa. Those around us will not forgive your good or bad relationship with money. Suze Orman, a well-known financial advisor, always says, "People first, then money, then things." This is a good maxim to live by. We must not let money get in the way of how we relate to people. People have the most value, and although peoples attitude towards you will change, they also provide much more than money can.

I could have a million dollars, a huge house, nice cars and expensive wine to drink, but if I have no one to share it with, does it really have value? We must work together with integrity and comeradery to reach our goals. Using each other really only sets us further back.

I once heard from a wise man that you should be wary when lending money to friends, because you may lose both. So when faced with decisions where people and money are involved, remember to take a step back and think for a second. Make sure you know where the real value lies.

Good living to all.