12/14/07
Like many things happening to us in Samoa, we never know what word or action may trigger something beyond what we originally thought. Neither of us is aware as to how we actually got a garden or just how big it may become.
It started with a branch from a flowering shrub being stuck in the ground. A few days later our entire host family appeared and began clearing the land out side our house for flowers. Then a fence was constructed encompassing an even larger area for vegetables. I then got involved by clearing that area of grass and rocks. Before long they gave us bean seeds and cabbage sprouts.
Not knowing anything about tropical gardening, I went to the Department of Agriculture to see if they had some literature. The next day they sent out the head person on Savaii to see my garden plot. Now I am developing a demonstration garden for them, and they are to provide me with hard to get seeds. It seems people here do not have family gardens and just the fact that I have something planted gets the Department of Agriculture excited.
What is happening? People are not coming to see my cabbages. They are becoming curious as to what I am doing. I am now considered an information source for tropical gardening. It is amazing that in an agricultural country people don’t grow vegetables. I wonder if hemp, cocoa, and poppies can grow in this soil?
Like many things happening to us in Samoa, we never know what word or action may trigger something beyond what we originally thought. Neither of us is aware as to how we actually got a garden or just how big it may become.
It started with a branch from a flowering shrub being stuck in the ground. A few days later our entire host family appeared and began clearing the land out side our house for flowers. Then a fence was constructed encompassing an even larger area for vegetables. I then got involved by clearing that area of grass and rocks. Before long they gave us bean seeds and cabbage sprouts.
Not knowing anything about tropical gardening, I went to the Department of Agriculture to see if they had some literature. The next day they sent out the head person on Savaii to see my garden plot. Now I am developing a demonstration garden for them, and they are to provide me with hard to get seeds. It seems people here do not have family gardens and just the fact that I have something planted gets the Department of Agriculture excited.
What is happening? People are not coming to see my cabbages. They are becoming curious as to what I am doing. I am now considered an information source for tropical gardening. It is amazing that in an agricultural country people don’t grow vegetables. I wonder if hemp, cocoa, and poppies can grow in this soil?
Just stick a branch in the ground. Presto, you have a flowering shrub. 
Our host family starting the garden plot.
Mary helping our host mother.
No, they are not turtles.
Coconut husks protecting seedlings from the enemy, the sun.
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