When the Kids Are Sleeping, Mommy’s Busy Transplanting Taro — A Gardener Mom’s Life

Greetings to all gardeners and farmers here on Hive, especially in HiveGarden community!

Hello po! I hope you are all in good health and finding happiness through your plants. Today, I just want to share a little update from my backyard garden, especially my Taro plants. I really love Taro, especially when cooked with coconut milk, we called it “ginataang gabi” a Filipino dishes.

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What do you usually do when your kids are sleeping, aside from cleaning the house or doing laundry?

After a long week of nonstop rain, the sun finally showed up! Wow, it rained for a whole week here. The plants are happy, yes, but the weeds grew very fast, and sadly, some of the plants started to rot because of too much water. Just like this taro here in our backyard, the stems and leaves got damaged, and the weeds are starting to grow up. It’s really true that when rainwater is excessive, it can damage the plants.

So today, after I finished the laundry and the kids fell asleep, I had a little free time. I decided to transplant the baby taro to another pot. Because if I don’t transfer the baby taro soon, the mother plant becomes wrinkled, weak, and sometimes even dies. So to keep the taro healthy in our backyard, I did the transplanting quietly while the kids were asleep.

I used my little cultivator to gently uproot the baby taro, then planted them into separate pots. Before planting, I made sure the soil was loosened or cultivated and ready so that the roots of the baby taro can grow and spread freely. I did this for all the baby taro until every pot was filled. I also removed the weeds and cultivated the soil around the mother taro so its roots can spread freely.

Just when I thought the rain was over, it came back a few hours after I finished transplanting. But the taro plants looked very happy with the fresh rain.

We also have oregano planted in another pot, mixed with the potted taro. It’s very useful, especially for the kids. Every time they start coughing, I just pick a leaf, peel it a little to release the juice, and give it to them. I usually do this 2 to 3 times a day, depending on how bad their cough is. It’s a simple but effective herbal remedy not just for kids, but for us adults as well. But if their cough becomes severe, we take them to the pediatrician, just to be safe.

Having a backyard garden is such a blessing, especially when the plants are healthy and green. It really inspires me to plant more. Gardening is one of my stress relievers and a great way to pass the time instead of scrolling through social media on my phone, stalking or getting into gossip. But for now, I need to limit my gardening time because I have a baby to take care of and of course, they are my priority. The garden will always be there anyway, and I can go back to it whenever I have time.

Having a small garden is really helpful, especially when you live in lowland areas where you have to buy vegetables. But with a backyard garden, you get fresh and free food like vegetables no chemicals, just love and effort.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my simple gardening blog. It means a lot to me.

Please stay safe and keep smiling!

_{*Photos are mine, edited in Canva.}