By Michelle Domocol
November is a time to plant an amazing assortment of vegetable seedlings in Cebu. You can start planting seeds or seedlings of kalabasa, repolyo, rabanos, singkamas, leafy greens, atsal, sibuyas bombay, and more. For a complete list of November’s options, download this free planting calendar. For detailed food garden designs, order my new Kitchen Garden design book.
Ever since I was 19, I’ve learned planting techniques from various types of organic gardening. In previous posts, I’ve shared agroforestry combinations and crop rotation techniques I’ve learned from farmers in different regions of Philippines.
I’ve also had teachers practice planting techniques from styles like French Intensive Gardening, Korean Natural Farming, Australian permaculture, and Japanese Companion Planting. With this array of cultivation styles, beginner gardeners can be unsure of which technique to choose.
In my experience, you need to experiment and test what works for your garden. In farming, we call these experiments test plots or plant trials. These experiments help you record and determine which techniques work with your garden conditions (aka soil, pests, wind, water, etc). It’s perfectly fine to apply various techniques from a mix of gardening styles. You may even adapt or innovate a technique along the way.
The following planting techniques emphasize mixed cultivation and intercropping. The methods aim to:
- prevent fungal growth & plant diseases
- maximize garden space
- hasten vegetable growth
- deter insect pests
This planting season, experiment and see if they work in your garden. Each illustration below shows how much space is between each seed or seedling. This space gives the plants enough room to mature and grow.
Plant Combos
Ampalaya with sitaw. Ampalaya and Sitaw are grown in a row and supported by a trellis.
Cabbage & lettuce. Varieties of Cabbage and Lettuce are grown in separate rows, next to each other.
Spinach & Onion. Spinach and Onion are grown in short, alternating rows.
Gabi & Camote. Gabi are grown in separate rows next to each other
Eggplant Complementary Pairs. Eggplant can be grown with a few key companion plants. Eggplant can be planted with rows of garlic, raddish and ginger. The illustrations below show suggested layouts and spacing.
Enjoy, experiment with different techniques and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Remember, green thumbs and gardening instincts are born out of practice, observation and hard earned experience. Have fun and happy planting!
