Tai Po Organic Farm

A clean field

On the Saturday of November 23, 2013, I went to an organic farm in Tai Po to do service. In total, there were 11 students that signed up for this activity. Most of the students that signed up were in my grade. We met together at Tai Wo station at 9:00 in the morning. After meeting together , our group rode the 64K bus to an area near the organic farm. We had to walk a distance to reach the organic farm. This farm was located near a village. Three students helped out in the office, and the rest of us followed another farmer to a small field for instructions.

Picking up orange seeds

We set down our belongings on some chairs near the storage shed and started with some exercises. We stretched our arms, legs, and necks. Then, the farmer passed out some green trays to us and told us to pick up the orange seeds on the ground that a big tree drops down. She said that it would affect the growth of the plants. If a big tree starts to grow in the middle of the small field, it would take in all the nutrients and leave very little nutrients for the plants. For the next 45 minutes, we picked up the round, orange seeds. I managed to fill up 2-3 trays of these seeds. 

Guys sweeping up orange seeds

Some guys used a very interesting method to collect the orange seeds. Using their trays, they would scrape the ground and gather the orange seeds into one place. Then, another person would scoop the seeds into a tray. When our trays were full, we deposited our "waste" into this big pile to allow it to decompose. Anyways, after gathering the orange seeds, we pulled weeds from the ground. The weeds took the nutrients from the plants and were affecting the growth of them. The farmer told us to pull the vines and leaves that were in clumps. I didn't really know what I was supposed to pull. I'm pretty sure that I pulled out some good, useful plants. We also put these "waste" into the same big pile. Afterwards, we took a break and drank some water. We gathered up our belongings and headed to a greenhouse. The farmer told us about the purpose of the greenhouse and the plants. The plants are put in a controlled environment. When the plants mature, they have to be transplanted into a bigger pot. When the plants get too big for the green house, they are planted outside in the fields. She talked about other facts. It was rather educational. This concludes my service.

Pulling weeds

As I was picking up the orange seeds, I began to relate it to my faith. If left there for a longer period of time, the orange seeds will disrupt the growth of the plants. In my life, the orange seeds are like bad habits. The bad habits will affect the growth of my faith (the plants) in God. So, it is best to clear my life of these bad habits and focus on God. Furthermore, as I pulled weeds from the ground, I also thought of how I was spending my time. The "weeds" in my life take away my free time (the nutrients) and I spend it on unnecessary things. I should be spending more time with God and not with my computer.

A greenhouse

Overall, this was a fun and worthwhile trip. Perhaps, next time, I will come again.