Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Videos of Experimental Gardening for Our Orphanage in Kisii, Kenya

The garden at the orphanage is growing well, although still in its early stage of maturity. Nevertheless, it is even now providing some food for the children. Joel writes:

“Thanks for all who provided for the garden. Now we are getting some vegetables from the garden, but most it is yet on seedling. We are humbled to God for having vegetable that can sustain two to three days in a week. Thank you. God bless you all.”

As you recall, a couple of months ago or so, we were able to install the irrigation system for the orphanage garden in Kenya.


Also this week I wanted to show you some of my own experiments, specifically the experiment I am doing with hydroponics in my garden in Wisconsin. I believe that if we can learn how to grow vegetables with this method, it can be of great benefit to the kids both at this time, and even after they leave the orphanage.

I perhaps could be a little more attentive to how it is operating. I have a few other things going on in my life and cannot just be out in the garden. Nevertheless, all in all I am pretty happy with how the hydroponic method functions.

It is a learning experiment and I am sure that it can be greatly improved, but I think that it might be a good method of growing food at the orphanage, since space is limited.

Below I have three videos of my garden in Wisconsin. The first is of the hydroponics, which is the primary part of the trial. The other two are just scenes from the other parts of the garden.

In this first video, I am growing kale. I cannot say that I am a great lover of kale, but I am growing it since that is the main leafy food that they grow at the orphanage. I have to also say however, that I did think that the way that the kale was prepared at the orphanage was quite tasty when I was there.

I am happy with some aspects of this experiment, but with others I can see room for improvement.


The second video is about other parts of the garden. This is mostly just traditional gardening, although I am making use of maple leaves as a mulch, which has been a great help both in soil moisture retention and in inhibiting weed growth. Also, with the leaf mulch that I applied last fall, the leaves kept the soil loose all winter so that I did not even have to work up the soil this spring. I could apply the seeds directly into the soil.

Concerning my comment in the video about using eucalyptus leaves as a mulch, since making the video I asked my son about this. He did a lot of work with eucalyptus in Ethiopia, and he told me that my initial thoughts about the leaves of that tree having a toxin were correct. The word he used for this toxic quality of the leaves was "allopathic."
The eucalyptus is the tree most common in Kisii


Here is another bit of my garden, drip irrigation and grapes:


The accounting for the last bank transfer is below:

We thank God for the reduction of the school fees of Ksh. 37,400 total of all schools.

Rianyakwara Primary school fees Balance was Ksh. 88100 but reduce to Ksh. 80,000

Matagaro Secondary balance was Ksh. 92,200 reduced Ksh. 70,000

Kimai primary school fees Balance was Ksh. 57,1000 reduced to Ksh. 50,000.

We are trusting God for the provision God bless you all.

Below food expenditures.

The food budget  was Ksh300, 000

Maize =548.5kilogram, one kg =Ksh.200 x558.5=109,700.

Cooking oil =60itres,one litre cost Ksh. 250x60litres=Ksh.15,000.

Sanitizer 29litres, one litre @ 150=4400

Beans=400kilogramm,one kgs cost Ksh. 250x400kgs=Ksh. 85,000.

Rice=479Kilogram,one kgs=Ksh. 167x479kgs=Ksh.80,000

Transport cost Ksh.5900

We thank God for the provision, now daily consumption of 63 children and workers .Now total money spent to buy food ÷day consumption (breakfast, lunch and supper)=number of day. Food will last for 11 days.

Finally all leadership thank you and all who are behind the Log Orphanage Kenya also children are happy and humbled for the provision receive their thanks giving. God bless you all. Really appreciate all your work and love God blesses you once again.

Thanks once again who have given their money and time for the work in Kenya. May God bless you all. Thanks

Yours Son Joel and Log Church/Orphanage Kenya








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