Building a Phat Garden

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dictionary.com offfers this translation: PHAT
**hip-hop slang, "great, excellent," 1992, originating perhaps in the late 1980s and meaning at first "sexiness in a woman." The word itself is presumably a variant of fat (q.v.) in one of its slang senses, with the kind of off-beat spelling preferred in street slang (cf. boyz). The spelling is attested as far back as 1678, as an erroneous form of fat (a classical over-correction;

Phat in Thai-pronounced "Pad" means vegetable....they both apply to the excellent job we did creating a garden for the orphanage...

Building a Phat Garden

I donated some money to the building of the orphanage’s new vegetable garden. It’s a great idea and one initiated by Naa Bai (Auntie Bai) and Marrin. Naa Bai took Marrin with her last week to her home to help her cook supper for the kids. Marrin (apparently because I wasn’t allowed to go with them….Marrin insisted I stay at the orphanage) suggested that Naa Bai grow vegetables. So now a few days later the area behind the washing area is being transformed into a five plat garden.

At first the staff was attempting to use the leftover rails from the bunk beds as plot borders but they are painted wood and too short to actually offer much bordering. I suggested the use of bricks to make the borders and pave the narrow spaces between.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any available. So I offered to buy them at 4.50 baht a piece and we need about 102. It equates to about $15.00 CDN.

We need to make the trip to the construction market to collect the bricks and then a full day of sweat and labour to pull this altogether before we can begin planting. I am so excited!

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Well that was fun…the thing about catching a ride anywhere here, is that you need to go where the will of the driver takes you. That can mean spending 20 mins sitting and watching as he has a tea at his friend’s house along the way, stopping again as he looks at a motocyc for sale on the side of the road, wait while he pulls over to chat with a friend on the mobile, or spending two hours hovering while we stop at the bank before finally reaching the destination of the construction/hardware store.

Buying the bricks and arranging there delivery took exactly 12 minutes.

By the time we returned it was pouring again…oh yay.

About three hours later it was dry enough for the trucks to deliver the bricks and sand we ordered along with it. The drivers were kind enough o help us stack the bricks at the end of the patio before leaving in a new torrent of rain.

The next day was dedicated to moving the bricks yet again and then constructing the garden and ramps under the laundry area.

It was muddy, wet, crappy generally, and a whole lot of fun. We managed to complete the garden area and the washing area before evening and the kids planted their seeds; chili peppers, Kai Lan, Thai eggplants-Brinjals, and Thai basil.

For 15 bucks, we were able to create a new teaching garden for the kids and a new project for me to keep an eye on!
Now…if it would only stop raining…..

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Comments

[Grandma D]

I love this idea. So how does your garden grow, anything poking through yet?