Awaiting my Organic Rice

The heavy rains enhanced by typhoon Mario have just poured yesterday. Much of Metro Manila was under water. Pampanga, however, was spared from the heavy downpour. A day after, I went Sa Kabukiran. Good thing, none of the trees were uprooted. Some trees, though, have slightly tilted, as the rains have made the ground soaked and soft and the winds howled fiercely into the open fields, making it impossible for some trees to remain straight and upright. A year ago, typhoon Santi uprooted some of our trees. This year, we’ve trimmed our tree tops so we could avoid the same catastrophe. 

But I was surprised to see my organic rice standing firmly. I guess, their firm stalks made it possible for them to stand against the howling winds and the rains that poured down. Rice stalks sometimes become weak and lose their rigidity because of chemical fertilizers. An overdose of nitrogen sometimes makes rice stalks soft, making them vulnerable to strong winds and rains. 

But more than that, I guess, when rice stalks begin to bear grain, a great sense of expectation begins to excite you. Here are photos of some rice stalks showing their unripe grains. In a few weeks from now, the grains will turn golden and soon, I shall harvest this beautiful organic rice.  

The law of nature occurs with a delayed effect. You plant today but can’t harvest tomorrow. You have to wait. But the waiting is in itself rewarding. The transformation of plants from seedlings to mature rice stalks is a wonderful lesson in evolution, adaptation and growth. 

This is one of the rice paddies in the farm. This is the inner one surrounded by trees and shrubs. The other paddies are located outside of the fences. 

Another view of the rice stalks standing firmly after typhoon Mario.

The view of organic rice facing the Northside of the farm bordered with different trees. 

Rice growing near a trellis with flowers of a vine

Another view of the rice of another vine on a trellis