Have you ever wanted to have your own organic vegetable garden or herb garden, or wanted to plant fruit trees in your Balinese home? If so, how do you get started? It seems gardening staff are plentiful, but their skills seem to be limited to caring for flowers and tropical gardens, and it is hard to find someone with an in-depth knowledge of how to make a back yard organic vegetable plot.

Meet the Expert

He is Nyoman Darna. A dedicated Balinese organic farmer, who is committed to a clean, green, sustainable Bali. As a young farmer, he declined the Government’s cheap and attractive super-pesticide and wonder- fertiliser offers, made under Green Revolution Policy introduced in the late 1960s. He said no to the chemicals that officials were encouraging farmers to use, and stuck to his organic farming principles. I met Nyoman some six years ago, and I have visited his farm in the traditional village of Bedulu, near Ubud, many times. He was taught traditional farming by his grandparents when he was young. He recalls a time when everyone walked everywhere (no motorbikes) even from Ubud to Sanur, and he would often often go out into the rice fields at night to catch eels to eat. Nyoman is an experienced farmer. He is also a committed environmentalist and conservationist. He explained, “I learnt at an early age, if you work with nature, from a place of respect and love for the soil and the natural environment, then nature will repay you with healthy, sustainable fruits and vegetables”. 

Getting Started

Nyoman will come to your home to find out your preferences and assess your soil and garden conditions, and advise what plants will thrive with your specific amount of shade and sunlight. He will recommend suitable fruit trees and herbs as well as vegetables, and will source the best quality seedlings. Nyoman speaks English, but David Metcalf (expat) will accompany him on that first consultation to ensure your requirements are fully understood.

Stage 1

Soil is cleared of debris and garden beds are created.

Stage 2

After 1 month seedlings have sprouted and are beginning to grow rapidly.

Stage 3

After 2 months the plants are healthy and growing in abundance.

Organic Pest Control

Nyoman gathers the leaves from a specific plant that only grows on riverbanks and in the jungle and boils its leaves and roots with an array of other time-tested ingredients. This is your bug spray. He provides a spray bottle and a large 5-litre container.  

Cost

The cost of an experienced manager  who will do the soil preparation and planting is around Rp. 400,000 per person (about 8 hours). You will need 2 people. Total cost – Rp. 800, 000 per day. For example, on a 1 are piece of land (100 sq meter) piece of land you will pay around Rp. 170,000 per garden bed (plus local cost of seedlings). The garden beds are approximately 4.5 meters x 1 meter. Nyoman will purchase the seedlings on your behalf at local market price.

This cost includes natural fertilizer, which Nyoman makes on his own property.

Nyoman will come back and manage your organic plot after the first 2 weeks of planting (if required) for  Rp. 500,000 per month.

Please note, this is an approximate cost, but we need to come out and inspect your property to give an accurate quote.

The Service

Nyoman is an absolute delight. After coming out to do the assessment, he will provide a plan for your garden, with a written estimate of how long the project will take and the total cost including labour, seedlings and soil preparation. He will also source local rice straw which works as a moisture holder and keeps weeds down.

Nyoman works to ensure that your organic garden, can be cost-effectively maintained. However, it will need ongoing care. He is enthusiastic about passing on his knowledge and can train your gardener on what to do. If you are looking for a regular gardener, he can also readily provide one from his pool of trained helpers. If you wish to care for your garden yourself, Nyoman will offer detailed advice and instruct you on the best approach. Whatever the case, he will be on call to answer any questions as they arise and will visit your garden regularly during the development stage to check on the progress.

Please note Nyoman provides this service in the Ubud area, and within one hour drive of Ubud only.  

ROI

You will start to get your money back quickly. It is around 6 - 9 weeks for the growing cycle of most vegetables, so you will see your food bill start to drop pretty quickly. For example, Bok Choy and long green beans are very fast growing and will be ready in around 6 weeks. 

Giving Back 

By producing your own vegetables, you are helping the local Balinese community. 

 1. Employing Balinese farmers (especially crucial during this time of COVID-19 epidemic).

 2. Helping to provide sustainable jobs that are less dependent on tourism.

 3. Reducing your carbon footprint by growing and consuming locally.

 4. Reducing the dependence on chemicals and pesticides.

 5. Providing a successful model for locals and expats demonstrating the benefits of chemical-free farming. 

 6. Supporting indigenous knowledge and showing respect for this honoured sustainable model of agriculture.

 7. A tree will be planted in Kalimantan for every soil bed that is created.

 8. Helping to restore healthy soil, and contributing to the well-being of the island of Bali now, and in the future.

 9. Under this initiative, workshops will be offered in the future to educate and encourage communities to go back to organic farming.

10. Caring for the forest. I have been travelling to Kalimantan (Island of Borneo) for 15 years now, visiting the National Parks and vast tropical rainforests and working on various documentary environmental projects. A tree be will be planted in Kalimantan for every soil bed that is created.

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