Watermelon (Pakwan) Farming Update - First Harvest 05/12/2013

We had our first harvest last Thursday and was immediately bought by only one buyer! Though I believe they harvested only around 50 - 60 fruits basing from the figures reported to me. The main harvest will be on the 10th of this month and my people might start selling in our stall along the highway after the harvest. We are also hoping that there will be another buyer who would buy in bulk in the next harvest so as to lessen the fruits that will be needed to be sold in the stall.

I wasn't able to post some pics of the harvesting activity and the sample for the free taste this time as my L was not in the mood to send them to me. Her mood swings from left to right unexpectedly these past few days but I hope she could send me new photos soon.

The prevailing price for watermelon at the moment is just the same as last year, 20 - 25 pesos/ kilo for the green watermelon. For the yellow ones I still need to check but I think it will be around 40 - 50 pesos per kilo. So what are you waiting for. Buy na!!!

Watermelon (Pakwan) Farming Update - Diana's Turn (30/11/2013)




Diana variety 1 week old fruit

 



After showing you the green watermelons, here are the yellow watermelons... Diana variety. This variety tastes sweeter than the green ones according to my L and she prefers them even if they have smaller fruits. Compared to Kaneko variety (green), Diana variety (yellow) weighs less when matured because their weight is usually 1 - 3 kgs. while the Kanekos can reach 8 kgs. or even more.



more yellow watermelons hiding under the big leaves



I'm thinking these Diana watermelons will be ready before the Christmas vacation wherein more people will come home to our place. I wish they will choose our watermelon stall along the highway which by the way was prepared by my guys and ready for the first batch of watermelons. Most probably, there will be some big watermelons on display by Dec. 5. (Calling my love, I need your help. I need some photos of our stall).





tita maring with our Diana watermelons



It's not just the fruits that I am amaze actually but also those big leaves of the watermelons. My guys are doing great and I am hoping that their reward will be greater today compared to last year.

On the other hand, allow me to share photos of the green watermelons as of today. My L was informed that we already have some fruits weighing 7 - 8 kgs each. Wow! Take a look... 



my cutie model is not in the mood... :)





tita Maring proudly showing 1 fruit





c'mon go BIG!



Thanks my L for the photos... i love you...



Watermelon (Pakwan) Farming Update - 2 WEEKS TO GO!!!



watermelons hiding under the leaves





Hi there! Have a look at those green balls! It's just a matter of days before the harvest of the first batch of watermelons. I was so excited when I first saw these pictures which were sent to me so I immediately posted them here for everyone to see.


watermelons everywhere!!!



The patience of my guys was rewarded with these fruits that will be ready for picking very soon. I wish I could have some pictures of the first fruit that will be sliced for sampling before the big harvest. My L will be smiling from ear to ear because she and our two cutie models will feast again with their favorite fruit. Although she prefers the yellow variety, Diana, because it taste sweeter according to her. 

And to add more color to my post today, I have invited my watermelon little ladies... Although I think the younger one is not in the mood when these photos were taken. Haha! 



nyeee... i'm afraid here...





pose ka na ading...

Come on little model strike a pose with your ate. I wish they were able to go near the fruits but my models might step on the vines. Besides it is very itchy and there might be some grasses with razor sharp leaves that could cut their skin.

So what can you say beautiful lady?



yahooo!!!! i love watermelon!!!



Watermelon (Pakwan) Farming Update - Around 2 Months



little watermelon fruit hiding...





I was so excited to hear the news that we might harvest the first batch of our Kaneko variety watermelon on the first week of December. So here are some photos taken to show how our watermelons look like. Our cute models were not available today though.



crawl, crawl, crawl



See the watermelons from one row about to meet their counterparts from the other row. It seems it was just a few days back when my guys started planting and look how green the field is today!



green watermelon field



Good job to my L's uncle who supervises the work in the field. He is a just man whom we can trust on this one and knows a lot about watermelon because he was one of the pioneers in planting watermelon in our area. You can see him inspecting the farm the whole day everyday.



he is the man!



More photos of the first batch of watermelon that could be harvested in the first week of December. And the next batch might be 2nd or 3rd week December ready for all city visitors, bakasyunistas and fruit dealer middlemen.



more watermelon fruits hiding...





watermelon everywhere!



Thanks to my L who patiently took these photos when I requested them. Lapit na rin siguro ang mga Diana pakwan mo. Yum yum!

OOOOPPPPSSS!!!! Cutie little lady.... Where were you and ate, our cute models, when mommy took the watermelon pictures???


our little lady





Watermelon Pest and Diseases

Thanks Regie for your comment wherein you asked about a problem in growing watermelon you called speedup (?). To be honest, I don't know this disease or (virus?) yet. Although this will be my third time to venture in watermelon farming, we haven't encountered any major problem in our watermelon EXCEPT, here it is Regie, we have observed that at the later part of December the leaves of the watermelon starts to dried up starting from the oldest leaves. It slowly creeps to the youngest leaves until the plant dies. This happens though during our harvest time already so it is not a big problem anymore.

I wish you could explain in your next comment what were the signs of speedup and maybe you could also share to us your experience so other readers could comment. What month do you usually start planting your watermelon.

And for your added information here are some websites that could give more informations to you about watermelon pests and diseases. Hope it helps.

Watermelon Growth Diseases

Pests and Diseases of Watermelon

Texas Plant Disease Handbook

http://luv2garden.com/watermelon_pest_diseas.html

D.A.C.A.P.S. (Division of Alaminos City Association of Private Schools) Day 2013

NOVEMBER 07, 2013 - D.A.C.A.P.S. (Division of Alaminos City Association of Private Schools) Day

It is a day of gathering of private schools in Alaminos City and our little girl will be one of the representative of their school. They sang a song entitled "I Am But a Small Voice" while dancing at the same time. We are so proud to see our girl going up there and performing in front of other people.



Very proud kami sa iyo ate!




I am But a Small Voice!



I wish to see her perform more in the future.

At the end of the day, the former school of our little girl which was UMC Alaminos was the champion while her present school clinched the 3rd spot. Congratulations to Teacher Jen and the UMC kids. Costume pa lang, panalo na!




UMC Alaminos City - Champion

And the day will not be complete without a Jollibee treat from mommy! Congratulations to our lady for the good performance! Thanks mommy for the great pictures!

 





Jollibee treat after the program

  

Watermelon (Pakwan) Farming Update - 1 Month and 2 Weeks Old

Hello! Here are some updates about our watermelon farming 1 month and 2 weeks after transplanting.



flowering stage already

 Several new stems grew after trimming the first stem and they started crawling already. From one of these stems will be chosen only 1 fruit to develop until harvesting. This is because 1 plant can not support more than one fruit until harvesting (as in the case of Kaneko and several varieties which bears big fruits). But in the case of Diana variety, there are those which will have 2 fruits that will be fully developed (although the weight of each fruit which might be around 1 kg to 2 kgs. only and will be less than if the plant will only have 1 developed fruit which might weigh 3 kgs. or more). 





models showing the watermelon

   As my 2 cute model(s) are showing in the pics, in just a matter of two weeks since I posted the latest pics of the watermelon the plant have shown big development already.














see the plants starting to cover the area

   Some are in flowering stage and the big space that were allocated for the crawling of the watermelons are starting to get covered now by the plants. One or two weeks more and the entire field will be covered with the green leaves and several fruits will start to come out under the shades of the leaves!


green fields!






worker fixing water pipe for pumping water

 


water storage using tarpaulin

 Several tarpaulin was fixed also for storing water for watering the plants daily. 3 units of these were strategically placed around the farm in order for the people who will water the watermelon to have easy access when irrigating the crops. The water will be pumped from a well into these 3 water storage ocassionally.

On the 2nd month, I wish to share once more new developments in the farm! By that time, fruits might be seen everywhere and will give more excitement to my 2 cute models and my L who always give her time taking photos for my posts!



my 2 cutie models!!!



Jollibee Kids Halloween Party 2013

Our baby girl's first Halloween Party was a blast! At first she wants to have a fairy costume but unfortunately the costume that they saw was too small for her so I suggested that she be a witch! Haha! I told her to wear the usual costume for a witch and bring a broom but she told her mom that she is afraid to be a witch. And so they tried to search around the city for a costume but still she ended up as a witch - a good witch though! The costume was nice actually, even her baby sister wants to have the witch hat.



face painting



She enjoyed the face painting, special numbers and games where her team won with tumblers as price. How I wish I was there also to cheer for my girl... There was a search for Mr and Ms Halloween 2013 and the special part - Jollibee's dance!


Jollibee dancing





preparing for the game



At the end of the day, our girl had 2 tumblers as she was also a member of top 18 Halloween costume aside from their team that won a game.



our girl was one of the best in costume





with friend, Pia



with friends Alveen (center witch) and Pia (batgirl?)


It was my promise for her to join the Jollibee Kids Club for her to meet new friends and enjoy the treats being given by Jollibee to all members. We'll have her sister join also the Club when she turns 3 or 4.  She also attended the Jollibee Kids Club Summer Party last April.

Watermelon (Pakwan) Farming Update - 1 month




1 month old watermelon

 

How time flies! One month has passed since we started planting the watermelons for the 2013 season. Look at those greens! How I wish I was there to go around the field and enjoy the view. I wonder how hard it is for my guys working everyday from very early in the morning (most probably they start watering at around 1-2 am just like last year) until lunch time (cleaning and cultivating).






with rice hay as mulching

 





It is so hot nowadays in the area so my guys are watering the plants twice a day. You can see in the picture that they have put rice hay around each plant to act as mulching. This will prevent the soil to dry faster.









   



ready for trimming

 









It is very relaxing to see the plants growing faster because they are being taken care of by my guys. In the picture this plant is ready for trimming the bud to let 2-3 new buds grow for proper selection of 1 fruit to be taken care of until harvest time.

  







2 rows with water way at the middle







Several rows of watermelon also showing the water way in between rows. See the lead technician busy checking the plants in the field.  







without mulching yet

  More pictures showing 1 month old watermelon plants.









without mulching yet







See how dry the land is! Although this is better than it is flooded. The guys are watering twice a day because of the very hot weather.



The main problem only for watermelon is when there is a storm which could damage the entire farm. I have encountered that once during my first time to venture in watermelon farming. There was a storm and for several days it rained which flooded the farm and the strong wind damaged the plants which have started bearing flowers already.  I was so upset when the news was relayed to me by my father who at that time was the one managing the people. One big mistake of my people was that they did not make first water way or canal during the field preparation and only they started making when it was flooded already.

But my people did not gave up after that, they still continued and patiently sold whatever fruits were harvested in the field. I was able to get back the money that I used and the workers just managed to earn a little income. That is why we are praying that no storm comes until harvest time in December.

Sold Some MBT Shares

Good day everyone!

I sold some MBT (Metrobank) shares today because I need additional funds for our watermelon (pakwan) venture. It is just a little amount of shares as I buy and sell stocks in the PSE whenever I have extra money left in my salary.

I still have some MBT shares left in my stock trading account which I have earned as stock dividends last month. Aside from that I also earned cash dividends from them thus giving me three ways of earning when I bought MBT shares before and selling it at a higher price today. 

Maybe you are wondering how I was able to start trading/ investing in the stock market even if I am very busy working. It would be cool if you could visit my previous blog, http://everyonecaninvestinstocks.blogspot.com/ as I have shared there how I was able to start in the stock market. It was not updated anymore as I wasn't able to trade that much when I went home to the Philippines after I finish my contract abroad.

As of the moment I still have other stocks which I bought before but at a higher price compared to their current price. Although they are at a loss at the moment, they are just considered as paper loss. It will be true loss once I sell them at their current price. 

I will be updating my stock trading/ investing adventure also in this blog and I hope I could give you some idea about it and you'll be interested investing in the Philippine stock market.

Watermelon (Pakwan) Planted for 2013 Season

Today I just wanted to discuss about what watermelon varieties my people planted in the farm. There are so many watermelon (pakwan) varieties that are available in the market. And to be sure for a profitable venture, you need to know what wholesale buyers prefer. Last year we had 3 varieties planted; Kaneko, Sugar Ball and Diana. Kaneko is an old time favorite variety because of its sweetness and red flesh with green skin. Diana variety is a yellow skinned watermelon with red flesh and is a high priced variety in the market. While Sugar Ball is a new variety with green skin and stripes.

This year, my people will be planting 3 variety once again; Kaneko, Diana and Gold Lady according to them.

 

Diana Watermelon (www.seedquest.com)

The third variety, Gold Lady, will be planted only for the first time that's why I still have no idea about it. I will just post a photo of its fruit after some time.

What variety of watermelon do you prefer? Have you ever tasted other variety of watermelon? Please share your comments and who knows maybe we could try to plant that particular variety next season!

Watermelon (Pakwan) Planting Time

So here is my update about our watermelons.My people started transplanting watermelon seedlings already after cleaning the needed area. The lower parts of the rice which were left after harvesting rice were removed for digging soils. They had two rows of seedlings planted with a canal in the middle which will serve as a waterway in case there will be a strong rain fall which will flood the field.










It is a must to have this waterway this early even there is still no strong rain or storm in sight in order to avoid any problem in the future. There have been instances before that some planters forgot to prepare waterway in their watermelon farm which caused some of their seedlings to rot after being under water for some time.

Another picture to show how my people planted watermelon. Notice the waterway that they have dug in between 2 rows.

Watermelon Season Once Again

Pakwanan na! It is watermelon season once again! So many people in our place are scrambling to be the first one to plant watermelon. But first, they need to harvest rice from their fields before they can start with their watermelon. Unahan na sa pagtatanim ng pakwan sa Barangay Baley-a-daan! Pakwan or Watermelon in english is the main product after harvesting rice in our place.

Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.), family Cucurbitaceae) is a vine-like (scrambler and trailer) flowering plant originally from southern Africa. Its fruit, which is also called watermelon, is a special kind referred to by botanists as a pepo, a berry which has a thick rind (exocarp) and fleshy center (mesocarp and endocarp). Pepos are derived from an inferior ovary, and are characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae. The watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of melon – although not in the genus Cucumis – has a smooth exterior rind (usually green with dark green stripes or yellow spots) and a juicy, sweet interior flesh (usually deep red to pink, but sometimes orange, yellow, or white). (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watermelon)

It is the start of planting season for watermelon these days in our place and even some of the people there already started planting last month, September, just to be the first to harvest in in late November or early December. By being the first to harvest, they can demand for a higher price to buyers and have a higher income.

How I wish we could also do that but the problem is we still have to wait for my father to finish harvesting rice before my people can start preparing the land for planting watermelon. And this week they just finished harvesting so yesterday we already started clearing the land.

During these days in our area, you could not see any bystander spending their time doing nothing as everyone are very busy doing their chores in planting watermelon. This is because they already know the money that they could earn once they had a good watermelon harvest.  

I will be sharing in this blog about the progress of our watermelon!

My Secret Treasures

Hello! It is a great day and I give thanks and praise to our Lord!



It has been a long time since I posted an entry in my old blog. I wasn't able to follow it up again after I went back to Philippines and be with my family. It is hard to think of an entry if you are busy playing with your kids and spending some sweet and not so sweet moments with your wife after being far from them for 2 long years. My secret treasures... I hope to share with you the treasures, small or big, that I had, I have and I will be having and learn to appreciate even those that at first glance we don't realize that it is actually a great treasure. A gift from God!

Note:

Please bear with my grammar as I am just a trying hard blogger who wants to share some ideas and informations that comes to my "crazy" mind. Have a nice day!