A Garden in the Desert

Mongolia is often perceived, I think, as being mostly desert, and while it’s true that a great deal of Mongolia is, in fact, desert, it is not bereft of life. In winter, I could not dream of anything but dirt beneath the snow—lifeless soil that would never give up nutrients to feed any wandering seed. But I was wrong.

Rows filled with seeds

As spring approached, I spoke to Tsogoo, hashaa father extraordinaire, about planting some seeds outside. I figured any dirt needed could be collected by the river, and recalling the sometimes-torrential rains of my summer as a trainee, felt that our yard could be transformed into a moderate garden.

Our garden; the plants in
front are potatoes

I admit that this garden project isn’t solely for the benefit of a nice yard and some delectable vegetables and herbs; for me, at least, the success of the garden carries more weight. I spoke to Ulzii, one of the directors of World Vision, and introduced the idea of a garden project, by which World Vision workers could have trainings and distribute seeds so that families throughout Uliastai and Zavkhan might be able to have gardens of their own.

Green beans.

The benefits of such a project would be numerous: apart from encouraging families to eat healthier and allowing them to be more sustainable, a garden can help decrease food costs, encourage people to be outdoors more, and give families a chance to work together.

However, before World Vision puts in the funding, they want to make sure it’ll work!

By the time I arrived back from Training of Trainers (TOT) in early June, Tsogoo had made me a garden. In part of the garden, he’d planted potatoes, but designated a number of rows for me to plant whatever my heart desired. Therefore, soon after I returned, I planted some of the seeds I received from home (shout out to my parents and good friend Christian for sending them!).

One of many squash plants

Although my flowers and cilantro have failed to sprout, I’ve had success with many other plants, particularly squash, peas, and beans—all of which I’ve been able to space out. The lettuce has been coming up in little clusters, but is still so small I haven’t been able to space it out; the strongest of the cluster, I suspect, will win out. I have some hot peppers which I started indoors and will soon transplant outside.

Tsogoo and his granddaughter,
watering transplanted squash.

I leave in a few days to train in Darkhan, but trust Tsogoo will ensure the plants are well watered. I return from Darkhan in August, and I’m eager to see what our garden will look like when I do. I know winter will come quickly (I expect snow by the end of September or beginning of October) but hope my plants will be ready for harvest by then.

It’s encouraging to see the sprouts break through the soil, their leaves fanning out in the sunlight, their tendrils spiraling about twigs as they prepare to climb. They remind me that I, too, should be breaking through the obstacles I face, that I should open to what gives me strength, and that I should keep reaching higher. There is always room to grow.

Cheers,

Karen

PS: Although I didn't get a chance to properly document it, June was an eventful month here in the Land of the Blue Sky. Last month, I ran a marathon, walked along the river, crawled into caves, climbed a mountain, and rode Mongolian horses. Not too bad for my first (and really only) month of summer vacation!