My Dairy || 24/01/2025 || "HOW I HARVESTED AND PLANTED MY YAM THE SAME DAY" "

Scholarly Steemians, I want to tell you about the farming aspect of Marvelous Sunday Udofia. Faming is one of the essential source of livelihood in the local communities here in Nigeria. Well many plant their crops for commercial purposes, I chooses to plant just what that can sustain me and my family. My choice of planting in a such a small quantity boils now to the cost of planting in a large quantity especially judging from the fact that one needs to purchase good species of the farm products, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer, and other accessories. All this factors made me moved into the domestic farming and this is what made my Friday, 24th of January 2025.

My name is Marvelous Sunday Udofia and I woke up very early as usual on Friday then went ahead to do my morning chores of sweeping, washing of dishes and eating. After doing this, I went into the back of our home where I had a small portion of land exclusively for planting and harvesting of yams. This little portion knows my spade so well as I plant my yam the very day I harvest the old produce. Sounds funny I know, but I do not have any other option than this judging from our limited farm land despite being in a local community.

The day was exclusively for planting and harvesting so I went to the farm land with my matchet to clear the surrounding, a spade to harvest my yam and water yam, and a basin to take my yields back home as I promised home. Everything went well as planned and I harvested my 1 year old yam. The harvest encourage me to apply more organic manure (items including peel of plantain, banana, rotten leaves,and every other fleshy substances which i knew would fertile the soil) to the same spot I uprooted the first yam. I prepared my holes carefully but was unable to pack my yam home due to how tired I was.

I never knew that harvesting yam could be this stressful joined with the fact that I had to stay back to dig new holes and apply manure so as to make planting easy in the evening. Upon reaching back home this afternoon, I ate heavily then took a deep nap. A nap I have not taken for a long period of time. I woke up around 5:00pm that same Friday then set back to continue my yam plantation.

Upon reaching the farm that evening, my holes were waiting eagerly to receive their food which would I turn eat my sufficiently applied manure. With the help of a friend of mine @basil20, I planted my yam with ease and as well took my harvest home. Upon reaching the house, great joy filled everyone's face and I gave God the glory though I ensured that no one touched the yam while waiting to extend the Goodnews to my mom who had set out to the market

1. Yam is an annual crop. As such when planted should be uprooted after a year.
2. It is highly nutritious on carbohydrates and could be served boiled, pottage or fried.
3. Yam could best be combined with beans, palm oil, cooked alone or with other legumes
4. It is a source of income for many families and as well a source of economic for many parts of the states in Nigeria
5. Yam does not really need watering, but it needs something to climb since it is a climber plant.
6. Yam is always affected by Yam beetles, Nematodes Scale Insect among others which bore holes into yam and this reducing it life span and market value
7. This insects could be prevented and controlled through the use of cultural practices, chemical methods and proper storage.

I will be extending a heartfelt invitation to all Steemians when it is time for consumption. For now, let me invite the following Steemians to come and see my harvest.