Interview by Elizabeth Ecker
Philipa Jajata and her son, Daniel, have been staying with Chris and Karyn Grenz and their family this spring as Daniel receives care at Mayo Clinic through the Heart and Soul program. His heart surgery has been wonderfully successful, and after he returned from the hospital, Philipa spoke with me about their life in Hanau Village, Papua New Guinea, where she and her husband are career gardeners, growing and selling their produce at local markets. Daniel is a middle child; Philipa and Rick Nelson, her husband, are parents to Melton Troy (24), Clementina (21), Daniel (16), Ricky (13), Lucy (9), and the younger Melton Troy (4). The children help in the garden as needed, but Rick does the bulk of the gardening labor, much of which is very physical, such as clearing jungle for crops. Neighbors also help each other out when needed, like farmers in the States might do during difficult times. The weather during Philipa and Daniel’s stay in the United States has been chilly; they are used to a much warmer and humid tropical climate. However, they are getting more used to it each week, and the sunshine and spring rain has been a nice change from the snow they saw for the first time when they arrived!
We compared springtime planting notes: I head to the nursery to get seedlings, or if I’ve been ambitious enough to plan ahead, I plant those I have started in my home on a sunny windowsill. Philipa explained that a person couldn’t do that in PNG; there aren’t seeds for sale at the market or in stores. Instead, seeds are simply gathered from matured plants, or shoots and tubers are used to propagate new crops. The warmth, fertile volcanic soil (PNG is home to 14 active and 22 dormant volcanoes), and rainfall during several seasons of the year allow crops to thrive. The rainy seasons in PNG occur in December and July, while June is the hottest and driest month. During the rainy season, flooding occasionally happens, especially near Philipa and Rick’s garden, because it is close to the river. More than a foot of water might cover the garden for several weeks, but Philipa says that the plants don’t die during this time, because the root systems are strong and deep enough to withstand the deluge.
Several of the crops Philipa’s family grows would be familiar to us: watermelon, cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, and pumpkins. The tropical environment also allows for crops of bananas, taro, pineapple, kau-kau (the orange variety of sweet potato, though many others are grown in PNG), coconut, betelnut, mustard, lemongrass, and other cooking greens that are unique to this area. Philipa uses companion planting methods: corn, pumpkins, and watermelon are typically planted together, as are taro and bananas. Crops grow quickly and can be harvested in about half the time we might expect in Minnesota, but they do have seasons for tree fruit harvest, generally around Easter and then again around Christmas, following the rainy season.
I wondered about pest control: what types of creatures made gardening difficult? Their garden is quite large and unfenced, and it backs up to jungle, so on occasion, wild boars can get into the garden. Philipa explained that the jungle has most of the food these animals would need, so this isn’t a major problem. During some seasons, mice can get into the kau-kau vines and chew them up, and at times, both caterpillars and a type of black beetle with large jaws can ruin the taro plant vines and leaves. To protect the plants, they simply dig up a blighted section, or they use ashes from the fire to control pests, like we might use diatomaceous earth. People also occasionally wander into their garden to get food, but this isn’t considered stealing: “We have enough, and people sometimes just do this in a village.”
Philipa takes their produce to two markets, primarily. One is fairly close, but the other is 40 km away. Here, many vendors sell in open-air markets with long tables for produce, crafts, and other products. She enjoys this part of the gardening process, seeing others purchasing the things she and Ricky have grown with their own hands. Daniel occasionally sells the extra fish that he catches in the river or along the shoreline.
Something beautiful that Philipa shared is that when she plants her crops, she prays over them, asking God to bless them as they grow, to give her family and community food. “This is what I do,” she explained. “It helps them and me to grow.” I hear this direct, whole-hearted faith echoed as she tells me about how she has kept Daniel by her side, raising a son in difficult circumstances, where medical care was many miles from their home. “When Daniel was a baby, I would carry him with me in the day, and he would sleep sitting on my lap so he could breathe and rest. My mother showed me how to use yellow primrose to help him breathe, and this made him better when he would start coughing and getting sick. She was very good with this type of thing.” Like her family, Philipa is a gardener—a tender of plants, children, and her community. It has been a blessing to get to know her this spring!
Beth Ecker is a co-editor of The Stir and homeschooling mama of four wonderful kids, from 6 to 16. She loves finding ways to encourage others in their faith, family life, and educational opportunities. Beth enjoys a great cup of espresso, plants and green things, travel, excellent literature, and baking.