The Tree Nursery is Growing. By Cory

Mango and avocado seedlings

Finding seeds to expand the nursery is a challenge when there are only a few varieties of mature fruit trees around.

Fortunately there are mangos and a good avocado tree for seedlings to grow as rootstocks for grafting.

It was so dry this year that almost all of the mango seeds which fell under the trees did not grow and the ones I gathered at the end of the season to plant were too dry already to grow.

Jonathan, a 3rd year student, had a few days off from his between-term ministry assignment. We dug up some year-old seedlings and the few younger ones we could find. At the end of the search on the Bible School campus we found a narrow pit where more than 100 mango seeds had been dumped and germinated.

He also filled many nursery bags nearly full of soil to be ready for avocado pits when the Jembo avocado tree is harvested.

Please pray for Jonathan's wife's health as she has not felt well for a while.

This morning I visited a nearby farm.

The owner sells us milk, is planting some fruit trees, and invited me to visit and see the farm.

Cabbage

He has a variety of livestock, a few mature and productive orange, Mexican apple (white sapote), paw paw (papaya), guava and mango trees, and fields.

A small garden is watered from a seasonal stream which forms a small seasonal pond.

The current fruit we are enjoying from our yard is guava. The picture is from an extra large fruit that I covered with a bag to allow full ripening and size without the birds eating it. 

Most of the guavas are enjoyed by Fritz's friends and a few days ago I saw a young chicken on the top of the tree eating.

They all get eaten!