Do you have an interest in agriculture, but don’t feel that you have enough knowledge or skill to start growing your own crops?
Shekeema Boatswain Frederick wants to assure you that agriculture isn’t as challenging or scary as you think.
At the beginning of 2020, Boatswain Frederick didn't know much about growing crops but by the end of the year she had opened Agape Greens, a thriving small agribusiness. Through online orders and a stall in La Brea, Boatswain Frederick, 26, provides customers with fresh greens and vegetable.
Now she wants to encourage others to start planting, even if they don't intend to turn it into a business. In an interview with Business Day, she shared tips on how anyone can start their agri journey, regardless of availability of space.
Boatswain Frederick has an undergraduate degree from UWI St Augustine with a double major in geography and environmental and natural resource management, but she also had an interest in agriculture.
As she spent more time at home last year owing to covid19, she used the extra time to do some research, and grew crops in her yard. This would be the start of Agape Greens, the business she co-founded with her friend Seantelle Noel.
[caption id="attachment_893769" align="alignnone" width="1024"] At the start of 2020, Shakeema Boatswain Frederick didn't know much about gardening but by the end of that year she had opened Agape Greens, a thriving small agribusiness. - AYANNA KINSALE[/caption]
Boatswain Frederick’s goal was simple: maximise her crop harvest using what resources she had on hand with limited growing space.
She advised people to speak to experts or do online research to see which growing methods will be effect for the specific crops they plant.
“In speaking to other farmers, some would tell you the crops would taste different if you grew it with hydroponics versus if you grew it in the ground.”
She considered hydroponics, but it was too costly. She decided to grow her crops in the ground using raised garden beds, which would allow her to maximise growing space.
Prepare a growing space
To get any garden going, preparing your growing space is important.
Boatswain Frederick used bricks to organise raised growing beds; she also used buckets to increase the space.
“I used concrete bricks not only to maximise growing space but also to organise the bigger garden space. To get more crops, I also grew other crops in the holes of the concrete bricks.”
Preparing the right soil is also important. She used a mixture of sharp sand, topsoil she got from an empty lot of land, and potting mix to prepare her soil.
“At the time when I started money was somewhat accessible, so I used Pro Mix, which is the same as potting mix. You can buy these things from agri shops, and from what I remember, it was only $20. They would bag it out for you.”
When it comes to fertilisers, Boatswain Frederick took a natural approach, using manure from chickens
