GEORGE TOWN: It is a great idea to grow your own sweet, fresh vegetables at home but this dream is not easy to achieve in the tropical climate.
Aphids, mealy bugs, caterpillars and lots of tiny pests love the warm weather and many a householder often finds their little patch of heaven eaten bald no matter what pest control methods they try.
Yet, here is one trick – a food garden using yellow-painted drinking bottles seems to be beating the odds.
Over at the farm located at the corner of Jalan Padang Tembak and Lebuh Padang Tembak, Air Itam, bottles coated with sticky pesticides sway above rows of vegetables, acting as a low-cost but effective defence against flying pests.
Attracted to the moving bottles, bugs land on them and get trapped, helping protect the vegetables below.
This method is the latest low-cost innovation adopted at the farm, which was formerly a vacant plot until 2015.
For 72-year-old caretaker Habibah Mat, the constant battle with pests remains the biggest challenge.
“Without heavy pesticide use like in commercial farms, it is a never-ending battle.
“We have tried many ways in the past, from installing solar-powered lamps to mirrors and oil traps, but they were not as effective.
“We even poked holes in bottles to put insecticides inside, but spraying a sticky layer on the outside works best.
“These online-bought insecticides are cheap and efficient without harming the vegetables,” she said recenty.
Habibah, who also heads the Kampung Baru Village Community Management Council, said since snails and worms were less of a problem, most of the work involved dealing with flying pests.
Five active volunteers help her cultivate kailan, sawi, brinjal, bayam, corn, calamansi and various herbs.
“I come twice a day to tend to the vegetables and it has been a stress reliever.
“We sell the vegetables to underprivileged groups and the proceeds are used for farm maintenance,” Habibah added.
To mark its 10th year of operation, the farm is set for an upgrade with a greenhouse.
Air Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng, who was among the pioneers to set up the farm when he was a Penang Island City councillor, praised the commitment of volunteers, saying the farm has become a symbol of community spirit.
“It was Penang’s first urban farm and is now a model for others. Visitors, including schoolchildren, have come to learn from it.”
