As prices soar and issues with food security become more likely, it’s now more important than ever to ensure that people who are considering growing their own food, avoid these common mistakes that can damage their harvest.

In an interview with Our Today, Marvin Campbell, founder of Making An Impact All-Together (MAIA), a non-profit company that focuses on all aspects of planting and growing trees, creating compost and educational programmes to combat climate change, shared his thoughts about what common mistakes people make that hurt their harvest.

“If my focus is entirely on feeding my family, I’d focus on either banana or plantain,” said Campbell when asked what he would select if he needed to choose a plant that was cost effective and could feed his family.

He mentioned that there are some nutrient-dense fruits in the country such as Breadfruit, Jack fruit, Ackee, banana and plantain. He makes his choice based on the fact that bananas and plantains take much less time to grow compared to the other plants or trees (nine months for bananas compared to 4-5 years) and its ease to replant and sustain.

Campbell pointed out that the key points farmers should look out for are the environment, the water, and the nutrition.

The most common mistakes he notices with old and new farmers is with space.

“An unhealthy environment when transferring a tree can lead to transplant shock which will cost you maybe six months of growth that you can never get back,” said Campbell.

Placing them too close to each other, too deep in the soil, or burying the stem in a soil pyramid when planting can all cause damage.

Another mistake he said he has encountered often is with nutrition, which he likens to raising a child.

“If you feed a child good, healthy nutrient-rich food, he grows well. If you don’t, then the child gets sick. Its’ the same thing with trees, they are living beings.”

He recommends using good compost or other fertilisers to optimise the yield.

The final point he mentioned was water, noting that, while both over and under watering a tree are possibilities, over watering is much less common with the exception of banana trees. Under watering is usually the more common issue, due to poor irrigation systems.

The MAIA Foundation has been planting trees and installing eco-villages in Denham Town and Hannah Town in Kingston since last year and recently partnered with Rebirth of Kingston (ROK) hotel to install a rooftop garden.