Strawberries need to be looked after like a small child
These neat strawberry beds belong to Elmira Ismailova , a member of the Growing Vegetables group from the village of Kara- Koo . Together with her husband Kurman She takes care of the Boobekovs' plantings. The couple liked the strawberries so much that they bought another 250 bushes in addition to the 500 bushes they received as part of the "Growing Vegetables" project and planted them. All the plants are planted in vermicompost, which the owners prepare themselves, right on their plot.
"We used to plant strawberries, too, but this is the first time we've grown them on such a large area. If some bushes don't take root, we transplant new runners. We water them, feed them with vitamins. At the trainings, we were taught how to grow strawberries under film, how to properly care for them, and feed them. Since spring, I've been to trainings 3-4 times already," says Kurman Bubekov, a resident of the village of Kara-Koo.
Elmira Ismailova, a member of the farming group responsible for these strawberries, is currently undergoing treatment in hospital. But Kurman Bubekov does not leave the strawberries without attention: every day, morning and evening, he goes around the beds, clears them of diseased leaves and waters them. His care evokes respect from his neighbors, and the installed drip irrigation system has already interested many villagers.
Inspired by the results, the couple plans to expand the strawberry plantation next year and move it to a shared plot.
This project is financed by the Seed Program International (SPI) and is implemented by the public fund AVEP.