The multi-awarded actress and environmentalist gave a simple but effective way to recycle by separating non-organic materials to be sold, and giving back organic substance to replenish the earth. Mr. Pat Acosta, on the other hand, shared insights on organic gardening that Tierra Maria Estates homeowners can use in their property. 

Acosta’s farm is one of the pioneers in introducing organic vegetable production.  “It is a production system that avoids or largely excludes the use of synthetic fertilizer, pesticides, growth regulators and chemicals.  It relies on crop rotation, crop residue, animal manure, legumes, green manure, off-farm organic wastes, mechanical cultivation and mineral bearing rocks for their production.  It also uses biological pest control to control insects, weeds and other pests to maintain productivity.”

Acosta produces organic fertilizers utilizing weeds.  A certain amount of compost from wild plants, kitchen scraps, weeds, leaves, etc. is produced every month, to maintain soil fertility. When asked why he recommends using weeds as fertilizers, Acosta replied that aside from its natural abundance, weeds are “more organic” since most food scrapings may have come from chemically treated vegetables and fruits.

Organic vegetable gardening promotes and enhances natural diversity and biological cycles on the farm. Rather than relying on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, organic gardening is based on making the garden self-sufficient and sustainable.

Organic vegetable gardens are becoming extremely popular in the gardening world. The two ways that organic vegetable gardening differs from conventional gardens is the usage of fertilizer and how to keep pests under control. To do it properly here are some tips and techniques to follow for a healthy and abundant organic vegetable garden.

Tierra Maria Estates not only promotes, but also practices sound organic farming techniques in its property.  The farming subdivision shares its learnings on organic gardening to its homeowners and other gardening and environmental enthusiasts:

Composting: Artificial fertilizers provide only short term nutrient supply to crops. They encourage plants to grow quickly but with soft growth which is less able to withstand drought, pests and disease. Artificial fertilizers do not feed soil life and do not add organic matter to the soil. This means that they do not help to build good soil structure, improve the soils water holding capacity or drainage.

The best way of enriching your soil is by compost. Dig some pits in your back yard to start your compost.

Composting recipe
- The right amount of water and air to keep the biological and chemical processes functioning.

- The right temperature. Ever notice how quickly things go 'bad' in warm - weather? For the purposes of composting, the warmer it gets, the better. In a cool environment, the composting process slows down. The internal temperature of a compost pile is also important. When the process of decomposition is at its peak, the compost will tend to generate quite a bit of heat. In a sense it's 'cooking'.

- The right C:N ratio. This is the proportion of carbon to nitrogen in your compost unit. This ratio will affect the speed of decomposition. Ideally, your C:N ratio should be thirty to one. Grass clippings, plant trimmings and kitchen scraps are high in nitrogen. Sawdust, straw, wood chips and dry leaves are high in carbon - A mixture of kitchen and yard waste should give you close to the ideal ratio.

- Tierra Maria Estates has made it its commitment to continue with similar endeavors to campaign for natural methods, such as organic farming and recycling, to provide for an ecologically-friendly and sustainable lifestyle. As a real estate company, Tierra Maria Estates is a fully-developed 33-hectare residential farm subdivision that offers large estate farm lots of 750 sqm to 1,200 sqm that provides ample space for relaxed living and ecological activities such as gardening and aquaculture. A bird sanctuary and natural orchard, Tierra Maria Estates preserved the landscape teeming with many varieties of plants and mature fruit-bearing trees to finally offer countryside living that refreshes the body and soul.