Charlie Baba

22/11/2024

Saam daam dandavedh -- rest in peace Bud Dai....

25/07/2024

Guys... I wish you all a happy monsoon--but I'm outta here for the next 7 weeks.

I'm off to my awesome friends (and dentists) at , kazakhstan to have my teeth rebuilt. 42 years old and would like to enjoy eating food on both sides of my mouth 😀 at some point in my life.

After that I'm off home (with my wife) to visit my Mother! Which is gonna be super awesome.

After the last few years of risking our lives and vehicles to plant and deliver trees around nepal during monsoon, this year we decided, no more... Trees are better planted in autumn, winter or spring, anyway.

So guys, enjoy the rainy season, don't travel much and stay cool!

Om namah shivaya!

13/06/2024

The Mayor of Phaktanglung Gaupalika--Kanchenjunga/Taplejung, where we at 5eob.farm have partnered to build the municipality's nursery as part of their mixed agricultural resource center. From our side we are supported by !

Mukti-ju, is not your normal kind of Mayor! Just like we are not your normal kind of farm. He is another shining example of what we call !

11/03/2024

Amazing day yesterday to meet Sir. Michael Kadoorie, his family and Foundation members at Almost Heaven Farm in Ilam. Where we got to share our ongoing partnerships and our work in Kanchenjunga's Phaktanglung Municipality and understand more our crossing points and shared visions for Regenerative Agriculture in Nepal.

As always, a great effort by Almost Heaven Farm & Himalayan Agroecology teams for putting the day together. Mayor Mukti for joining and for such great chances to get together in person and vision.

When Clans Come Together.
Om Namah Shivaya

14/01/2024

Friday we completed our first week long Masterclass in Nursery and Fruit Tree Management. We had 8 participants between between Gorkha, Nuwakot, Kavrepalanchowk, Palpa and Taplejung Districts.

Trainees learned about different varieties of trees and about producing thru various grafting techniques. As well as disease and pest identification and management and the various types of non-chemical management.

Emphasis was also given on seed collection for rootstock production using indigenous varieties, as well as learning which seeds compliment which varieties of fruit trees.

Trainees learned mostly thru practice-while sharing their own reasons for learning and why they joined the class in relation to their lives and jobs.

Each trainee received 20 Mother Trees for their own genetic security, tools, materials, as well as plant materials so they can all immediately start their own micro nursery upon returning home. We also set up a group forum using WhatsApp, so the Trainees can send their feedback, questions, problem shooting and success back into the group.

As always, with good people and support we were able to run this workshop. So a big thanks to Lead Trainer Mr. Binod Puri from All in One Nursery who's decades of nursery and plant management is the pinnacle of tree knowledge in Nepal and proud to call him my teacher. Biggest thank you is to Hollands for supporting the training and trainees and the whole 5eob team for putting it together and making it a great success.

Lastly Mr. Mingma Dandu Sherpa for making the time to visit and support the trainees from the east with whom we are helping Phaktanglung Municipality to set up their Agricultural Knowledge Center's Nursery Department.

31/12/2023

Well guys, 2023 is closing its doors and 2024 is opening up...

A whole New Year sits in fro the of us, ready for the making!

Here's to more trees, more adventures, good business and solid people.

Wishing you and yours an awesome year ahead!

Om Namah Shivaya

06/12/2023

...take me to the woods...

08/10/2023

Can you all guess where in the world I am...?

07/09/2023

Roots to the East--Those who’ve been following, have seen 5eob and I have been going east regularly since early last year—Ilam, Sankhuwasaba and lately Kanchenjunga side. Since the first invitation by Zach’ Dai and Almost Heaven Farms, the east has kept pulling me back with more ‘n’ more interesting, motivating and enjoyable works, sales and opportunities.

Maybe it was the visit to Tumlingtar’s Manakamanama Temple (what the heart wishes), that has helped sew the threads of my journey’s eastwards. And, connected the dots to us having more exciting things ahead of us and numerous projects to sink our hearts into.

I have found the scope of potential for all things trees, plantations, communities and organisations working together there to be heartwarming. Motivating us to find ways to join the eastern movement and put down roots. We are now working on creating a nursery center for our eastern operations.

So, to name but a few, some great thanks to Almost Heaven Farms, Agro Sherpa, Sekaha Green Village, Phaktanglung Gaunpalika and the Kanchenjunga Buddhist Social Services, for engaging and motivating us into newer works and hopes for a greener and cleaner tomorrow.

Keep following for more updates!

“Nepal ko Dhan, Hariyo Ban”

04/07/2023

Another year older, another year wiser, another year better, another year stronger. Om namah Shivaya...

30/06/2023

Sapaai li, Asar 15 ko shuva kamana.

I like to share with you today--Nepal ko Plantation Day--the recent interview on Nepal Television with Mrs. Shobha Shrestha, Kedar Dai and I done on our Plantation work in LigligKot with and organic life and healthy communities.

Hope you are all motivated to plant trees this season.

Remember we are always ready to sell trees, anywhere, anytime. You can check our stock on our website at 5eob.farm.

Hope you enjoy the interview.

...

28/06/2023

Today Kedar Dai and I are on live television with NepalTV's Shobha Shreastha at 11.30 on Swastha Samaj... watch on TV or later on YouTube

19/05/2023

And so, a month of travels, learnings, meetings and exchanges starts to end. Meetings done, connections and friendships made and old ones reignited or faded away. Tuesday morning (all going well) I will step back on the hallowed grounds of Aama Nepal—motivated to do more.

This month’s travels were long overdue and God(s) willing I will return to Europe next year for more work, exchanges and actions—especially around my project to develop a “Progressive Rootstock Nursery”.

Rains are now pouring in Nepal and the people’s planting season has begun. We are getting ready for deliveries, some will take us east to Ilam, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, others go west to Pokhara, Begnas, Gorkha and everything in-between. Perhaps you need a delivery or a plantation team also? The and our team are ready to roll.

If you are looking for fruit trees to plant, please consider us and our trees which you can view on our website at 5eob.farm. If you are thinking about it all and feel overwhelmed on how to go about it, feel free to send me a message or lets meet at the Farmer’s Market next Saturday? I am happy to provide some thoughts and options to your plantation dream.

11/05/2023

It’s 20 years since I left Europe with my Nepal-story. When younger I’d travel, spending everything for the joy of moving. Since starting 5eob.farm I don’t like to leave my hill—unless my work with trees. Trees don’t move, I move ;-)

That same travel-policy took me recently to Netherlands at the invitation of , together we do plantations and trainings with Ganderba communities. They received a chance to raise funds via a Dutch charity. For this funding we have been designing a program to give “nursery-internships” trainings and plantations with Nepalese youths and communities. Developing beyond our Ganderba projects.

It's been a target of mine to rebuild Nepal’s growing nursery industry with indigenously produced trees, removing imports from outside Nepal—supporting fruit farmers with genetic standardization. Now, with Sarangi we get closer.

While in Netherlands, I got the chance to visit various projects and nurseries, to learn their techniques and journeys. Mr. Pratap of Aqyesta in Delft, a technologies company set up by the Nepalese man, known for their Barsha Pumps, which supply water from rivers to fields with no fuel inputs. DakAkker, the world’s first rooftop project in Rotterdam—hearing how they sculpted their project with local municipality, managing permits and permissions. After, we visited a permaculture center—with regular training programs.

Then there’s Floris in Almere, a builder/gardener, living in the world’s largest urban agro-collective, growing vegetables for 50 clients via a weekly CSA scheme. No losses, no waste, fixed sales. And how about Bert and Jhan at the rootstock center in Elburg, annually growing 50 hectares of grafted trees and rootstocks; certified, standardized and exported worldwide. Their rootstocks now move with me for our “Progressive Rootstock Garden”.

For now, my Dutch tour has ended and home, to Ireland. A big thank you to Shanti, Sanumaya, Buwa-Tuinstra, Randi, Jeff and other members and friends of Sarangi in Holland and the Nepali-love shared kindly.

23/03/2023

Tree Of The Week—Bosc Pear (Belgium)

Bosc pears are one of the most outstanding Pear varieties, but not widely available here in Nepal. Belonging to the European varieties of Pear it has an elongated “bell” shape, not cylindrical like our local Asian “Naspati” Pears.

Tender fruit, high in juices, the Bosc could easily be called the “Ghiu” of Pears (and apples). This variety of pear has a high chilling time requirement and not really advised to plant below 1800meters and the more high in elevation it goes, the better the results.

Flowers of the plant are typical and beautiful white petals, common to the Pear family. As with other Pears minimum two plants are required to pollinate, either another pear or a Red Bartlett would also be a great option.

As always, all our trees are grafted by ourselves at our 5eob.farm nursery, using our own (kalo mayel) pear rootstocks and scionwood ethically sourced from within our own community.

If you have any questions pls let us know and I’ll be happy to get your answer. Pls check out our website at www.5eob.farm for tree variety and prices—Om Namah Shivaya

03/03/2023

Tree Of The Week—Shalimar Almond (Kashmir)

Almonds are one of the world’s most nutritionally dense foods. A member of the stone-fruit family—being very similar to a peach tree, yet growing much bigger. Bee lovers will be amazed by how bees are attracted to its lightly hued pink-coloured flowers.

The fruiting/flowering elevation of the Shalimar starts around 1400m, going to over 2000m. As it’s originating from the Kashimiri Himalayan Range it adapts to our Nepali climate much more easily than Californian Almonds.

Shalimar ripens around the month of August, after the fruit has split open exposing its hard shell and seed. At this point you can pick, remove the outer fruit and break its hull open with hammer or rock.

Almonds are not self-pollinating, so another Almond plant is required or a peach tree can also work, if planning a small diverse garden. You can check available varieties on our website 5eob.farm

All trees are grafted by ourselves at 5eob.farm, using local peach rootstocks and scionwood collected from our own mother trees—giving our trademarked .

26/02/2023

Tree Of The Week—Meyers Lemon (U.S.A.)

Compared to other Lemons, the Meyers is not very bitter, as it has been crossed with a Mandarin (suntala). The Meyers is originally from the State of Florida, giving a deliciously rounded sour yet tangy flavour.

Here in Nepal, it can be grown from warm climates of around 400m to over 1600m elevation. The Meyers lemon takes 2-3 years to start fruiting, but when it does the plant can fruit year-round.

As always, these are our own 5eob.farm’s grafted trees. Rootstocks are grown from Trifilate seeds in our nursery and grafted to selected scions from our mother-plants, continuing the to our nursery products.

Pls contact if interested in this tree and check our website https://5eob.farm/shop/ to see the many other types of trees we produce. Feel free to direct msg me if any questions. We regularly come to Kathmandu so can deliver to your convenience.

I look forward to hearing from you with your questions and always happy to see comments and post-shares. Happy planting—Om Namah Shivaya.