Fruit-laden vegetable garden of a paraplegic young man in the West causes a "fever"

Every day, Vu Minh pushes his wheelchair out to take care of the green garden, enjoying the joy of waiting for a seed planted in the ground to gradually grow.

Dropping out of college, returning from Saigon to his hometown Vinh Long after an incident at the age of 20, Phan Vu Minh began his hobby of gardening. The 800m2 garden has all kinds of vegetables and fruits suitable for the hot weather of the South. Most are cabbages, followed by water spinach, Malabar spinach, amaranth, squash, luffa, bitter melon, radish,...

Taking advantage of the early morning and late evening, the 32-year-old man pushes his wheelchair out to tend to his garden. Paralyzed in both legs, he has to press his knees tightly against the side of the wheelchair for support, then lean forward with all his strength, holding a tiller in one hand and a seedling in the other.

At the age of 12, Phan Vu Minh was diagnosed with a rare disease called spinal vascular malformation. The disease caused the 6th grader to suffer a lot of pain and was unable to run or jump. Eight years later, his spinal cord swelled, extinguishing all hope. The surgery failed, and his life was tied to a wheelchair. "My mother and I returned to my hometown. The fresh and comfortable air helped me gradually recover my spirit," Minh said.

Loving nature, growing flowers and gardening, in 2011, he used the 7 million VND he had saved up to try importing Thai rose varieties to sell, maintaining a stable income. While selling ornamental plants, he realized that he had too many pots of plants, so he used them to grow cabbage, placing them along both sides of the house, about 20m long. Growing plants in pots made it easier for him to take care of, move around and water them. Feeling more proficient in fertilizing and growing plants, he asked his mother for a piece of land in the 800m2 garden to improve the soil.

To keep the vegetable garden lush, the "farmer" uses organic fertilizer to fertilize, takes advantage of the morning and evening to catch insects, and does not spray pesticides because he wants to have a source of clean, safe vegetables for the whole family. "At first, my mother said that with such hands and feet, how can I do gardening? But then, seeing her son struggling, she helped. From then on, the two of us took care of the garden together," Minh said. In places where the nets were hung high, his mother would do it for him. Even hoeing the soil, watering the plants, etc., she also helped with one hand.

In addition to growing vegetables on beds and in pots, Minh also uses hard plastic trays with holes punched in the bottom to create ventilation for the soil. Then, he makes a stainless steel trellis to save space.

The garden has a variety of vegetables, tubers, and fruits. Some off-season plants, he usually waits until the end of the year or Tet, when the weather in the West is a bit chilly to try planting, but the plants do not grow.

The garden provides Minh and his mother with fresh, high-quality vegetables and fruits. Every time they go to the market, they only need to buy meat and fish. If he grows too much to eat, he gives it to his neighbors. The garden has since become a source of joy for everyone.

The Vinh Long boy is very proud of his garden and wants to share with everyone that even though he is paralyzed in both legs, he can still pursue his passion.

After posting a picture of the garden to a large group, he received tens of thousands of likes and comments. People expressed admiration, congratulations and encouragement. "I try to read and reply to each comment, using my kindness to respond to the community's concern," Minh confided.

Lilies, roses, dahlias... bloom in Minh's garden.

The garden is where he proves to everyone that he is disabled but not useless. "Although I am not as good as others, I do not just accept that disadvantage. I learn to change to do things I love, challenge myself and discover my passion," Minh said. In previous years, thanks to his will to strive, he used a wheelchair to conquer more than 30 provinces/cities. Not only finding the meaning of life through long "backpacking" trips, the 32-year-old man also became an inspiration to the community.

Photo: Character provided

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