We can vouch that we have experience growing cucumber, bitter gourd, chilli, long beans, okra, brinjal and most of the local tuber veges, but like most, who enjoy developing further and growing their experiences, we thought of trying our hand at growing rock melon and who better to consult than Hanifa Mokhtar. Better known as Atok, we set out to seek his expertise and advice and met up with him at his farm in Ijok, Kuala Selangor. Atok was kind enough to give us a briefing and tour of both his rock melon farms, each using a different technique of growing – aquaponic and fertigation. Among the valuable information Atok shared with us was the topic of the “husband and four wives”. But not as what we think you would be thinking, instead, it revolved around the how, what, why, where and when. Together with his son Diran, the father-and-son team answered all our queries. “If you are going to spend money to plant a crop without proper knowledge and know-how, you better give me the money or flush it down the toilet bowl. Better to pay to learn the right and proper technique from those who have learned from their past mistakes and are willing to teach others,” Atok said, stressing the importance of learning the ropes properly before jumping into anything for that matter. For more detailed knowledge and hands-on learning, he suggested we enrol in his comprehensive rock melon farming course. Join us and let’s learn together this December 12.