My garden is waterlogged! The aloe, red radish and garlic are all drowning from the incessant rain since Friday! So how? Should I dig up the plants and put them back into pots or should I top up with more earth? Or just sit it out? Sigh! Looks like my first crop is going to suffer root-rot!
More tomatoes are ripening on the plant. Maybe I should harvest them tomorrow, and the chillies too :) I suppose they will be very juicy from all the rain!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Lots to Learn
This morning I met a neighbour who kindly told me that my usage of the Batu Giling (Grinding Stone) as a stepping stone is a big "NO, NO"! He said Hindus believes the spirit lives on in the stone. He advised me to just use it as a display stone. Goodness, I have been offending unseen forces, so sorry, forgive my ignorance! Made right my blunder immediately. Now my back door step is of red terra cotta tiles.
The chillies ripening beautifully - should I take a chance and use them or should I not for fear of chemicals that the nursery may have doused them with.
Look at the lovely tomatoes - the first one turning orange. Are they edible?
Garlic's ELEVEN new shoots in the ground. Hopefully I can grow them to whole cloves! Seems like they like "fish tea" - sounds too fishy for me. I will make do with compost but not chicken dung!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Shoots
Transplanted the garlic to the ground - wow the roots grow fast. Got to find out how to fertilize them.
Showed off to a new found friend my rudimentary garden - she advised to provide some shade for some of the plants. The pandan was smelling great and even the bay leaves are starting to smell better because of the fertilizer I added a few days ago. Imagine - from chicken dung to such fragrance :D:D
Planted the 3 sweet potatoes into the ground near the compost bin. Decided not to wait for the shoots to appear - I think they should do alright. Understand that they as prolific as weeds - in fact they might crowd out the other plants. That is why I put them in their own corner.
The funny looking seedlings are all sprouting out - totally unlike my expectations of what papaya seedlings should look like.
Showed off to a new found friend my rudimentary garden - she advised to provide some shade for some of the plants. The pandan was smelling great and even the bay leaves are starting to smell better because of the fertilizer I added a few days ago. Imagine - from chicken dung to such fragrance :D:D
Planted the 3 sweet potatoes into the ground near the compost bin. Decided not to wait for the shoots to appear - I think they should do alright. Understand that they as prolific as weeds - in fact they might crowd out the other plants. That is why I put them in their own corner.
The funny looking seedlings are all sprouting out - totally unlike my expectations of what papaya seedlings should look like.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Roots
I was right! The aloe was not happy at its spot - this morning when I dug it up to relocate it, there was hardly any new roots. Whereas when I took the red radish from the plastic pot that it was in to put into ground vacated by the aloe, there was an abundance of fine new roots trickling through the burnt earth.
There were some new shoots by the left side of the door where I threw some papaya seeds some 10 days ago but they look different from the other group of papaya seedlings. Got to see how they turn out ultimately - maybe they are just weeds passing by!
P.S. The mint smelled heavenly when I disturbed it while digging up the aloe!
P.S.2. The garlic in the pot are all sending up shoots - I think there are about 7 to 8 of them :)
There were some new shoots by the left side of the door where I threw some papaya seeds some 10 days ago but they look different from the other group of papaya seedlings. Got to see how they turn out ultimately - maybe they are just weeds passing by!
P.S. The mint smelled heavenly when I disturbed it while digging up the aloe!
P.S.2. The garlic in the pot are all sending up shoots - I think there are about 7 to 8 of them :)
Monday, January 24, 2011
Can Eat or Not?
This is the question bothering me now! Are the plants I bought from the nursery ie. the tomato and the chilli plant only ornamental and non-edible? I googled - and managed to identify the chilli plant as Thai Hot but couldn't find an answer for the tomato plant :(
The red radish is growing fast - I must soon put it into the ground.
The mint has also really spread but I think the aloe is not too happy with its spot - I will move it to the opposite corner and put the red radish in its place.
My neighbour who gave me the mint gave me this Thai Basil this morning after I asked her for it. Gave me a whole pot but I just took 3 shoots and gave her back her pot after fertilising it with chicken dung. Actually it looked sickly and yellowed - my guess is that the sun was too hot where she placed it.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Red
Googled red radish nutrition and was surprised to find that it is actually quite nutritious especially the leaves which can be made into a salad! Part of the mustard family, the taste is rather sharp or so they say. Nutritious in being a good source for magnesium, and vitamin C (leaves). Leaves are seldom found in the market variety, so I guess if I can grow it successfully, getting to eat the leaves is going to be a bonus!
Planted the chilli, chilli tomato, jasmine and pineapple into the ground at noon just now. I suppose I am mad - cos my arms may get black spots :( under such hot sun. Now it is still looking sparse but must allow space for the plants to grow and fill up the space. Some of the chilli have ripened into a lovely RED!
The trimmed ;) pineapple is on left with the tumeric in foreground and pandan in the corner.
I think I should make foot paths with the tiles so that I don't go stepping on growing mint or seedlings.
Oh! I finally finished my compost bin on Sunday and now it is nice and cozy in a corner. Hopefully it works!
Planted the chilli, chilli tomato, jasmine and pineapple into the ground at noon just now. I suppose I am mad - cos my arms may get black spots :( under such hot sun. Now it is still looking sparse but must allow space for the plants to grow and fill up the space. Some of the chilli have ripened into a lovely RED!
The trimmed ;) pineapple is on left with the tumeric in foreground and pandan in the corner.
I think I should make foot paths with the tiles so that I don't go stepping on growing mint or seedlings.
Oh! I finally finished my compost bin on Sunday and now it is nice and cozy in a corner. Hopefully it works!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Lazy Lazy
Don't know why I was so tired today - so I didn't work in the garden at all. Only watered the plants in the morning and checked for signs of rat invaders - glad to report that there was none :)
Bought a Jasmine plant from NTUC - it was looking so sad having been on the shelf for so many days and shoppers are only buying seasonal plants like Kumquat and Orange Plants. $5!
Oh, I also bought some sweet potatoes from the vegetable seller who told me to keep them in the dark until the shoots start growing before planting them in the ground. Just imagine, one day I may get to eat my own grown sweet potato leaves fried in belacan! Yummy! And maybe enough will grow to allow me to harvest the roots for an occasional sweet potato porridge, haha!
Bought a Jasmine plant from NTUC - it was looking so sad having been on the shelf for so many days and shoppers are only buying seasonal plants like Kumquat and Orange Plants. $5!
Oh, I also bought some sweet potatoes from the vegetable seller who told me to keep them in the dark until the shoots start growing before planting them in the ground. Just imagine, one day I may get to eat my own grown sweet potato leaves fried in belacan! Yummy! And maybe enough will grow to allow me to harvest the roots for an occasional sweet potato porridge, haha!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Short-cuts
Bought 1 chilli and 1 chilli tomato plant for $6.90 each from the nursery yesterday (growing them from seeds will take too long - but I will have to junk the first harvest cos they are coated with chemicals from the nursery) when I went to pick up another 20 bags of burnt earth and 4 bags (21L) of compost. The first round of 80 bags burnt earth and 15 bags of compost hardly fill up the plot.
Looks like my garden is safe from the rats for time being and the red radish is shooting up already. The mint is spreading too and I have transfered the 2 aloes from the pot into the corner.
Tomorrow I will have to start working on my compost bin so that in 3 to 6 months' time I can get organic fertilizer for the garden.
Gosh, I am so ambitious - I want to make herb-infused olive oil from my projected harvest from the garden using bay leaves, rosemary, garlic, chilli and tarragon (suggested by Constance). And maybe oregano! I will have to look out for tarragon and oregano on my next visit to the nursery.
Oh yes, my inspiration for this plan to make my own herb-infused olive oil dressing came from 3 nice Cognac XO bottles that look just right for dispensing herb-infused olive oil. 2 of the round one and 1 of Eiffel Tower. They look so nice don't they?
P.S. I wonder what chilli tomato taste like - I asked the nursery man if they can be eaten - he said yes, but people don't normally eat them - they are planted for ornamental reasons :O
P.S. 2. The pineapple plant is a dangerous one. My left arm was scratched by it - tomorrow I am going to trim off all the jagged tips (tips-for-tat HAHAHA!)
Looks like my garden is safe from the rats for time being and the red radish is shooting up already. The mint is spreading too and I have transfered the 2 aloes from the pot into the corner.
Tomorrow I will have to start working on my compost bin so that in 3 to 6 months' time I can get organic fertilizer for the garden.
Gosh, I am so ambitious - I want to make herb-infused olive oil from my projected harvest from the garden using bay leaves, rosemary, garlic, chilli and tarragon (suggested by Constance). And maybe oregano! I will have to look out for tarragon and oregano on my next visit to the nursery.
Oh yes, my inspiration for this plan to make my own herb-infused olive oil dressing came from 3 nice Cognac XO bottles that look just right for dispensing herb-infused olive oil. 2 of the round one and 1 of Eiffel Tower. They look so nice don't they?
P.S. I wonder what chilli tomato taste like - I asked the nursery man if they can be eaten - he said yes, but people don't normally eat them - they are planted for ornamental reasons :O
P.S. 2. The pineapple plant is a dangerous one. My left arm was scratched by it - tomorrow I am going to trim off all the jagged tips (tips-for-tat HAHAHA!)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Rats No More!
Finished ratproofing the gate - the stainless steel wire mesh cost $22! I hope it works. Fixed it up with a little help from the big time contractor who only know how to direct ^!^ But ok la! Could not have done it myself as someone need to hold the mesh while I turn the wire to hold it in place. Watch out for the rat sighting report tomorrow!
Minty!
I have always liked mint, in laksa or in mother's mint soup! But it seems that mint is not great for guys cos it is an "E"-killer :)
Well, when my mint grows a plentiful, I am going to make myself a mint soup ala mother's style. Looking forward to that and will post pictures and recipe of soup when the day comes!
Colony!
These papaya seedlings look like a colony of invaders. The clump of seeds scooped out of a sweet papaya was randomly thrown into the garden last week and now they have sprouted together. From experience, the fittest will survive. I guess I have to plant a few of them in case some turn out to be male and non-fruit bearing. If lucky, I will get to eat the papayas within 6 to 8 months :p
Bare Soil
Right, as promised I have uploaded a picture of the garden - mostly bare soil except for the pandan at top left, mint and aloe at bottom left and the tumeric at top center. This morning there were still signs of rats' activities last night although to a lesser degree. Going out to the hardware shop now to get the last of the wire fencing for my gate.
Bulbs and Roots
I was intrigued by red radish plants at my veg seller stall this morning. She said she planted them because she was fed up with customers saying that they are too big to eat 0!0 Decided to buy one and try planting it although I am not sure what I am going to do if the bulb does really take root. Guess I will google for recipes then ;)
An uneaten potato was sprouting shoots - so it goes into the garden too. Took some onions, shallots and garlic to seed them as well. Forgot about doing the same for ginger but well, today is all about bulbs!
Catching Up
Decided that maybe I should record my second garden adventure.
The first one with only ornamental plants had started off well but was subsequently neglected and ultimately tiled over.
This second garden of mine will be mainly for planting edible plants and I am rather ambitious. The plot is 11 ft by 6.25 ft with topsoil of about 8 inches. Hopefully this garden will do well and I promise myself that I will not neglect it.
I want to plant my own food - not that I will be totally self sufficient but at least I toil for my sustenance :)
Rats! They are a problem - I had a similar problem the last time. Anyways, Singapore has a growing rodent problem! Not good! From our squeaky clean image, no one will imagine that we have such a problem.
I spent a whole day trying to rat-proof my garden but it is slow going cos I can't hammer nails in too well and the sun was rather hot today. Got to continue tomorrow and maybe I will post some pictures.
I have planted some pandan leaves at a corner and some mint at another corner (the mint was from my neighbour). Recycled some kailan but the rats ate them. Also transfer a tumeric plant and the rats have started digging it - I have to finish the fencing tomorrow.
Some papaya seeds I threw in have sprouted and I stepped on them just now when working on the fence :(
P.S. I named this blog A Happy Garden because I actually feel happy albeit tired when I work at the plants and soil :0
The first one with only ornamental plants had started off well but was subsequently neglected and ultimately tiled over.
This second garden of mine will be mainly for planting edible plants and I am rather ambitious. The plot is 11 ft by 6.25 ft with topsoil of about 8 inches. Hopefully this garden will do well and I promise myself that I will not neglect it.
I want to plant my own food - not that I will be totally self sufficient but at least I toil for my sustenance :)
Rats! They are a problem - I had a similar problem the last time. Anyways, Singapore has a growing rodent problem! Not good! From our squeaky clean image, no one will imagine that we have such a problem.
I spent a whole day trying to rat-proof my garden but it is slow going cos I can't hammer nails in too well and the sun was rather hot today. Got to continue tomorrow and maybe I will post some pictures.
I have planted some pandan leaves at a corner and some mint at another corner (the mint was from my neighbour). Recycled some kailan but the rats ate them. Also transfer a tumeric plant and the rats have started digging it - I have to finish the fencing tomorrow.
Some papaya seeds I threw in have sprouted and I stepped on them just now when working on the fence :(
P.S. I named this blog A Happy Garden because I actually feel happy albeit tired when I work at the plants and soil :0
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)