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!
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