The semester is over! Actually, not technically, but my final exams and grading are all done. 💃💃💃 I still have a lot to do with the new online course, but I feel a LOT less stressed.
Yesterday I spent a couple of hours working in the garden. Several weeks ago I sprouted a store bought avocado. I planted it in a pot. I also repotted several herbs. The weather is getting warmer, but we had a couple of rainy days. Tropical plants have come back to life.
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| Sprouting avocado. |
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| Herbs- curry leaves, pandan, sweet basil, oregano, Thai basil and mint. |
The voluntary tomato plant is producing a lot of tomatoes and I have been using them in salads and vegetable juice. I bought two garden nets from ALDI and wrapped them around the tomato plant. Now tomatoes are safe from birds and squirrels.
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| Homegrown tomatoes. |
The first Serrano peppers appeared!
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| Serrano peppers. |
With warm weather Mustard greens are flowering. It's time to pull them up and prepare the bed for something else. But I want to collect mustard seeds, so I'm waiting until flowers dry out.
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| Mustard flowers. |
Lubber grasshoppers destroyed all Chinese cucumber plants. But for some reason they don't like katuk (Sauropus androgynus). The other day I picked a basket full of katuk leaves. I sautéed them in olive oil, with chopped onions, garlic, a pinch of turmeric powder, salt and pepper.
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| Katuk. |
What's growing in your garden these days?
Next week's to-do list:
1) Plant a Moringa (Moringa oleifera) in the ground.
2) Transplant the hummingbird (Sesbania grandiflora) tree.
3) Plant Four o'clocks in the front yard.
4) Make a batch of olive oil & coconut oil soaps.
5) Organize the spare room.
6) Write one activity for the new course.
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Nil
So nice to see you back!!!!!! And so happy that your stress level has dropped!!! Yessssss!!!!
ReplyDeleteJust can't believe your tomatoes, from that random seed! And your sprouting avocado toooo! It seems, you have a 'Green Thumb', as the saying goes. Plants just "want" to grow and flourish, for you. :-)))) Wonderful...
Must look into garden nets from ALDI. My husband is on a quest, to finally grow some sunflowers. He has tried and tried! Without luck. Here, it is rabbits, which tear into his poor little sprouts. He is thinking of ways, to defeat them! ,-) But this sounds like the best idea yet!
Welcome back!!!!
Thank you wisps of words. It's good to be back. :)
DeleteI hope garden nets will protect your sunflowers from rabbits. Fortunately there are no rabbits here.
Hi Nil. Your tomatoes look incredible! I'm harvesting lots of artichokes.
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to have homegrown artichokes Stephanie. I love them, but fresh ones are expensive at the store.
DeleteGlad to see you posting again. I'm sure you are glad that your exams and grading is over! That is a very healthy looking avocado seedling! And all those tomatoes! As Wisps of Words stated above, you sure have a green thumb!
ReplyDeleteHehee I have had my share of dead plants, Bless. :)
DeleteIt's good you're feeling a lot less stressed and I'm sure spending time in the garden will also help.
ReplyDeleteEverything is growing so quickly all of a sudden. X
Yes Jules, as soon as the weather got warm, planted started growing back very quickly.
DeleteAh another semester in the books! You garden is coming along nicely. It is beyond planting time here and I am late to the party!
ReplyDeleteI too missed the sowing season for certain plants, Anne.
DeleteMustard greens, yum! Like others have said, your tomatoes look amazing, almost too beautiful to eat! I have no veggies in the garden, but the azalea and irises are blooming, and the lavender is getting dense and fragrant.
ReplyDeleteooh I love lavender. Each time I tried growing them it was not successful. Recently I got another lavender plant and hopefully this will survive. I think it's too humid here for lavender.
DeleteI am happy to see you back! Our garden is coming right along now. Yesterday I did the final thinning of the turnips and beets. Carrots, lettuces, spinach, radishes, sugar snap peas, cucumber and bell peppers are all growing well. I transplanted some basil as well.
ReplyDeleteYour garden sounds wonderful, Anita. You will have a nice summer crop. :)
DeleteWelcome back, Nil, and glad to read that the semester is over now. I know you enjoyed being outside in your garden. As we live in an apt with no green space around, the only "garden" we have is an occasional basil plant in the window. Those voluntary tomatoes really look good!
ReplyDeleteThank you Beatrice. :)
DeleteYes, it's not easy to grow things in apartments, especially indoors.
Hi nil
ReplyDeleteI’m afraid our garden went the way of all things - to its death:-). Too many possums and bugs 🐛 do you have a large garden? Avocados 🥑 end up as very big trees! Cheers sherry
Hi Sherry, it's 1/4 acre lot including the house. There's some space in the back for large trees. :)
DeleteCongrats on completing another semester! My last exams are tomorrow and graduation is on Friday.. hooray! Your garden is looking lovely and it'll be nice to have more time to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to you too Julie! :) We had our graduation last Friday. I'm still not quite in the vacation mode, but am getting there. :)
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