Pak Choy towards the end......

My garden is not so organized now. I haven't start sowing a lot of seeds to replace the old vegetables. Pak Choy is nearing the end. The bed is currently full of weeds and self seeded Zinnia.

Gardening is never ending work starting from preparing the compose & soil, weeding, mulching, sow seeds, transplanting, fertilizing, checking for pest, etc. The cycle just continues. It require a lot of work to be done so that your garden is well maintained and produce enough for your kitchen use! Unfortunately I have limited time to be in the garden.

The end result is what I have shown in the pictures. Weeds everywhere.....

Mulberry update

Mulberry is very precious plant in my garden. I was very reluctant to trim down the plant. It was growing tall. I was worried  that if I trim down, it will dry off. After read through few articles and websites by websites, finally I gain my confidence to propagate them.

I was really amazed! It start to produce leaves and fruits too in very short time! I didn't know this plant is very easy growing plant! Currently it's still in the pots. I need to think where should I plant them out.

The fruits are really juicy and packed with vitamins!

Avocado - growing

Avocado seems to take a long time to grow. At the moment it's a little higher than me. It's going to be another 4-5 years more before I can taste the fruit.

Avocado is very expansive here. A fruit cost me RM5 ( about USD$1.7) . Sometimes a bit cheaper, about RM4.50 but in overall it's expensive for a small fruit.

Looking at the tree growing in my garden make me smile. Hope after few years, I don't need to buy the fruit anymore!

Small jungle

Unintentionally I have make a bed of vegetable to look like small jungle. The bed consist of lime, tomatoes, pucuk manis and Indian borage. Many have grown so much especially the Indian borage and pucuk manis. The area looks so messy.

The time is the limitation in my little garden. As for now it's growing wild but I will try to trim down everything soon. Now I know why  I have a lot of lizards visiting the area. They might be thinking it's a small jungle to explore and find food.....

Basil flowers

Basils are grown in my garden more for ornamental value. Their Pagoda type flowers are really beautiful. Bees love them!

different livings on a plant....

Lime plant have put up a lot leaves and grow so much bigger than it's size when I first brought home.

It also have been nominated as a home for few livings........

lizard....I don't know the species



another view



can you see the grasshopper? tricky.....

permanent pest - the caterpillar......

kangkung / Water Spinach

One of the easiest vegetable to grow for me is 'Kangkung'. Once you have them in your vegetable bed, they just keep going. Just give them enough water and fertilizer. Very little pest bother them. In my garden, only grasshoppers attack them.

This one was grown from seeds almost 2 years ago. It's still keep going strong. at time it become dormant but after some fertilizer and compose, it bounce back!

Poles for green beans

I have to admit that the green beans trellis are really awful. I was not expecting much from green beans at that time so I just poked 3 branches.

It's slanting down now. This weekend I have few works to be done. I will provide new poles for green beans to climb. 2 little baby green beans was just shifted to the ground. They need a good poles! Weeding is another activity to be done! Seems like the weekend will be a busy one in the garden!

Ferns

I don't really fancy around with the ferns. Last time I use to think that they are just so green and plain.

I changed my perception after buying a pot of fern. It's called Asparagus fern which you can usually find it in the flower bouquets. They have charm in them! I'm totally wrong!

after a good hair cut. The new branches.....

Last week I bought another pot of fern. It's called maidenhair fern. It's really Unique!

Ferns are easy growing. Just place them under the shade or filtered sun and provide them enough water and little fertilizer. They will grow lush and green!

GBBD-March 2012

"Looking at the flowers soothe the heart!" I read this somewhere!

I totally agree with it! Every time I'm stress at work, I come back home all drain out. But the flowers always welcome me home and cheer me up! They just have a 'secret recipe" in them to cheer up human!

look at them. Don't you agree with me?

This is for GBBD March 2012. For more flowers blooming around the world, please visit may dream flower

Harvest

I spent most of yesterday evening to pick my harvest. I have pick most of the tomatoes reaching maturity. There were beans, chillies and lady's fingers too!

balance after yesterday cooking

I just realise that the beans are not in the photo. I have cooked them fresh! I add few lady's fingers in curry too. The balance is what i have taken picture.

Tomatoes this time were small but they taste yummy!

powderpuff at the new place!

Few weeks ago I shifted my potted powderpuff plant to the ground and give it a little hair cut. The plant has grow big and it always topple when the wind blow strong. The roots were coming out of the pot too!

It has a beautiful puffy flower.

The plant need little attention and can be propagated from semi wood cuttings. I realise that mealy bug love this plant so check the leaves often. Place them under the sun and they will burst into many pretty red flowers! Butterflies love them! If you want to see more flowers and butterflies in the garden, you can plant this beauty!

I hope powderpuff like this new place!

Mussaenda Luteola

Luteola have been in my garden for more than 1-1/2 years. It have grown up to become a big shrub with many pretty yellow flowers!

I have prune it before and it doesn't mind it! Soon they become more bushier shrub with more flowers! Very easy to grow plant with no pest so far. You can just plant it under the sun and forget it!

This plant can be propagated from semiwood and softwood cuttings. However I never succeed to propagate them yet.

If you have space in your garden give a try with this beauty. They will cheer up your garden!!

Sawi

I sowed some sawi seeds which I'm keeping for the past 2 years ++. I was not sure of the seeds condition but it turn out to be very unhealthy or may be the soil is too hard for them . I tried using fertilizer but in vain. They have started to bolt after 4-5 leaves.....sigh.....

Anyway last weekend I manage to buy a lot of soils and manage to add some kitchen waste too. Hope it will nourish the soil for next planting vegetable! ;)

cute seeds

This is my first time to really sit and see the pucuk manis / sayur manis vegetable's seeds.

It reminds me of Christmas somehow!

Brinjal

This is my first attempt to grow brinjal or eggplants in my garden. It seems to take it own time to grow. May be it's my fault as the new bed is full of clay soil. I never add enough good soil.

I don't have time to go nursery to buy soil. I must do it this weekend. Hopefully. Time just fly so fast and I feel 24hrs is not enough.....gheee.....I think some will agree with me rite? hahhahah....

I let it take it's own time to grow.  I keep my finger cross! ;)

health nutrition of brinjal ( Wikipedia information):

"Studies of the Institute of Biology of São Paulo State University, Brazil, have shown eggplant is effective in the treatment of high blood cholesterol.


It helps to block the formation of free radicals and is also a source of folic acid and potassium.
Eggplant is richer in nicotine than any other edible plant, with a concentration of 100 ng/g (or 0.01 mg/100g). However, the amount of nicotine from eggplant or any other food is negligible compared to passive smoking. On average, 20 lbs (9 kg) of eggplant contains about the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette."