Garden harvest

Friday harvest - little harvest.....Enough for my curry this weekend!

Spinach on vegetable bed

I'm not so good in seeds saving. The only seeds that i have saved so far are Sawi, Bayam, kangkung (water convolvulus) and Balsam. I'm still in learning stage from fellow gardeners about seeds saving.

Since Monsoon season have left us, i can see sun everyday now. This will be perfect time to transfer baby seedling to the vegetable bed. Last Sunday evening I have transferred seedling of spinach to vegetable bed. Previously i sow them in square pot which i post it here

Bayam or Spinach have very tiny seeds which you can collect from dried flower head.

Bayam at various stage. Some already munched by green little caterpillar!

I want to link this post to Diana Seeds Week! For more about detail on seeds week and seeds saving please have a look at Kebun Malay Kadazan Girls

Ruellia

Ruellia is a low growing plant with beautiful flowers. The flowers looks like petunia. That's the reason that some call it false petunia!

The flowers last for a day only but they are really beautiful. I have pink, white and purple variety in my garden. This plant need full sun and a lot of watering. The plant can be propagated through dividing the root ball but it self sow aggressively!  There are few of them in my other flower bed now. Ruellia grow into clump of 10inch!

Gardener who are searching for ground cover or border can plant this beauty! It will definitely cheer them up with brilliant colours flowers!

Aruvatham Pachai @ Pokok Busuk

Last Saturday we had an unwanted visitor to our wet kitchen. My wet kitchen is open concept and facing the garden. My unwanted visitor is very dangerous baby cobra!! It was only a length long but the hisses it makes can makes you run for your life! Luckily my husband was around. My husband have no choice but to kill it as it's very poisonous and we can't catch it! I had another visitor on Deepavali eve but it was different type. Somehow it escape when my husband try to catch it. Surprisingly no hisses from it! I learned that cobra make a lot of hisses to warned their intruder!

My housing area is new and construction are on going ....... Clearing of nearby jungle is really making a lot of unwelcome visitor. Monkeys are common and now SNAKE!!!!!!!

My father bought a pot of this plant. The Tamil name is Aruvathaam pachai (அறுவதாம் பச்சை) or some call it as pokok busuk in Malay. It's believe to get rid of snake and other animals too due to it's awful smell! The smell is similar to Sulfur smell. Indians use to crush the leaves and tie it on new born baby wrist to avoid ant or other insect bite. The nearest i can find in Internet is Rue Plant but I'm not so sure.

There are few "Pantang" for this plant that no one can cross it and it should not be planted below the clothes line. It seems this is very sensitive plant and can die due to above action. I don't really know if it's true....

I have planted it right next to my kitchen entrance. Anyway i bought Sulfur powder too!  my potted garden might want to try this plant to get rid of the cats!

Sunflower

Baby sunflowers are growing in my garden's flower bed. I sow 5 seeds ( given by MKZ from malaykadazangirls) and only 2 growing healthily! Another 1 sunflower is struggling due to snail! 2 more seedling is gone! I'm having problem with the snails! These snails are small and like to munch most of my vegetables! I can see them everywhere! My previous 4 seedlings of sunflowers ( seeds was given by JC of mysunnyhappygarden) was eaten up by this pest too!

Hope these two sunflowers will grow big! I'm going to put egg crush today to prevent the nasty snails from approaching my little sunflowers ! Any other way to prevent snail attack?

kacang Panjang @ long beans

Kacang Panjang or long beans have a sad ending in my garden twice. The vines grow so huge with big leaves but not even a single long beans! They grow so lush and grean. Very healthy looking plant indeed!

May be i over fertilize them. My neighbour told may be this is "pokok jantan" ...... This time i'm growing them at different place. Together with the Mint . Let's see if they bear me some beans....!



many art work by catterpillars and grasshoppers!



Holy Basil

I was searching for the holy basil plant or Tulasi quiet sometime. It's very easy to grow plant but i didn't manage to find the dry seeds.

Last month out of nowhere i saw this plant emerged from my butter daisy flower bed! I think the seeds might have flew from some nearby garden. This is really a free gift for me!

My mother us to make paste of holy basil mix with Indian Borage as a flu and cold remedy. I only know that this Holy Basil is used in above mother's remedy but from Internet i found many other remedy. I would like to share with others on my finding! 

The holy basil is a herbal remedy for a lot of common ailments.( I found in the Internet)

1. Healing Power:

The tulasi plant has many medicinal properties. The leaves are a nerve tonic and also sharpen memory.

2. Fever & Common Cold:

The leaves of basil are specific for many fevers. During the rainy season, when malaria and dengue fever are widely prevalent, tender leaves, boiled with tea, act as preventive against theses diseases. In case of acute fevers, a decoction of the leaves boiled with powdered cardamom in half a liter of water and mixed with sugar and milk brings down the temperature. The juice of tulsi leaves can be used to bring down fever. Extract of tulsi leaves in fresh water should be given every 2 to 3 hours. In between one can keep giving sips of cold water. In children, it is every effective in bringing down the temperature.

3. Coughs:

Tulsi is an important constituent of many Ayurvedic cough syrups and expectorants. It helps to mobilize mucus in bronchitis and asthma. Chewing tulsi leaves relieves cold and flu.

4. Sore Throat:

Water boiled with basil leaves can be taken as drink in case of sore throat.

5. Respiratory Disorder:

The herb is useful in the treatment of respiratory system disorder. A decoction of the leaves, with honey and ginger is an effective remedy for bronchitis, asthma, influenza, cough and cold. A decoction of the leaves, cloves and common salt also gives immediate relief in case of influenza. They should be boiled in half a liter of water till only half the water is left and add then taken.

6. Kidney Stone:

Basil has strengthening effect on the kidney. In case of renal stone the juice of basil leaves and honey, if taken regularly for 6 months it will expel them via the urinary tract.

7. Heart Disorder:

Basil has a beneficial effect in cardiac disease and the weakness resulting from them. It reduces the level of blood cholesterol.

8. Children's Ailments:

Common pediatric problems like cough cold, fever, diarrhea and vomiting respond favorably to the juice of basil leaves. If pustules of chicken pox delay their appearance, basil leaves taken with saffron will hasten them.

9. Stress:

Basil leaves are regarded as an 'adaptogen' or anti-stress agent. Recent studies have shown that the leaves afford significant protection against stress. Even healthy persons can chew 12 leaves of basil, twice a day, to prevent stress. It purifies blood and helps prevent several common elements.

10. Mouth Infections:

The leaves are quit effective for the ulcer and infections in the mouth. A few leaves chewed will cure these conditions.

11. Insect Bites:

The herb is a prophylactic or preventive and curative for insect stings or bites. A teaspoonful of the juice of the leaves is taken and is repeated after a few hours. Fresh juice must also be applied to the affected parts. A paste of fresh roots is also effective in case of bites of insects and leeches.

12. Skin Disorders:

Applied locally, basil juice is beneficial in the treatment of ringworm and other skin diseases. It has also been tried successfully by some naturopaths in the treatment of leucoderma.

13. Teeth Disorder:

The herb is useful in teeth disorders. Its leaves, dried in the sun and powdered, can be used for brushing teeth. It can also be mixed with mustered oil to make a paste and used as toothpaste. This is very good for maintaining dental health, counteracting bad breath and for massaging the gums. It is also useful in pyorrhea and other teeth disorders.

14. Headaches:

Basil makes a good medicine for headache. A decoction of the leaves can be given for this disorder. Pounded leaves mixed with sandalwood paste can also be applied on the forehead for getting relief from heat, headache, and for providing coolness in general.

15. Eye Disorders:

Basil juice is an effective remedy for sore eyes and night-blindness, which is generally caused by deficiency of vitamin A. Two drops of black basil juice are put into the eyes daily at bedtime.