starfruit

 

Belimbing or star fruit tree was planted 2 years ago in my garden. I get the interest on this plant after looking at the big tree with so many fruits harvested at one of my blogger friend website (mypotted garden)

Previously the tree was sharing place with sugar cane. The growth was not so good. Due to space constrain I remove the sugar cane and planted at new area. Soon after I realize star fruit tree grow so healthily.

 

From middle of this year I saw many flowers on the tree. So far we have harvested few fruits. It has tart and sweet taste! some fruits was spoil due to pest. I'm not sure how to prevent this. Many worm or may be pest larva was inside.

Nevertheless the tree is growing well now!

The star fruit !!!!

 

It's been too long I never update my blog! The first reason was that I have delivered my baby boy back in August. It was un-expected emergency C-section delivery at 36 weeks. It's considered premature delivery.

Life was too busy caring for the little one and his brother. 2 months maternity leave was just not enough! My delivery story is in my another blog (Here)  but here I would like to talk about my garden. Practically the garden has been left out all together! All the vegetables which was planted was receiving water alone.

 

 

My petola or angle loofah was producing enough fruits for 2 months! That's my main harvest anyway. Luckily my mother was there to pluck the harvest and water the plant!

The pretty yellow flowers

 

Harvest time for green beans!

 Harvest time is the most happiest moment for a gardener! All the effort put in garden rewarded with bagful of harvest. Fresh and pesticide free of food!

I have planted 5 beans plants with the aim of harvesting enough beans for cooking at least a meal! Sometimes it dies half way of pest attack. This time, pest ignore the plant for Hibiscus , curry leaves and spinach! So they forgot or may be never see the beans...At least not yet!

It's beans time again!

Due to my pregnancy, may be I would say my "laziness" make my garden strive on own.

Anyway as my garden vegetables harvest become less and lesser, I started to buy vegetables from wet market. Then I realize the taste is so different from the one fresh from garden, I started to worry about pesticide and wash the vegetables too many times......Of course I still buy many vegetables from market like cauliflower, brocolli , etc but I seldom buy the Asian green actually. .......hahhahaha..... So finally I put aside my laziness and try to plant as much vegetables as I can.

Beans are my 1st harvest after so long. From below pictures you can see that most of my plot is empty. The old sticks and rods are still standing tall without any plants!

Little beans and the purple flower!

  

Daun Pandan is widely used in Southeast Asian cooking! It has good aroma and flavour to cooked food or dessert!This plant is widely cultivated and commonly seen at the backyard.

 

It's has fan-shaped ,long, narrow, blade-like leaves and woody aerial roots. The plant is sterile, flowers only grow very rarely, and is propagated by cuttings.

I had few cuttings from my neighbour last year and it's growing well with little care. I don't fertilize them but it' happy with only water!

It's used as cockroach repellent too!

 

Hot and spicy!

Chillies are really simple plant! Unfortunately pest love them so much! The plant is very easily attacked by mealy bug!

Mealybug females feed on plant sap, normally in roots or other crevices. They attach themselves to the plant and secrete a powdery wax layer (therefore the name mealybug) used for protection while they suck the plant juices. The males on the other hand, are short-lived as they do not feed at all as adults and only live to fertilize the females. Male citrus mealy bugs fly to the females and resemble fluffy gnats.

I have to check the leaves every week to see if any of them have set the colony! Every now and then I have to clean the pest using my hand as I try to minimize the pesticide but they come back sooner or later!

So far the chilli plant is surviving the attacked! Some of the leaves have changed to become yellow due to this pest but the plant look good so far! Every week I have ample of chillies to harvest! 

Red chillies in wet market cost RM20/kg or about USD 6++/kg. It's really expensive and I'm grateful to have the plant in the garden!

  

GBBD- June 2013

I'm early this time for GBBD of July month!

The sun is shining so brightly and it look like long summer here! It's been long since it rains but my plants are surviving due to my watering effort!

The ever flowering periwinkle! It has ayurvedic benefits!

I love the vibrant colour of cape honeysuckle! They have been invasive on my from garden but I'm happy with them!

Costus have been struggling for sunlight as the honeysuckle covered the area! I need to relocate Costus!

The self seeding Torenia is everywhere in my garden!

My yellow hibiscus!

 Some ants enjoying the nectar! Anyway my house have variety of ants!

Plumeria is flowering again but they have grown beyond my height!

 Wrightia is enjoying sun bath!

White hibicus is showing up too now!

Marigold is my favorites! They have both beautiful outlook and pest removal character!

Balsam is back for good ! :)

Can you see the spider? I use to see spider on this plant! Very strange! Grasshoppers have tested their teeth! The leaves have many medical benefits!