Reflections for Y2014

This will be my last post for Y2014! I will be going away for the year end holidays and so, I don't think I have time to any more postings! This year end will mark the 2nd year of my urban farming! Time flies! What significant milestones have I made for this year? Well, in general, still clueless with regards to pests management but have discovered the chilli padi concoction to deal with some pests (not all)! Came to the realisation that the bamboo trellises do not last very long so I need to fix them once in 2 years or so.. Better to get those steel poles la! LOL.... As there are too many snails and slugs in the garden, the best way to grow vegetables is via styrofoam box! Here's wishing all my readers a very happy Christmas and wonderful year end!! Also a bountiful harvest to you in the coming year!! See you in 2015! :-)

Sweet Potato - Orangy Flesh

Bought the indonesian variety of the sweet potato (orangy flesh) and planted 1 at home in pot.... Transplanted to my cleared out plot this morning! By June holidays, I should have some to dig! So looking forward! Hope it will taste sweeter than the purple ones!

Kaffir Lime

Compost

This is the fastest way to do compost for the garden, I find! Cut the leaves or whatever and then leave it to dry and compost.... For my compost bin (which I threw my garden garbage), even after 3 months, the contents in the bin is still super wet!! I just added in some shredded paper egg containers a few days ago to see if it will help to dry up the content!

With this open concept, it only takes about 1 month before the contents turn black and then, I can just add on top of my plants to act as mulch plus fertiliser.

Passiflora F

Finally the first bloom!

Guava

4 little growing ones! I need to fertilise it so that it will grow better - just no time - too many gardening chores everyday! Argh

Passiflora Q

Gigantic passion fruit - finally transplanted my 2 @ home in pot to the garden before I go on my long year end trip! But, my trellis is still undone!!! Urgh....

Passiflora F

Finally! It is going to bloom! Though it is a weed, can't help still feeling excited about it!!

Tomatoes

2 decent ones.. this is actually a full size tomato but they are really of cherry tomato size!!

Sweet Potatoes!

Chanced upon 6 sweet potatoes today! 2 big ones and 4 little ones!

Tomato

Finally! Just when I was about to kill off my tomato plants, 2 tiny ones appeared! They 'know'! LOL

Seed Saving!

1 part of farmer's work is to save seeds!! I enjoyed saving seeds except for this!! Caixin seeds - so tiny and it is indeed hard work!

Lantana

My stem cut lantana in water is going to bloom! Woohoo

Hydrangea Stem Cut

Was gifted with 4 cuttings of hydrangea!! Woohoo... Can't wait to see them bloom!

Harvest

A small tray of mulberries

A couple of passion fruits

Sweet Potatoes Plot

Cleared out one of my sweet potato plot and found a few sweet potatoes! Nice!

Japanese Rose

Long Beans Green

Plenty to pick every other day!

Radish

My biggest radish harvest to date!

Guavas

The 4 flowers that were blooming before my trip has turned to fruits!

Big Chilli

Spotted a growing big chilli that is as big as those in the market!

Sweet Basil

Sprouted on its own! The last one that I had died on me! Hopefully this will survive!

Long Bean Green

Grew a lot during my absence!! I get to harvest some when I got back!

Lantana

My lantana rooted while I was away! Woohoo.. Now I know the secret to propagating lantanas!

More Seeds!

Just couldn't resist buying seeds while on holiday! What more, they are cheap! Yen 100 for 2 packs!

Brinjal Babies

Picked a whole bag of this the other day! Strange, it tasted so bitter for this batch!

Winter Melon

Hand pollinated this one yesterday.. Hoping it will be successful!

Mulberry

My neighbour's mulberry tree is bearing such large and delicious looking mulberries!!

I grew a stem cut from the same mother plant but it did not yield fruits that are as big as the mother! I wonder why...

Japanese Cucumber

My 1 and only japanese cucumber suffered a sudden death a few days ago! Argh... it bored a fruit but very odd looking one

Good to be back!

Yup, back online again!! LOL... Luckily it has been raining cats and dogs during my absence or else my plants would not have survived the long periods without water! Pests frolicking and weeds growing so happily during my absence....!

Offline till end of Nov

I will be offline from now till end Nov as I will be going away for a holiday!! Don't think I have time to post on gardening stuff while on vacation!! Will be back! See you soon!

Passiflora Q

It is growing!! I need to move this pot from my balcony to the garden!!

Cosmos Seedlings!

So many sprouted around the mother plant!!

Harvests!

The last bit of vege in the box:

Another bittergourd:

My first lime!! Finally harvested it! It taste so fresh (as compared to those that I bought from the market!) and the fragrance of the lime is so strong!

Passion Fruits Harvest

Glad that, of late, my passion fruit harvests are all RED instead of GREEN!

Japanese Rose

So pretty!

Kaffir Lime

So ugly looking right!

Japanese Cucumbers

I really have no luck growing japanese cucumbers! Maybe its the seeds. Hm... I have seen successful cultivation of japanese cucumbers by the CIB community. Must ask them where they got their seeds!

Magnolia

The kind lady who gave me the Passiflora Q cuttings gave me a grafted cutting of her magnolia! The flowers of this magnolia smell so good! Unfortunately I am not going to grow it - going to pass to a friend instead! It is growing new leaves after I potted it. Hope it will grow well and produce flowers soon for my friend!

Long Bean Green - Blossom

Long time no see! This vine popped out on its own! Going to produce its first set of long beans for me! *I hope*

Big Chilli

Another ready for harvest probably this evening

And one rotted without even turning red?! Argh