Papaya is Forming!

Yassss! I'm so happy! The papaya seeds I propagated a year ago is starting to produce fruit! It started as an experiment and it took so much time before the seeds grew. Among the many seeds I tried to propagate about 10 are still alive and growing. 

There are two that are now trees. They're stuck in our pocket garden because I wasn't able to re-pot them before the roots grew deeper. My friend said don't move them because it will stress the tree. Oh well, we're the only one who sees the tree anyway. My Mom though is probably frowning about it from heaven (she says they're best placed in the backyard). 

Here's how it's progressing the past few weeks:

Now I need to figure out if I need to continuously provide nutrients monthly. Hope we can harvest something in the next few months. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Bell Peppers Soon?

I've been planting bell pepper seeds whenever I have store bought peppers. You have to be very patient with growing bell peppers. It takes about 3 weeks before the seeds sprout and then you need to move it around when the weather changes.

The seeds I planted last January have started to produce flowers. I didn't expect it since it's been growing super slowly. I think it hibernated when we had extremely hot weather. I watered it everyday and consistently gave it rice water weekly. It had a growth spurt when I moved it to a sunnier area. I think the rain also helped. 

I've been so afraid to re-pot it. I bit the bullet and re-potted it the other day. I placed it in a spot that gets about 6 hours of sun. It won't get any rain though, so I'll have to observe whether I should move it. I hope the flowers get pollinated so I can harvest some bell pepper soon! 

I also have to review what kind of fertilizer it needs. I was in Singapore when I successfully grew some bell pepper. The fruit though was deformed which meant it lacked something. I would very happy if my bell pepper plants finally produce something! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Two Months After Propagating Solo Papaya Seeds

I've grown fond of eating papaya since my confinement in November. I usually order solo papaya together with my groceries since it's just enough for me. Last March I experimented on propagating papaya seeds. I washed off the goo and the let it dry for a few days. Then I placed it on a paper towel in a container. I sprayed it with water and left it on the bottom shelf beside the sink. 

It took three weeks before it started sprouting. I would check it weekly and I think I sprayed more water once or twice. I was worried it would just dry up since it was really hot in April. I wasn't sure when to plant it in soil. To be honest, I forgot about the seedlings. They had grown quite long before I remembered to plant them in soil. 

I transferred the seedlings to a propagation tray. I decided to do that so it could have water all the time. Good thing I did because I got sick right after planting the seedlings in soil. It survived for two weeks while I was unable to do any gardening. 

I was surprised to see the seedlings grow more leaves when I was well enough to go to the garden. It was the perfect time to transfer them to bigger pots so they could grow bigger. I mixed loam soil, compost and rice hull a day before I transferred the seedlings. I re-used some smaller pots which I disinfected first before I used them. I selected the bigger seedlings first and they seem to be adjusting well. 

Now I have to research whether I could grow the papaya in a pot. I don't think it will survive if I plant them on the ground since we have very curious cats. There are currently 15 seedlings and I hope a good percentage of them would grow and bear fruit. 

#BeKind #StaySafe