Papaya First Harvest!

I've been gravely busy preparing for Christmas, doing PT and gardening. I haven't been able to sew at all for two weeks now. 

Last Saturday, the two papaya fruits that started from a bloom last July, showed signs of yellowing. My friend advised I should only harvest when it starts to turn yellow. 

We waited two more days and then excitedly harvested the two fruits. They're not supposed to be big because it's the solo papaya variety. I propagated it from the seeds of store bought Dizon solo papaya.

It took 20 months with inconsistent care (I was hospitalized twice during that time), but the tree was still able to bear us at least two fruits. It has other smaller ones, but TBH it's not as healthy as my other tree.

Anyway, the effort paid off and we're now thinking to let one ripen and maybe we'll pickle the other one.

Happy!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Rescues from Mom's Garden

We got more plants from my childhood home. I'm really amazed with Mom's collection of plants. Good thing I installed an app to help me identify them and figure out how to care for them. 

Here's what I got:

Seashell zigzag plant

I remember seeing this in Mom's garden for so many years. I didn't know it's a succulent. Good thing I held off watering it. I just cleansed the soil with water with a bit of hydrogen peroxide to make sure it's disinfected.

Mexican Mint/Cuban Oregano

Mom had a lot of these in her garden. She said it helps ward off insects. I only found one so far, but I know it's fairly easy to propagate. 

Another Desert Rose/Kalachuchi

Mom placed this pot in front of the house to prevent unwanted cars from parking. It would produce flowers even without any care. I noticed though that it lost a lot of leaves, probably because weeds started to grow in the pot. I'll brought it home to re-pot it and hopefully restore it to good health.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Snails Can Eat Your Papaya Fruits!

I spotted a small papaya fruit on the ground the other day. I haven't been very mobile yet, but had to step out and check what was going on with my papaya trees.

I picked up the small fruit and looked up to check the growing fruits. I was shocked to see a huge snail munching on the baby fruits! I haven't been able to spray Neem oil lately and the foil I wrapped on the trunk came off, that's why it was able to go up. Grrrr.

I immediately asked help from Sweetie to remove the snail. He also noticed another huge one on the wall and removed it too. I have to really be more vigilant and make sure the fruits are protected. I've put in a lot of time and hard work to reach this phase for my papaya trees, so I need to be more consistent.

#BeKind #StaySafe

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

Tips from a Landscape Architect

I came across Slater Young's interview with Architect Efren Aurelio, a landscape architect. It piqued my interest since I've just been winging my way with gardening. My Mom was a talented home gardener. She had the instincts and green thumb. She told me though that she started with a brown thumb and just continued gardening until she knew how best to take care of her plants. Mind you, she only had a handful of reference books and never really used the internet. So her beautiful garden was a product of her talent and the skills she developed through the years. 

Mom's garden, c2019.

So, I watched the whole video to understand a few things. The difference between a landscape architect vs. landscaper. One deals with designing for large populations and the other usually plans for homes. There are landscape architects though who still do homes. Among Architect Aurelio's many award winning works, I am most familiar with Greenbelt. I remember I was amazed with how the open space was done the first time I saw it. I rarely walk outdoors at malls, but Greenbelt is an exception. 

Architect Aurelio mentioned that when planning for an outdoor space, here's a few things you can do (well, the ones I picked up). 

• Understand the direction of the wind in your property. This is because landscaping allows you to modify the climate of the space. The wind also affects your space depending on the season. 
• Preserve existing trees. 
• Plan to catch rainwater. Rain gardens/fountains help lower temperature.
• Understand what's best trees/plants to put in your area. I wish we had something like plant zoning in the US. They have a list of what will survive in your area. 
• Divide your garden into 5 so you can just schedule a specific area for everyday of the week. I think this works except during summer when you need to water the plants everyday. 

Architect Aurelio is indeed the ultimate plantitos idol. You can watch the video here.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Reviewing My Ambitious Gardening Bucket List

It was only in the last few weeks I've been able to properly work on my garden. It's been a slippery slope. Well, at least I have been able to protect my plants and I think I finally figured out how to care for succulents. Well, before I ramble on let me review first the ambitious gardening bucket list I made last January. 

1. Prepare the garden properly. Our garden is flanked with bamboo. They were the right size when we moved in, but didn't realize they'd grow so tall! Well, it killed the grass because it couldn't get enough sunlight. We'll have to tame the bamboo and do something about the grass coz it's gotten very muddy. 

This item was truly ambitious. Took a few months to get our garden cleaned up. We had proper planters installed to corral the bamboo and bushes. Then had turf grass installed.

2. Address drainage issue in the garden. 

The drainage issue involved directing the downspouts to a better system. The master plumber and his team like a sleuth traced the pipes across the house. It was like re-organizing a multiple line train system. It was a huge relief when it was fixed.  

3. Assign an area for growing veggies so they get enough sunlight. 

We had two vertical garden grids installed. One in the side garden and another in the laundry area which gets good sunlight. We had some progress with some seeds we planted, but something fell on them so we need to plant again. It's been raining a lot though, so growing something has been hard. 

4. Assign an area for ornamental plants. 

I have placed some outside my craft room and some that need shade under the bamboo. Realized though I don't have that much space, so I'm being very cautious about buying.

5. Get some indoor plants that are low maintenance. 

Haven't had the need to buy plants since I have friends giving me plants to take care of. I can also easily get from Mom since she propagated a lot of plants for me. 

6. Cultivate veggies and herbs that are useful for cooking (onions!). 

Just checked and the mustasa seeds I planted are starting to grow properly. With limited sunlight though growth has been a bit slow.

7. Don't get overly excited over acquiring seeds. 

Learned my lesson already. I'm sticking to just buying seeds from reputable sources. So far most of those I bought online haven't flourished. I also made a list of what I really want to grow. Just got a few veggie seeds a few weeks ago.

8. Study first before planting anything so your effort is not wasted. 

I have created a spreadsheet where I put my notes on what I research. 

9. Be consistent with fertilizers and pesticides. 

I have so far been pretty consistent and have been able to save my plants from the dreaded higad!

10. Always be well so you can take care of your plants!

Working on this really hard!

One thing I did also is to do bite sized gardening tasks so I don't get overwhelmed. This way also I'm able to provide the care the plants need. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plantita Saturdays: Kitchen Scraps Experiment Results

The past few months I've been trying to grow veggies from kitchen scraps. Some were successful, some did not work out. I've been experimenting so I could learn and hopefully have my own produce. I'll probably continue to experiment until I get things right. Here's a list of what I've tried to grow from kitchen scraps:

Tomatoes

I tried this experiment in Singapore. I cut up one tomato and planted it directly on soil (apparently you're supposed to just get the seeds hehe). I soon enough had a lot of seedlings. Several survived when I transplanted them and I was able to harvest some. They were tiny though and I now know what went wrong (it lacked calcium and phosphate). You can read up more about the experiment here.

Bell Peppers

Best to dry the seeds before you plant them. They are quite prolific, but it takes a bit of time for it to grow. I was able to harvest some, but they were not perfect. Also realized that I should have given it fertilizer so it would grow well. More about the experiment here.

Lemongrass/Tanglad

After cutting off the leaves, I propagated the bottom part of the lemongrass in water for a few days. Then I planted it in soil. It's one of the easier veggies to grow. I just chop off some every so often and it grows back immediately. 

Onions

Made several attempts to grow onions. I tried propagating the roots in water, then planted it. Tried directly growing on soil. I must have overwatered it because they died after a few weeks. Maybe I'll try planting from seed. 

Garlic

It's so easy to propagate roots in water. After planting them in soil they would grow stalks for a few weeks. I'm not sure what went wrong, but they all died too. Gaaaah. I'll probably try again when the weather is hotter. 

Ginger

Ahhh, one of the easier ones to propagate. Just make sure to propagate the roots when the ginger is still fresh. Plant in soil once the roots grow out. The ones I propagated and planted in early August. Should be ready for harvest by summer! More about ginger here.

Tumeric

Got a bunch of tumeric from a friend. Propagated them the same time I tried growing ginger. They have grown nicely and should be ready to harvest by June next year (yeah, longer than ginger!). More about tumeric here.

I've suspended planting anything for now since there's work being done at home. Sawdust hasn't been good for my plants. I think the weather hasn't been good also since my seedlings have been dying from the lack of sun (the angle has noticeably changed). I'll probably focus on maintenance for now and just start planting again early next year. 

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Plantita Saturdays: Propagated Ginger from Kitchen Scraps

We got a boatload of ginger from a friend. Made salabat and ginger candy out of it and since there were some nuggets left-over I thought I'd try to grow more from scraps. I tried it a few months ago, but I failed. It did not work out because I just immediately put the scraps in soil. I learned that you need to let some roots grow before you plant it in soil. 

So I put the scraps in a container with half an inch of water. I just used tap water and it took almost a week before it started to grow roots. I changed the water every other day. After two weeks I used rain water and was so surprised that the roots and stem grew so fast overnight. 

After four weeks I decided to plant the propagated ginger in soil. I selected the ones that had healthy stems and roots. The roots were pretty gnarly, but it was easy to split up. I put 3 to 4 knobs per pot to give it enough space to grow bigger. I'll have to wait 8 to 10 months before I harvest the ginger. 

It's been a few days since planted the propagated ginger in soil. I put them in the garage area so they don't get direct sunlight. They seem to have adjusted well and the leaves are now starting to unfurl. Looking forward to harvesting ginger next summer!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plantita Saturdays: Must-have for Your Plants

It's been a roller-coaster ride for me and my garden the past few months. The most challenging period for us was the higad invasion. Half of my plants died and it was a daily battle to control the infestation. The plants that survived were left weak and needed a lot of TLC. They have bounced back now and I hope they will start bearing fruit soon. 

Aglaonema

Mayana

The best thing I did for my plants was to research and ask advise from friends. There are a lot of resources online where you can learn. My go-to resource has been Epic Gardening on YouTube and I usually watch local gardeners as well. The most important lesson I learned though when I was resuscitating my plants was to be consistent in your care. 

And the most important item to have on hand for your plants is neem oil. It provides vitamins for your plants and protects your plants from pests. Spray it twice a week and you'll keep your plant happy. Just make sure to do it late in the afternoon so they don't burn your plant. My blue ternate and tomatoes have benefited a lot from getting a soft shower of neem oil twice a week. 

I also realized that my plants super love rice water. I give them some once a week. It certainly helped them become lush again. My mayana plant is now back to it's bushy old self. I've also been using it for some of the plants I re-potted. They're all now well-established. 

Now that my plants have recovered, I hope to plant some new ones to replace those that didn't make it. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Plantita Saturdays: Got My Blue Ternate to Bloom More Flowers

Got some blue ternate seeds from this shop and planted them last summer. It took awhile before it sprouted. When it did it started to grow longer and produce many leaves. It just grew longer and longer with no flowers in sight. 

I thought maybe I was doing something wrong. Did some research and found out that you have to prune it a bit. It's the way to tell the plant to start blooming. After three months since I planted the seeds it finally bloomed on June 3. It was just one big flower. It was so pretty.

I noticed though that there were tiny dots on it. Also noticed that some of the leaves were being eaten by leaf miners. I immediately cut them off. I got excited when more flowers started to appear. Things quickly went bad when we suddenly had an infestation of caterpillars. To save the plant, I physically removed the caterpillars and treated it with neem oil. Surprisingly, the plant seemed to like the neem oil and started to produce more blooms. 

The caterpillars though left the plant weak. It looked sad and got more sad when I got busy taking care of the boys when they got sick. I eventually found the time and started giving the plant some fertilizer. I also sprayed it with neem oil again since the caterpillars came back. After two weeks it started producing big blooms again. 

I think we should be able to use the blue ternate flowers for tea! Yay! The secret sauce to getting your blue ternate to bloom more is TLC + weekly fertilizer + neem oil twice a week. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Plantita Saturdays: Propagating Ginger and Tumeric

The past two and a half weeks has been challenging. The boys are doing much better now and I hope I could have them back this weekend. With the boys away I found the time to finally propagate ginger and tumeric. 

I don't have my Mom's green thumb. She told me you can stick anything in soil and it will grow. I had some extra ginger and just planted it. It just rotted and died. My Mom has magical powers over plants because planting scraps directly in soil never worked for me. 

I watched Epic Gardening's video on propagating ginger and learned that you should put it in water first so it could grow roots. This is how they looked over a week ago -

The ginger now has roots, but the tumeric is taking some time to grow roots. I'll probably switch the water today to rain water. That should hasten the process. 

I think I'll keep them in water for a week or two more. It's been raining a lot and the lack of sun might not be good for them. My garden now looks like a forest because of all the nutrients it's getting from rainwater. My drum is full of rainwater now and that will make the plants happy even when it stops raining.

Hope the ginger and tumeric I propagated will result in a good harvest eventually :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Starting My "Bahay Kubo"

We had just moved to a new apartment when the first lockdown in SG started. We got lucky then because the day after we moved everything was restricted. One of the difficulties we experienced was getting groceries. Getting a delivery schedule was really hard since that was the time a lot of people shifted to buying supplies online. 

I realized we had to be more resilient and that's why I started to plant veggies in our balcony. I'm starting to do the same now in our new home. Getting groceries is easier now, but I noticed there are some veggies that are hard to get, i.e. lettuce. My Mom had  a lot of it when Kuya set up a hydroponic garden, but it's been replaced with ornamental plants now, haha. I've been trying to read on setting up a small hydroponic garden for green leafy veggies. This way we can have the needed ingredients to prepare salads. 

What's easy to grow: mustasa, spring onions and leek. For spring onions and leek, just use what you buy from the store. After a day of soaking the stem in water with a drop of honey, I just planted it in soil. Now I get it anytime I need it (nice to top sinangag!). Mustasa was the first veggie I was able to grow successfully. If I was going to have a farm, I'll probably have a mustasa farm hahaha. 

What takes time but fulfilling to grow: tomatoes and bell pepper. I prefer to grow stuff from seed. I had a good run of growing tomatoes and bell peppers in SG. I hope I can do better here since the soil is richer. Ahh, will have good use for our rice wash again. 

What I'm wary to grow: calamansi. I used to have calamansi in one of our previous homes, but it attracted caterpillars and I had a hard time controlling it. We had to transfer it to my Mom because it got crazy. It is very useful though to have one or two calamansi plants, so will think about it. 

What I want to grow: onions, lettuce, eggplant, cucumber and maybe carrots and kangkong. I thought about growing garlic, but apparently it takes a long time before you can harvest (six months). I already planted two red onions, but I made a mistake and will have to pull it out to fix the error. 

We don't really need a lot, so I hope planting veggies can help us have access to what we just need. Also this will help us prevent wasting supplies. I haven't thought about what herbs to plant. It's Sweetie who has been interested in planting herbs. I hope he'll plant basil, rosemary and oregano since I use those for pasta hehe. 

My Mom has been upset that I don't have any flowers in my garden. She's already started to give me plants. I don't want to have too many plants because I want to make sure we're able to take care of them. Watering our current garden already takes up an hour to finish. Good thing Miggy's been able to help me since there are days when my energy is MIA. I have to think of a way to keep Mom's garden from overflowing into mine, hahaha. 

I'm also grateful that I'm able to do some gardening now. I had to give it up when things got hairy health-wise. So need to make sure it's manageable for all of us. 

#BeKind #StayHome

The Magic Blue Hose Blew Up, Sweetie Saved the Day

I was going about my day as usual yesterday. I told Sweetie I'll plant the leeks, sow the bell pepper seeds I got the other day, water the plants and I'll eat a fruit popsicle as a reward. I was happily reminiscing on the past 12 years Sweetie and I have been married while I was watering in the backyard when the mishap happened. 

The water hose "blew up"! Water splattered all over my face and the front of my shirt. It took me awhile to realize that the hose broke off from the spray head. I stared at the spray head for awhile and then saw water starting to puddle on the ground. I sprang into action and turned the faucet off. I heard Miggy call me from his window. He asked if everything was alright. Told him I was dripping wet because the hose blew up. He said it probably gave way due to the water pressure. 

Of course, I just laughed at the matter. Even after 12 years the home mishaps still happen. Our newly delivered washing machine broke, which had our neighbor knocking on our door to check if everything was okay. Our first cooking attempt didn't turn out the way we wanted. Almost poisoned us trying to clean our sink. More mishaps happened after that, some are on our Mabuhay ang Bagong Kasal blog. I'm glad we were able to blog about some of those disasters because we can come back to it when we need a good laugh. 

Back to the hose, I was bent on finishing watering the plants so I called Sweetie for help. He patiently worked on getting the inner hose out and said he could probably use the washing machine adapter to fix it. Holding the inner hose firmly I went on watering the plants even though I was dripping wet. Soon enough Sweetie came back and magically fixed the hose! Ten thousand pogi points for Sweetie! Weeee! 

I then asked Sweetie to accompany me while I watered the plants outside. I was scared it might break again, haha. It didn't and the chore was finally finished. It's just funny it happened to me because Miggy and I usually take turns watering the plants. I'll have to warn the gardener who's going to help me do some cleaning not to open the faucet too much. And maybe I'll ask the contractor to adjust the water pressure hehe. 

And yes, I had a fruit popsicle after the incident, a mango popsicle from Pan de Manila. Yummm!

P.S. I'm re-thinking whether I should buy the water hose for my Mom. I was raving about it just the other day. Gaaaaah.

#Home54 #NewG192 #StayHome #BeKind  

All My Plants Died, Time for Season 2 of Planting!

I started planting during the circuit breaker (lockdown) last year. I enjoyed experimenting and learning my way through it. There were wins and losses. Did well with mustard greens (mustasa), tomatoes, dill (Sweetie) and spring onions. Growing bell peppers and cucumbers was tough. It didn't work out. 

Unfortunately when I started getting sick late in October, the pests beat me to my plants. By January they were all dead. It's okay, I learned a lot from our first season of planting. One important lesson I learned is that you need to treat the soil first before using it. My mustasa and tomatoes grew very well because I got the soil from a reputable company. The soil I used for the bell peppers and cucumbers was a cheaper variety. That was the time I started having pests. 

To prepare for the new season I researched on how to treat the soil. I need to make sure the larvae are dead before I plant anything. The progress has been very slow though. I have been having a lot of bad days. Sweetie has been helping. We hope we could start planting again soon.

How about you? How's your garden?

More about our gardening exploits on http://thebalconyfarmer.blogspot.com/.

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