PACKING TIME

Last Saturday we were so busy.

We use to gather on Saturday as a free day for some of our community gardener's members.

Actually, most of our members are house wife and granny, that have more time to do gardening.

After we got the grant from the local government, we prepared the distribution schedule.

Some of the materials need to be distributed soon, such as papaya seedlings and guava plants. 

We live on urban area that most of us only have limited land.

Gardening on our neighborhood is lot of challenges.

That the reason why we were so confuse on distributing the guava plant and papaya seedling, cause they will grow to be  big tree forward.

While most of us don't have space to grow that, and the plants that we got were too much for us.

One by one the seedlings were distributed, although right now there are still remaining.

One problem were solved, and last Saturday we gathered to make little package of the vegetables seeds and plastic bag to be distributed to all of our members.

The small packages of seeds were ready to be distributed.
Each member would get eight different kinds of vegetable's seeds, consist of purple eggplant, long yard bean, bitter gourd, hot chili, caisin, tomato, green amaranth and kangkung.
We couldn't wait to sow the seeds on our 'garden'.
Garden for us is every space that we can grow on.
Should not be a wide land...
Happy gardening for all...

GARDENING ON THE BALCONY : JUNE

Nothing special with my balcony at the current time.

After most of my chilli-peppers have died, this space is looked so empty. 

Some pots of foliage are still there fill both of the corners.

The wind  blows so strong almost everyday, and yesterday this potted Sansevieria was fallen down on to the garage roof.
But the plant is still well.

The Ekor Kucing (Acalypha hispida pendula) is growing dangle, longer and longer... going down...

There are three hanging pots that I grow ferns on it.
We can find some 'volunteers' on the one of them.
Yes... we can find tomato, green amaranths, and night shade berry plant.
I should move them soon, this pot is too small for them all.

The row of pots that ready for the new growing season are still on the corner.
I don't know when I will grow some plants on that 'row'.
I hope I can do something here soon.

PINK PERIWINKLE ON MY TERRACE GARDEN

A pot of self-seedling pink Tapak Dara or periwinkle is growing so well on my terrace garden.

I think the seed was came from the compost heap that I use.

Too pretty to be pulled out and removed...

THE CHICK HAVE GROWN TO BE A HEN...

This is my Lily Paris (Clorophytum comosum)on my terrace garden.

Actually, this is the only one survivor.

We use to call it as 'hen and chicks plant'.

I took some 'chicks' from their hen last year, I'm not sure when it was.

You can see the hen here.

I put the 'hen' on the southern balcony as a hanging plant.

But the hen have died, caused by drought.

I think the soil media was too porous and the wind was too strong on this place.

The direct sunshine also gave contribution on the drought problem.

This plant loves cool and part shady area.

From several 'chicks that I've taken, the only one have been surviving.

Now, the 'chick' have grown to be a hen.

And you can see the new 'chick' have appeared from this hen.

The chicks have ready to be separated from their hen.

And they will be grow as new hens forward...

FRUITY FRIDAY : NANAS MADU

Yesterday, my husband bought a tied of pineapples from a road side.
During the dry season, we can find lots of pineapples are sold on the market or road side.

This is a local variety, we call it 'nanas madu'.
Nanas means pineapple, and madu means honey.

Although the size is very very small, but it has a great taste.

I think we can guess he taste from its name.

The taste is so sweet, and the flesh is so juicy.

I want to grow this variety on  my garden, so I should take the shoots and grow it soon.

Reader, what is your special fruit this week?

GRANT FROM THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Yesterday, our women gardener's community got a package of 'grant' from the local government.

This was the second 'grant' that we've gotten, as an awareness of the local government to our gardener community.

The first one was on December last year.

Some women on our neighborhood formed an amateur gardener community.

This community is formed to improve our knowledge on gardening,  and of course a bit of an effort to provide our own food.  

On our community, we share experience, seeds, harvest, excess of our own products and many more.

Yesterday, we got lot of guava plants, papaya seedlings, so various vegetable seeds, seedling tray, UV plastic, shading net, and organic fertilizer.

We should distribute these package to our members as soon as possible, especially the seedlings, before the very dry weather will make them withered and died.

Look... the papaya seedling are too small.

Maybe these seeds could be distributed next month, it could be delayed.

Hoping these 'grant' will give us more benefit.

THE ROLLER...

This variegated Mondokaki (Tabernaemontana corymbosa) is seem not so dense as usual.

I didn't notice this plant for several time.

My husband said that there were lot of caterpillars there.

They rolled the leaves and eat it.

So... the leaves are less than before.

Then I cut the branches to remove the unhealthy leaves.

I found caterpillar inside the rolled leaves.

Semi hard pruning to recover the plant is a must.

I hope this plant will be recovered soon.

And I can see the beautiful foliage and flower again.

CABBAGE UPDATE : JUNE

Slow motion...

I think it's the suitable term and also simple explanation to express the cabbage progress on my terrace garden.

I can't see a significant progress on this patch.

They grow so healthy and as long as I now, there's no bug closed.

I think the current weather has contribution on their growth.
During this dry season, we have a very dry and hot weather on the mid day, so it makes the leaves get withered although the soil is fairly moist.
But when the temperature get lower in the afternoon, they looks fresh again.

The head  haven't formed yet.
I have to be patient.
Do more watering and keep them free from the bugs.

I hope they will safe.

PICK THE HONEY...

The red color is so striking!

Kembang anting or sleepy hibiscus (Malvaviscus arboreus) on my eastern back yard finally blooming.

More sunshine, more flower...

Kembang means flower, and anting means ear-ring.

It's an old fashion plant, that usually grown as a flowering hedge on village.

When I was a young girl, I used to play bubble that made from the leaves that crushed and diluted on the water.

And this flower also has sweet 'honey'.
We really love to suck the honey from the base of the petal.
Back to the childhood...

WRINKLED BASIL

I'm growing four varieties of basil on my garden.

Although this plant is an easy growing plant, but I often find bugs and disease that attack this plant.

Wrinkled or curly leaves is the most.

Some time I find black ants on these wrinkled leaves.

I think it's not deadly, but make the growth is not optimal.

I have no idea how to control this problem.

Reader, have you ever find this problem in your garden?

Please sharing me how to control this problem.

Thank you for sharing.

FLOWERING GATE

This is the view of our home garden gate from the balcony at the current time.

Looks so bright and bare, after I removed the passion fruit vine that climbed and full filled this arch.

Right now, we can see the stefanot ungu or garlic vine is climbing on the arch.
The purple flowers bear almost everyday cheering my front yard.

Actually it's an existing plant on this part, but the growth didn't good enough when the passion fruit was still growing here.
After I remove the passion fruit vine, the garlic vine grows so lush and produce lots of flowers almost every day.

They love sunshine, and now they are getting the sunshine more.
This vine grows rapidly, hope the leaves and flowers  will cover the arch soon, and I will get green gate again.

TERRACE GARDEN UPDATE : JUNE 2015

Ahh... I couldn't remember when the latest time I made a posting about progress of my terrace garden.

It must be so long...

Here they are the appearance right now...

The eastern side is looked so bare.
There are only green mustard, Thai basil, and kale.
The vertical rack is still stand on with some empty pots on it. 
Oh ya... there's a pot of Tapak Dara or periwinkle that cheering this part.
During this dry season, the flowers bloom here and there.

On the western side, the gutters are full of veggies.

Only a gutter that looked 'empty', but actually there are lot of Chinese cabbage seedling on it.
The gutter below is full of green mustard and colorful amaranths that grow itself by self-seedling.

The green amaranths are ready to be harvesting.
They are so fresh and healthy, free from bugs.

There are three variety that grow so healthy like as weed.

On  the southern side, there are lot of empty pots ready for new growing season that full of weed.
The cabbages grow so healthy.
Lot of green amaranth here.

The worst part is northern side.
Weed is covering every pot there.
Look... the tomatoes are collapsed, they need support and I should move them into a brighter place that has more sunshine.

The only one survivor from the eggplant patch.
I have to compete with the weed to survive.
But I'm so happy that there's a first flower is hanging on the end of the stem.

I have to do weeding soon, before the veggies become worse and worse.

Readers, Are your garden doing well right now?