Fruits (or should it be vegetables) of our labour

The weather has been a bit cloudy and wet these few days.  Yesterday, I woke up to another grey, cloudy morning.  Usually the grey clouds will clear and by afternoon, it will be sunny again until the sun goes down at 8 or 9pm.  But just before noon, it rained - first a light drizzle and then the skies opened and it rained so heavily that I could see anything through the window.  I thought I'd be stuck indoors the whole day.

But the skies cleared within the hour and the sun came out again.  We decided to go to the garden.  I know that I have some peas, beans and zucchini to harvest.  The zucchini were about 10cm long the last time I saw them three days ago.  I didn't want to wait too long because I know they can be super growers.  I don't want them to get too big and tasteless and tough.

When we got there, we decided to check out plot number 2.  His mum wanted to get a plot there as well and was hoping to get the unused plot next to ours, number 45.  The owner said she has sustained a knee injury and couldn't work on her plot.  She has been given another two weeks to start work on it.  In the meantime, his mum has been offered number 2 so we went to see where it was located and if it was any good.

The plot as two rows behind ours and looks bigger than ours.  Lots of weeds have been growing there so it would need a lot of tilling.  However, the fence is still good and she wouldn't have to put up a new one.  As we were walked back to our garden, I noticed that a lot of the vegetables in other plots have not been harvested.  It is such a pity to see broccoli, squash, lettuce, onions and other goodies being wasted.  I guess for some people, the fun is in the planting and seeing them grow.  Maybe they don't really enjoy eating the vegetables.

For me, I much rather plant stuff that I want to eat.  That's why I chose the plants that we have.  I didn't opt for the zucchini but they plants were from my mother-in-law so I planted them anyway.  I am also amazed at how the plants hung on and survived the cold weather at the start of summer.  That made me treasure them and I have been harvesting and cooking them.  I have stuffed, roasted and boiled them in soup.  Next, I want to try making zucchini bread and zucchini muffins.  I will try not to throw them out.

I have also been enjoying the peas, beans, carrots, potatoes, onions and lettuces.  They all taste better than store bought ones.  The carrots, especially, are so flavourful.  I can smell them as I pull them out of the soil.  I can smell them as I peel them and they are so nice and sweet after cooking.

I think next year, I am definitely going to plant more carrots.  I will also plant more potatoes, peas, butterhead lettuce and beans.  I will want to try planting cabbage, romaine lettuce, leeks and butternut squash.  I might even want to try planting broccoli, even though Pete doesn't like them.

As we were walking back to our garden, Yvonne, my sister-in-law, pulled up in her car together with her two youngest kids and my mother-in-law.  They were there to check out the available plot too.  After checking out plot 2 again, we walked back to our garden and I started harvesting the zucchini.  They have grown thrice their size!  I managed to harvest six big zucchini, about 30cm long.  I also harvested a whole lot of yellow and green beans and peas.

Yvonne's son loved the garden and was eager to try the vegetables.  Pete let him pull up a carrot and he ate it all up.  He loved it.  Then, when he saw me harvesting the peas, he came over.  I let him try one and he loved that as well.  He said it was sweet and juicy.  I let him pick as many peas as he wanted.  He ate quite a lot!  But it's really fun to see someone else enjoying the fruits of our labour.

But, apart from the harvesting fun, we did get an unpleasant surprise.  We found some dog turd in the middle of my old bed of peas.  We have seen some just outside our plot some weeks ago, but this is much worse!  One problem with our plot is that it is just beside the bike and walking lane and it is a popular one with dog walkers.  Also, we don't have a proper fence and gate.  We have put up chicken wires along the outside perimeter but we left a gap of about 1.5m for us to get in and out.  I guess that opening 'invited' these dogs, especially if they are unleashed.  But then again, the dog owners should have known that the garden belongs to someone and there is no reason for them to trespass, let alone allow their dogs to relieve themselves there.  That really made me mad!  We definitely have to work on putting up a proper fence and gate soon or else we will get more of such unwanted 'gifts'.

July's Harvest

The past week has been very hot with not a grey cloud in sight.  I guess this is how summer days should be.  Despite fasting, we do have to make sure that we visit the garden regularly.  The plants are growing really well there and we have to make sure we water them enough to keep them growing. 

The sun would come out very early in the day and we have to either wait for evening when it's not too hot or go earlier in the morning to avoid the midday sun.  But sometimes it's very hot and the sun is still so bright at 7 or 8pm and sometimes it gets very hot so early in the morning.  On days like that, we had no choice but to stay at home.

Today, we decided to head to the garden early in the day.  Even though it was only 8am, the sun was beginning to shine and when we reached the garden, it was really hot.  So we quickly did our chores there.  Pete dug up four of the potato plants and then started watering the plants with the watering can.  Luckily, our Chinese neighbour has finished using her hose and offered it to us.  It made the watering easier since he didn't need to walk to and fro the tap which is about 15m away.

I did some weeding so that I could reach the bean plants.  The yellow beans, which was among the earlier batch of vegetables which were planted, are already producing beautiful beans.  I picked the ones that are long enough while carefully making sure I didn't disturb the flowers which will grow into beans.  I could see more tiny beans growing so I think next week would bring a bigger harvest.

The peas that were grown earlier are also producing flowers and pods.  These were the survivors after the whole patch was ravaged by rabbits.  In fact, that patch must be the rabbits' favourite since they have been spotted running from there when we visit the garden in the evenings.  I also spotted pods that had nibble marks on them.  Today, I found two pods that are swollen and fat.  I think they are full of juicy peas and should be ready to be picked.

I also checked on the peas and beans that were in the planters.  They are doing very well.  I spotted lots of pea pods and tiny beans growing.  The beans I planted there are the green variety so they are a bit different from the other bean patch.  Funnily enough, the leaves of the green beans are yellowish and while those on the yellow beans are much greener.  I think the peas and beans at the planter should be ready in one or two weeks.

The zucchini plants have already produced a few fruit.  They have started flowering late last month and earlier this month, I have seen some big ones.  However, their ends have rotted and I only managed to harvest one good one.  I had to keep a close eye on them and hope that they would grow big enough without any blemishes.  Today I was lucky to find two that were of good enough size so I harvested them.  I think they will be good in a stir fry. 

The carrots are also growing well.  In fact, I think the carrots are among my favourite vegetable to grow.  They don't take much attention, apart from regular watering.  I also had to keep thinning them but even that is fun to do.  There's something about pulling the baby carrots up that makes me feel good.  The baby carrots are also flavourful and could be used in cooking.  We've already done enough thinning and the rest are left to grow even bigger.  I needed some for a soup I would be making tonight so I pulled up two average sized carrots.

We left the garden with a couple of kilos of potatoes, two zucchini, two carrots and a handful of beans and peas.  Not bad for our first 'proper' harvest. 

Those wascally wabbits

My sister keeps rabbits as pets and I am very familiar with their appetite for vegetables.  Having seen wild rabbits around our allotment, I guess I should have expected it.  In fact, when I saw a huge rabbit, which Pete said is more likely to be a wild hare, across the path beside our plot, I should have known they would be causing some problems at our garden.  Our plot is the nearest to a small cluster of trees and bushes and they are likely to have made that their home.

We have put up a fence using chicken wire.  It should be enough to keep away the rabbits but we have no gate so the gaping hole will let the rabbits in.  We still have a lot of things to work on both in the garden and at home so we're trying to pace our purchases.  We have decided to not spend too much on the garden as yet since we're going to treat this as a long term project.  A beautiful wooden fence with a nice gate is something we both want but not just yet.  But after this attack, I think we would need to look for a solution to keep the darn rabbits out.

Why am I so frustrated with the rabbits?  Well, they have nibbled up all the lovely green leaves on our pea plants and now they are not growing any more.  Where I used to have luscious, healthy green plants, only stringy stalks are left.  The bean plants are also not showing more growth and I am worried they are being attacked by the rabbits too.

I have planted more pea and bean seeds in the planters.  We have covered them with the fleece so I hope these will be more protected.  I have sowed some peas on my balcony.  No matter what, I am going to have fresh peas from my own plants this year!

What's a bit surprising is that the lettuces that are growing well are left pretty much alone.  I remember how my sister used to prepare a salad of greens for her rabbits and they love it.  I am surprised they have not eaten the lettuces.  But she did tell me that the rabbits are choosy about lettuces.  Maybe the ones I planted are not to their taste, which means more lettuces for me.

The potatoes are doing very well.  They are tall and strong and healthy.  We are very encouraged so we have planted another row of that.  Last week, we bought small potatoes, left them in a dark cupboard and let them bud.  Today, we took them out, halved each of them, making sure there's at least one bud on each half and then planted them.  Hopefully there'll be more plants to look forward to. 

It is really fun going to the garden to spot new growth.  Every time I see a new leaf or sprout or flower, I get so excited.  The feeling is almost similar to how I felt when my pupils were able to understand what I taught and ace their tests.  I have sowed some flower and herb seeds along the fence.  I hope by the time my family comes to visit, they would have sprouted and there's something for them to spot too.  

Garden work out

We've never worked so hard at the garden before.  Today was the day we did major work at the garden.  After Pete used the rototiller yesterday, we went back there today to clear up the land of the dried weeds and also manually removed those stubborn weeds.  And oh how they make us work.  These weeds are incredible.  They take such a short time to grow and their roots grow so deep into the ground.  We really have to dig deep to pull their roots out or else they will soon grow back.

We still have a lot of space that is not utilised and so the weeds decided to take root there.  We tried our best to till as much as the ground as we could and remove as many weeds as possible.  And that was just part of the list of things to be done.

We also had to put up a new fence at the front of our plot.  The old fence that was there was falling off and only half of it was left.  Last week we tore down the remnants of the fence and we had only enough material to put up half of the length.  Today, we finished up the rest of it and it looks nice and neat now.  That took awhile since we had to hammer some metal poles deep into the hard ground and then fasten chicken wire to them. 

Then it was more hammering.  We finally got around to building our planting beds.  The ready made ones are so expensive.  We bought our own planks of wood and cut them to size.  With the money we spent, we were able to get two 2m x 1.3m beds, which would not even buy us one ready made planter which is much smaller.  Pete helped to hold the wood in place while I hammered away. 

Then we had to fill the beds with more soil and that took more hard work.  We had to keep on tilling and removing weeds and stones that were all over the garden.  The bending and squatting and lifting all gave us a really good workout for the whole body.  But the weather was very cool and I hardly broke a sweat. 

Once the beds were ready, we watered them and then in one, I planted two rows of peas and two rows of beans.  The pea shoots that were planted earlier had shown a lot of growth but they didn't seem to grow much the past few days.  After a closer inspection, I noticed that the leaves looked like they were eaten.  Rabbits!  They have been eating from our garden!  So this time, luckily his mum brought some garden fleece.  We covered the whole bed to protect the seeds from the wind, birds and rabbits.

In another bed, we planted a few rows of carrots and a few types of lettuces.  Again, we covered them with the fleece.  I noticed other plots had them as well, so I'm hoping they would work.  Once we're done with the last round of watering and packing up, we realised we've been working at the garden for 3 hours.  Luckily the sun wasn't too strong or else we would have been burnt.

We still have other things to do at the garden.  We have to continue to till and get rid of the weeds.  We have to level the soil after the tilling.  We have to plant some more potatoes.  And I want to plant some flowers and herbs along the edges of the plot.  I don't want to leave the ground empty for the weeds to take over.  I have already started sowing some flower seeds in my balcony.  Hopefully they will be ready to be transplated soon.  Hopefully soon, our garden would look a bit more alive and I don't mean with weeds!

The garden is waking up

The last two weeks were cold, chilly and rainy, so we didn't go to the garden every day.  We figured the garden would have enough water from the rain and it would be too muddy to walk about.  But the last two days have been very warm and sunny and there hasn't been any rain.  I guess from now on, we would have to visit the garden every day to at least water the plants.

So, even though we were busy yesterday (I accompanied Pete to town for his meeting) we still headed to the garden afterwards.  We walked in the warm, bright sunshine but the wind cooled us down.  This is the time I am glad I live here where it's windy.

It's great going to the garden every day, there's always something new to be discovered.  Yesterday, we found the pea shoots growing taller and the leaves are starting to open.  We counted and found seven shoots growing.  I know I've planted more so hopefully the sun would give them a warm wake up call.

The beans have surprised me.  At first there was nothing growing there apart from some weeds.  There's a dandelion growing in the middle of the bed (grrr), but no beans.  The past few days, we could see them sprouting and finally yesterday, they have grown taller.  The best part is that there are now many more sprouts.  At the last visit, we counted maybe nine sprouting beans.  Yesterday, we found 25!  And all look healthy and strong.

The petunias are also recovering.  Maybe we could have lost one or two plants.  There doesn't seem to be any flowers growing there.  But on other plants, the flowers are blooming well.  The cute thing is that the flowers are much bigger than the leaves so, from afar, it looks like a row of flowers on the ground.  You can hardly see the leaves.

The squash are also beginning to grow bigger.  I hope they will survive and thrive in the summer's heat.  The potatoes are also growing well.  We burried them under soil two days ago and they have already grown above the new layer.  They are certainly growing bigger every day.

The garden is waking up.  Sadly, it also means that the weeds are also growing.  Actually, they are thriving.  The poor petunias are surrounded by tall, thin grass and there are other big plants that we could not identify growing all over the area.  That means there'll be more work for me at the garden.  More weeding, watering and tilling.  With the encouraging signs of growth, my plans for more sowing and planting looks promising.

Give peas a chance

That was what Pete said when we were discussing our plants.  Such a joker.  But he is right.  In fact, I have to give all my plants a chance to take their time to grow.  Is this the mistake of beginner gardeners?  To expect too much too soon?  It has hardly been two weeks since I planted most of my seeds and seedlings.  Also, the weather hasn't been too kind.  The last two weeks were quite cold and frosty, not exactly perfect for growing.  Maybe the plants are waiting for better weather to sprout.

I guess I have to be more patient.  Luckily the weather seems to be getting warmer and there's more sun.  And the garden is waking up.  When we visited the garden today, we found more sprouting plants!  From a far, the garden still looks sad and empty.  But, when we got closer, we saw the pea shoots continuing to grow.  We also spotted bigger shoots off the beans.  Another good news is that the carrots finally look like they are sprouting as well.  I don't really know how carrot leaves look like so I didn't dare touch the carrot bed.  I was afraid I'd mistake the carrots for weeds. 

The squash plants looked like they have stopped growing after sprouting two huge leaves.  But they have now shown more signs of growth.  They now have more leaves budding.  The petunias are starting to grow again.  Over night, more flowers have bloomed.  Although the plants are still small, there were up to five flowers per plant!  Amazing!

What was amazing as well was how the pea shoots seem to be growing during the time we were there.  I watered the peas when I first got to the garden.  Then after weeding, tilling, watering and planting a new row of lettuces, I would always inspect the plants again before I left.  I swear the peas have grown taller and started to open up their budding leaves. 

So, yes, I am glad I didn't give up on them.

Hope springs

On Saturday, when we were on our walk, we stopped by the garden.  We didn't bring any tools with us since we figured the rain would have watered the soil.  Also, I was feeling a bit disappointed that the garden was not flourishing.  Heck, it was hardly even alive, except for the weeds.

And sure enough, as we walked towards it, I could only see the potato plants and whatever that's left of the petunias.  I walked to the potato bed to check them out and they are doing well, really strong and hardy.  Soon, it'll be time to bury them to encourage more growth.

Then Pete called me over excitedly.  He was standing by the bed where we planted peas.  He pointed out a tiny green speck.  "Look, honey, it's growing!" he said and sure enough, I could make out what I think are baby leaves.  We counted more tiny green specks.  Nine in all!  Phew.  I guess although we couldn't see anything, underneath, those peas are fighting the chilly days and nights and clayey (is that even a word? but I don't care, it's my blog and I can use any word I want!) soil to finally sprout. 

finally, a sprouting pea

And the onion that has sprouted a few days ago is looking healthy as well.  The squash and petunias are not looking good.  The carrots and beans are still not showing anything yet.  But I'm hopeful.  It has only been a bit more than a week since I planted the seeds.  Also the weather has been a bit too chilly the last week so maybe the seeds are waiting for better weather to sprout.

I think that's what they will get soon.  More sun and gentle rain.  I am hopeful.

this onion looks like it's growing well

another onion sprouting

Have you seen a carrot seed?

It's planting day!  Although it was cold and cloudy, we went to the garden to plant more stuff there.  So far, our sizable garden has not been fully utilized.  We've only used up maybe 15% of the space.

Yesterday, we bought a couple of packets of seeds - carrots, peas and lettuce.  Also, the cucumber seedlings are growing taller.  It is time to replant them.  Pete's mum came by with her large tools.  We've been getting by with my small ones.  But to work on a bigger area, we would certainly need those tools.  The long handles also mean that Pete could help out as well since he wouldn't have to squat or bend.

I've read that to grow carrots, the soil must be loose and free from stones.  If there are stones in the way of the growing carrots, they would sort of split into two or they would not grow.  So, the first thing I did was to get Pete to loosen up the soil.  Of course, I did my part as well and raked it to remove as many stones as I could find.  Then, it was more hard work to dig up the soil to make a raised bed before I started sowing the tiny carrot seeds.

Have you seen a carrot seed?  It is a tiny little thing.  It looks like a spice, sort of like fennel seeds.  I tried to scatter them as far apart as I could.  I know some of the seeds were blown away by the strong winds, but I think I got most of them where I wanted.

The whole thing was a back breaking work out.  I was wearing my jacket at first.  But because of the intense workout I was getting, I took it off.  Luckily I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt underneath to keep me sort of warm.

Next, we prepared another bed, wider this time, for the cucumbers.  Pete's mum sowed them for us in a pot and now we had 9 seedlings.  We planted them as far apart as we could.  His mum taught me how to plant them.  I had to bury the stem to let just the leaves above the ground.

The work was hard so we stopped to take a break.  I made cheese sandwich with the bread I baked the day before.  It was a simple sandwich with 2 kinds of cheeses and sliced, fresh tomatoes, washed down with juice, kept cold and fresh in the cold spring weather.  Simple but yummy.

The next two beds were a bit faster to build as we sort of fell into a routine.  Along the way, I dug up countless worms - tiny ones, fat ones, short ones, long ones.  I tried to get used to them, telling myself that they are important for the soil and our plants.

The seeds of the peas and beans, which are given to me by his mum, were easy to sow.  I just hope they will be safe from the birds.  Almost to the end of our work, it started to drizzle but we still continued and even watered the new additions to the garden.  I love the tiny raindrops as they fell on my face.  It was cold and windy, but it wasn't too cold to make me feel uncomfortable. 

Oh, yeah.  Every time I step into the garden, I will eagerly check the plants that we have.  The squash plants seem to be growing well.  The leaves are big and green.

The petunias are also showing growth.  They look bigger and the flowers look so big and fresh.


















And finally there's activity at the potato patch.  Pete's mum pointed to us a small tuft of leaves - potato leaves!  And the unidentified plant that was growing by the potato patch is chives.  And I discovered more today.  I'll leave them for now and maybe cut off some to cook with when they are a bit bigger.


The lettuce are not going to be planted in the garden yet.  I'll sow them indoors first and when they're a bit bigger, I will transplant them.  The garden is still bare for now.  Hopefully soon, more leaves will show.