Hello Ecency friends
This time I want to share a little about my new hobby: growing vegetables. And today I tried planting chili again.
To be honest, it started just for fun because chili prices keep going up and down. Instead of buying it all the time, I thought: why not grow my own?
Don’t have a big garden? No worries, we can just use stuff we already have at home.
The Beginning: Making a Pot From a Used Gallon
I started with the easiest part.
I took a used 15-liter mineral water gallon and cut it in half. Then I made small holes at the bottom for water drainage. After that, I filled the base with dry soil first. The soil came from my backyard.
The goal is simple: to create a spot to "cook" the fertilizer first before planting.
Add Kitchen Waste As Natural Fertilizer
Instead of throwing vegetable scraps in the trash, I collect them. Leftover spinach stems, wilted leaves, vegetable peels — everything goes in here.
I place it right on top of the soil layer I made earlier.
The idea is simple: organic waste = food for the soil later. Don’t worry, it doesn’t smell as long as you cover it again.
This is my way of reducing household waste while also enriching the soil.
Cover It Again With Factory Compost Soil
After the green waste is in, I immediately cover it again with compost soil that I bought from an agriculture shop. I seal it like this so the decomposition process goes faster and so it won’t get messed up by chickens or other animals.
I leave it for about 3-6 days. During that time, the soil + kitchen waste will turn into compost on its own.
The result will be soil that turns black, loose, and warm. That’s the sign that it’s ready to use.
This is my way to save money on buying factory-made compost.
Planting Medium Is Ready
After about 3 days, it really worked!
The soil turned into a deep black color. That means the microbes inside have been doing their job.
At this stage I mix it again so it’s evenly combined.
I make 4-5 pots at once to get it all done together.
No need to buy expensive fertilizer.
All it takes is some effort + used gallons.
It feels so satisfying to see soil that used to be "waste" become this fertile.
Time to Transplant the Chili Seedlings
And here’s the result...
The chili seedlings I started 3 weeks ago finally got to move into these gallon pots.
See the leaves? Green and fresh, right
I put them in a spot that gets plenty of sunlight.
I only water them 2x a day, when the soil starts to dry out.
My target is to harvest in about 2 more months.
It’ll be perfect for making sambal at home, no need to buy chilies from the store anymore
3 Lessons I Learned From This Experience:
What do you guys think?
Has anyone tried this method before?
Or do you have any other tips to make chilies bear fruit faster and more abundantly?
Let’s share in the comments
