I'm fully prepared to gather my energy for the heavy rainfall. Indeed, in Indonesia, we can plant year-round because there's still enough sunlight.
However, the heat and rain are major challenges in Indonesia. As November and January approach, rainfall begins to increase, with rain falling on average every day. Even though it rains in the afternoon or evening, the temperature and hot weather still persist during the day. So that's a big challenge.
Meanwhile, in early November, I harvested the bok choy I planted in an old gallon jug.
The bok choy didn't yield as much as the bok choy I planted previously. But, it's a great blessing!
I also harvested two types of long beans: green long beans and red long beans.
These two types of long beans can be harvested regularly, every two or three days.
Red long bean plants
I also harvested shallots, and I tied them up and hung them up to dry them out and keep them fresh for longer.
I still have some unharvested onions. They're not ready to harvest yet. I hope they don't rot before harvest time.
Because of the heavy rainfall, I made eggshell powder. This helps neutralize the acidic pH of the soil caused by the heavy rainfall.
For now, I only have enough eggshell powder for my eggplant plants. I'll make more the next day.
Then, I moved on to the Chinese cabbage plants. So far, Chinese cabbage is the most difficult to care for!
With organic methods, I've faced many challenges, but so far, it's been quite manageable.
Caterpillars really like mustard greens, especially this Chinese cabbage variety. To manage the rainy season, I usually regularly clean off any splashes of soil that stick to the leaves.
Even when it rains, the Chinese cabbage leaves need to be watered with clean water. If the leaves aren't washed with clean water for even one day, the caterpillars will quickly attack.
I hope my Chinese cabbage will be fine in the next two months before it's ready to harvest.
Then I'll take you to another garden. There, the eggplants are ready to harvest.
I'm intercropping eggplants and shallots. It's mutually beneficial.
I planted the shallots first. But I harvested the purple eggplants first.
My eggplants aren't doing so well this time. Some have been infected by a virus due to the extreme weather.
Next month, I'll replace the purple eggplants with other plants that are better adapted to this season.
I'm grateful that, despite the extreme weather, so far my garden has a good variety of plants. I can even share the harvest, because if I just ate it myself, I'd have too much. So, see you in the next garden journal!
Bonus: my neighbor's cat likes to visit my garden. She loves getting in the camera frame! ❤️
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
Contact Person: [email protected]
Discord: anggreklestari#3009