In the summer I planted some Moringa as I had heard that it would not grow in the wet UK, and I wanted to see for myself.
I planted 320 of them expecting none to flourish as it was raining every day...and a week later, I had 340 two inch plants growing vigorously....which was really exciting until I realised that they grow rapidly and indeed by the end of Sept, this was how big they had become! Not bad for a beginner.
Why Moringa? Well it is the best super food on the planet and I had been reading about it, and wanted to see if I could grow it organically with a view to selling it and using it myself next year.
Most of the videos I had seen on Youtube were filmed in California or Costa Rica, so the distinct lack of sun in the UK had persuaded me that they would not grow. You can see from the photo below that at the same time as being a super food, they are very capable of growing in a variety of climates!
A friend had said I could grow them in her attic, but as you can see, it got a bit much so following Youtube again, I cut them down to about 3 inch stems and currently they are underneath the hut that I am temporarily living in, and my fingers are crossed that they will make it through the winter.
You may be able to catch sight of them in the following video, which is where I am at with my plants, 5 months after planting them.
So it was a bit painful cutting them down, but I managed to save the leaves, and dry them, and this is what that looks like..
I had 4 lids and baskets and dried them over a few days, and then made them into capsules- having found a video on Youtube. They are much greener than the ones I had bought, and so I am sure they are better for me. So far, taking Moringa has helped me to lose weight without making any changes, and has definitely reduced some of the pain I was feeling in my knee. It is a detox product, so beware of taking too much at first, but I am so pleased I found it and it gives me many of the nutrients that I need in a very bio-avaialbe form, meaning my body can use them! Look it up- its fab!
Next year, I will either continue growing the ones that survive or plant some as soon as the frost is gone. I would like about 10 really healthy old trees and I will produce Moringa capsules grown in the UK! Love to do things differently!
Ok so the reason I am planting anything is because I want to plant a forest, and I want to be growing health giving plants and trees so I can continue with my healing journey. I am at the beginning of the project and was drawn to Wales, so am looking for land, partners, and funding all in one go! If you want to find out about what we are doing, go to http://www.treeplantingholidays.com, and let us know if you want to help!
In the meantime, I have lots to learn! If you know the names of any of the plants I do not, please let me know!
Thank you for reading this!
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