Hi guuuuuuuuuys!
Since we live in the urban areas, it is but fitting to have a little backyard garden. During pandemic days, I was into planting more green vegetable that can be easily be planted and harvested in our backyard. I wasn't interested in collecting flowering plants or even those trending plants in the FB world. I was more inclined into green plants. Of course, because vegetables can be eaten unlike those other flowering plants are only for display.
Setting up was not really that hard, we only used a little of scrap broken branches of trees as pillars for my vine vegetables such ampalaya (bitter gourd). We started buying and asking for vegetable seeds from friends ike ampalaya, pechay (chinese cabbage), okra (lady fingers), sikwa/upo (bottle gourd) and batong (string beans).
Let us discuss our vegetable one by one, so you could also be familiarize with it. Who knows you have it too in your garden only it has a different name. Or maybe you can give me a tip on how to grow them even better. I amm not a farm expert, I only plant them simplisticly, no other regimes or secret fertlizers added. It is really really organic.
First, we were very succesful with ampalaya for it really sustained our vegetable intake on a daily basis. In fact, I have shared a few to my neighbors and friends. The blessings we get from nature is best when it is always shared. It had produced more than we could eat. Stir-fry amplaya with egg is our favored dish for it, lots of eggs!!!
Almost everyday we get to harvest *okra for about 4-6 pieces, which is not bad at all. I only have a few seeds planted due to limited area. They say, you will know if Okra are fresh when you can bend easily the tail part of the vegetable. To cook okra is simply blanching it over a minute or so and you just have to dip it in soysauce with calamansi/lemon sauce and that's just it. Eating okra has so many healthy benefits and full of nutrients. Other people do not like eating it because of its sticky feel when eating. When I was a kid myself, I am as well not a fan. I only began to love when I get older okay wiser is a better word I guess or matured or I adulted (is there such a word????.. lol.. hahahaha), ..
Okra (lady fingers)
Our batong was also a hit in our mini garden, it were planted using a very simple casing using the branches as well. It is a vine kind of plant and its beans are just hanging loose and they can grow longer of more than a foor. Even a few pieces of the beans is enough for every meal. When they are freshly pick, we just bend and cut them using our hands---no knife needed. Just stir-fry it and its good to go.
Batong (string beans)
Our latest addition in the garden was the sikwa, it took nearly a month of only flowers and no fruits (bunga). I was a little disappointed that maybe another unsuccessful plantation. I was kinda pretty excited for sikwa was one of my favorite vegetable. Actually, when sikwa gets very very old, they are turned into loofas. Yeeees, some loofas are made from sikwa. Isn't it weird. We usually cook sikwa and paired it with lots of our favorite meals like sikwa with tuna, sikwa with fresh noodles and sikwa with stewed pork belly.
When I finally caught sight of its very first fruit (bunga), I panicked! Finally sikwa is bearing fruits!!! Wohoooooo, I got excited that I even danced in happiness and thank the heavens above.. hahahaha.. simple happiness..
Funny thing is, it had only one fruit at first. So everyday I do a round check if it was getting any bigger or are there any other hidden fruits somewhere.
And then finally, the flowers turned to more fruits! In a day, I think we could harvest 2-3 big pieces. Isn't it wonderful!!!
However, not all that we plant were successful. Up to this date we have not been successful with pechay. It is not because we planted it the wrong way but because they are being eaten by birds. Not a single one left for us. booohoooo... Ikept planting pechay every now and then, but the birds get to it first.
Tsk tsk tsk.. better luck next time. I dont want to shooooo away these birds.
Anyway, atleast there are other vegetable that sustains us. That alone we are truly grateful. I hope we could continue and maintain with our mini vegetable garden. Everyday is a gift, everyday is blessed.
Go for green!
bye for now!
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xoxo
maquemalimax
