I'm on call tonight, But I can't sleep. Just recieved a call from ED (emergency department) and admitting a case for heart failure 2ndary to fluid overload, with underlying AF, hypertension and CCF.
I brought my laptop along. The free time I used to sort out the pictures and folders I have. Most of them are pictures of Arishah, off course. She makes me laugh! Her pictures are so cute, and her laugh is like a fresh air, so genuine and pure. Geram!!! Nak gigit rasanye! Bite bite bite Arishah!
Thought of compiling some more picture of her 1 year album, which I have yet to do. If I decide on that, then it's back to print, cut, paste, and decorate for me. I don't know how long that's gonna take. I also thought of doing a standing double sided photo frame for each month. But if I do that, I don't know where to put it because the room is lacking space already. Hanging it on the wall will require some more money with frames and all. Well, I'm still in thinking mode, not a doing mode yet.
I'm busy with my garden (and so does Arishah), that's why. I should have updated a long time ago, and it's already more than 2 months ago. Well, I've added new plants. Some are good news, some are bad news. I'll tell the bad news first.
1. My Cherry Tomato! I started with 3 plants, but now ended with just one. The other two are dead, and I think it's been infected with what they call fusarium wilt. The last and only one, also infected, but I don't know, it seems to be fighting the disease. The only tree has become spindly tall, but only has small leaves, brownish spots seen, and wilting. There are yellow flowers, but the harsh rain is not making it any better. So far, I can only see 3 fruits, and as shown above, only one fully grown. I ate it!!! hahaha, it taste so sweet...unlike the store brought ones!
Well, I'm trying to plant some more from the seeds. I'm learning. There are three that's still in small pots, and when I get home tomorrow, I'll transplant it to a polybag. I know tomato grow well on colder climate, the recommended are 60-75 deg. Farrenheit. It also suppose to be semi shielded from harsh wind and rain, which I didn't do. It's just the cherry tomato are so cute...and now that I know how delicious it is...I really hope I can grow some!
2. Salads! I planted varieties of them, head lettuce, red lettuce and green leaf lettuce. They germinate well, but by the time they get 2 inches tall, it either gets spindling, or eaten by the SNAILS (my worse enemy so far!). Again, salads are cold grow well on cold weather, but under the sun. That's a problem, because we get hot humid and sunny weather. That's the reason my plants are having thin and spindly stalk. I've thus removed it under the son, and put it under partial shade, that's beside the house rather than behind the house. I also need to thin out the plants so that they can grow bigger individually. I'm going to do that tomorrow evening.
3. My beloved Okra. There are four plant in my big pot, and so far has given lots of fruits. I think I've already harvested 10. That's not counting my surviving okra that I planted on the hillside. For that one tree, we managed to harvest >5 okra already. I initially planted 5 seeds on the hillside. All of them germinated, but only 1 survive because the others are eaten by snails. There are a lot of snails up there every morning and after the rain, but I just let them be. Tomorrow evening...killing time...muahahahaha!
I've also planted 7, yes, 7 more in the polybag, and thribing well. Because of the humid weather, which okra really loves, the seed germinated within 3 days, which is really super fast. I'm saving these to give out to kak chal and k man. 3 for k chal, 4 for kek man. I'll ask Mama if she wants it too.
Mak used the okra for her curry. She loves it. It just simply taste sweeter, and softer than the store brought ones. It's not as gooey, and not strandy at all. Must be because it's fresh.
4. I've also planted cucumbers. Just like the okra, it grows super fast. It's only been a month, and I can see the yellow flowers blooming already. I guess, it'll be a couple of weeks when i see some small cucumbers sprouting from the flowers. I planted about 6 in the big pot, and then thin it down to 3. i but 3 poles for support. But my cucumbers are getting naughty, its vines are tugging their nearest neighbours, the okra and the tomato tree.
I'm planting more in a tray, and once it's big enough, I'm going to transplant it elsewhere. I haven't figured out where yet, but most probably in the polybag, then I'll set it up on the hillside with trellis of some sort.
5. Kangkung and Bayam is living and kept on going. I didn't take out the root this time. So I only harvest the leaves when I intend to cook it. Bayam is usually for Arishah. I wish I had the rounded leaves type for Bayam, or maybe I am growing that one but since my Bayam tree is so big, the leaves are bigger too. As for Kangkung, I've grown it in 2 planters. I cooked twice already for Kangkung masak belacan/kangkung goreng biasa. I think it tasted a bit bitter than the market ones. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the soil. Oh, that reminds me, I need to put fertiliser tomorrow.
My baby pok choy also growing in one of the planter, but slow growing. At least this time it's growing! Last time it just dissappear, eaten by snails. I hope when I get home tomorrow, it still exists!
6. I'm trying on eggplant and loofah (petola) next. I planted eggplant seeds and loofah seeds in styrafoam containers. I also planted red chilli, since Mak always said she didn't have any, and hers kept on dying.
The red chilli, I managed to get 3 small, 1 inch tall ones. I still don't know where to transplant it to.
Eggplants and loofah seeds were just planted 2 days ago, so that one will take time. I saw in the internet a white eggplant, so pretty!!
I'm hoping my new french bean seeds will grow. I planted some in the tray. We'll see it it goes.
Well that goes for all my plants, with pictures provided. Update on Arishah? Oh, just too much. Maybe some other time :). I'm going to review the patient from ED, I think he has arrived to CHDW already. G'nite.
My cherry tomatoes are growing. Again, this picture is taken a week ago. It has grown taller. It's getting about 6 hours of direct sunlight, but then I want to put it at the side of the house so the rain won't hit as hard. Last time, the yellow flowers just fall off because of the heavy rain. But I can feel this time my tomato plant is 'stronger'. It's about 1 feet tall at the time of writing. I'm really putting high hopes on this one.
