June garden - Bringing some order into the chaos

The moringa plants (not trees for I grow them in small containers) produced enough veggies and greens to help me get stronger. I cannot go into the amazing benefits of the moringa tree in this post. I have been consuming the leaves almost everyday in some form to avoid having to eat the same boring soup. Tomatoes and spinach are always giving me enough produce for my consumption.

The green beans seeds refused to sprout this time and so did the cabbages which was the big surprise. I have always done well with these two in the past and often ended up with more cabbages than I could savor. Green beans were never a problem, I really cannot put my fingers on what the problem was; perhaps it was the seeds. It could be that the seeds I bought were not great quality. I am going to get more seeds from another brand this week and plant them before the rains become a daylong affair.

A terrace garden comes with its own challenges. There is the constant need for manure to be able to get the most out of these little plants which could have been shrubs or trees in nature. Pest like caterpillars, slugs and snails are a huge problem in the rainy season, but aphids, white flies and mealy bugs are common through the year.

My one solution for all pests

I add 5ml of white vinegar, dish-soap and neem oil to one liter of water, mix it thoroughly and spray them on my plants for three consecutive days and as a follow up measure once a week until these pests are seen no more. This has worked well for me thus far.

A riot of color

The colors in my garden all through this summer has kept me smiling, happy and in the best of spirits. This is what I love about gardening the most. Success or failure there is always something to smile about, something to enjoy and feel satisfied about. The peace that comes from just watching the flowers day after day is so heavenly. I wouldn't trade that for anything else in this world. All the work does take a toll on my back but it keeps my spirits high and content.

Creative garden

My garden is mostly a frugal garden. I do not spend too much on buying containers, seeds or manure. I compost, collect the seeds from my garden to use them for the next season and I create my own containers from waste plastic. Take a look at some of the broken containers.

I have broccoli growing in the summer heat, mainly for the cuttings. When the temperature cools off I usually take cuttings of these plants to grow more new plants, so too with the cabbages. After I harvest the main head I let the small cabbages grow on the sides and replant them, this way I have cabbages throughout the year. Sadly, last year after I fell ill I couldn't go to the terrace to tend to all this.

My plans for June

I don't have big plans for June and July. I only hope to get a few more veggies going and try to get the best of what I grow. Right now I count my blessings and focus on nurturing my plants.

I believe gardening is not just about growing food or collecting plants like I used to in the past. It's making the best of nature and saving the planet from thoughtless waste we generate every day. A little goes a long way so don't underestimate your power to save.

While eating good, organic food is important, it is also important to grow your own food and become sufficient in more ways than one. The world today is going in a direction where it is important to depend less on the outside world as much as possible.

Having said all this I am going to prepare my best to protect my garden from the onslaught of the rains we expect from the middle of June. Hope to see you all here again with the July edition of my #gardenjournal .

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Until then - Happy gardening!