Seeds Saving

Since last week, I have started my Project # 3  - Seeds Saving! Thanks to Hickery Holler I have started to save some seeds of Lemon, Orange-Color Bell Pepper (Paprika) and a handful of Pumpkin seeds! However, it has some weaknesses as I don't have any idea if the fresh produce I saved the seed from were hybrid or heirloom, let alone organic or pesticides-ladden! :-(  As far as I know that most of the vegetables we consume, those we buy from the wet market or supermarket, are traditionally grown - meaning: grown using pesticides and inorganic fertilizers. But, this is such a fun project for me, a way to learn and experiment. 

My indoor plants

Last Sunday, I bought a 15 kgs bag of organic compost which is made of organic waste and a packet of lemongrass seeds, and yesterday I scored 2 bags of soil. With these I think I can sufficiently start germinating the paprika, lemon and lemongrass, and will have enough soil for the tomatoes bedding. I only need to wait till they are 10 cm high before I can move them to a bigger pot. I plan to utilize an old bathing plastic pail for the tomatoes bedding. A frugal choice and it's also recycled! Yeeei!

New Addition

Yesterday, I bought two plants from the nursery to be added to my still very small-sized garden. A plant called Zodia (Latin name : Evodia Sauveolens) which originated from Papua (the third largest island in Indonesia). This plant is from the citrus family (Rutaceaen) and posseses mosquito repellent property. In Papua, this plant is used as natural mosquito repellent by rubbing the leaves to the body. The smell it produces when its leaves rub each other is said to drive the mosquitoes away. This is an endemic plant and is being cultivated in many places now.

 The second plant is a local transplanted mango tree called "Arum Manis" which literally translated as "Sweet Fragrant". This defines the character of this mango tree as the meat is sweet and fragrant. Though, this is a local species but has been exported abroad and well-accepted. 

The man at the nursery told me that it will start yielding fruit when it reaches a year over, but after I searched for more information on it, I acquired the fact that it will only start to produce fruit after 4 years. Oh well... :-( 

I put a handmade cane by utilizing a couple of disposal chopsticks to help supporting the crooked trunk. I have placed it on the rooftop at the second floor since this morning, and it had endured strong wind that made its trunk bent even more. It had also had enough vitamin D provision for today since the sun was quite scorching during the afternoon, and this evening it must endure heavy rain and strong wind which lasted for about an hour. What an extreme weather today!  I really hope it can survive the weather tonight and the cane would succesfully supported its trunk.

Updates

There have been several good things happening since last week.

Every day I have new things to learn... I am reading a lot about gardening and composting and doing DIY experiments, trying new recipes from other sources, arranging those recipes into my recipes collection book... I'm a busy bee! :-)

Anyway, some exciting progress come from my potted tomatoes! At this moment... my tomato plants are doing great! I am not sure what the species is, since it is not declared in the grow kit I bought from Paris Garden at a nearby Ace Hardware store, but I think it's Cherry Tomatoes. 

Struggling for life..,

thriving,..

growing strong...

Today, they have grown to approx. 4 cm high.

New shoots are coming out!