Three rows of vegetable bed

Kangkung, kale, sweet peas, and peanuts are lining up in the raised vegetable bed. Peanuts had been here for months, seems to stop flowering for a while but busy sending roots right from the stem straight into the ground for the eventual peanuts. Kangkung (water spinach), kale and sweet peas are of the same age, sown together and transplanted on the same day. Kangkung don't seem to pose any problem..., they just keep on growing. Some of the kale are adding the third leaves, some simply wilt and fall flat. Lucky that I have so many extras, which is so handy to replace them.

Sweet peas are real teasers. Their game had been hide and seek. I have been trying again and again, but somehow they are not up to it. They simply dry up and die young..... not even with the first bloom. I guess they hate too much sunlight. Now there is netting for the three rows......

 

 three rows of vegetable bed with netting.

 

three rows of  kangkung

sweetpeas at both ends, 

and three rows of little kale in the middle

peanuts / groundnuts / kacang tanah
far left.

bangchik and kakdah

Tanah Merah, Kelantan

sweet corns, first to join.

Sweet corn is not new here. We grew sweet corns during the first half of  last year with some measure of success. Now sweet corns are coming back with a new role to play.  They form a major component as in the Legend of Three Sisters Garden. 

I am facing this problem again and again. Ten  old corn seeds failed to germinate except for one. Then I quickly rush to Mydin supermarket to purchase a new packet of sweet corns seeds.  Now the new seedlings join the sole representative of the earlier batch in the garden bed that was once filled with Ulam Raja, Marigolds, Amaranth tricolour, Spinach, peanuts and raddish. They are transplanted as in the design of Three Sisters Garden.with a little bit of modification.

 

the first trio of sweet corns.
Notice the bigger plant as the sole representative of the old seeds batch.
All sort of seedlings appear as a result of self seeding, mainly spinach, amaranth, and ulam raja. These will be pulled out and some will be scooped out to another location.

the second trio of sweet corns

Peanut plants are visible at the top. I think some peanuts 

from the earlier plants are still in the ground and they germinate. 

I am going to leave those in for a while 

before winged beans really grow.

So corns are the first to join the Legend of Three Sisters. 

Winged beans were sown direct into the ground and so far nothing happen yet. The third component is pumpkins, which are now in tiny pots. One seed has rooted and is pushing the first pair of leaves up. The rest are still quiet.

There will be regular updates on the development of Three Sisters.

bangchik

Putrajaya Malaysia

My caged tomato and its companions

our caged tomato

the tomato hanging nicely

tomato


The tomato plant never felt hindered by the presence of cage. It grows and shoots out of the cage mouth. A few fruits dangle nicely on tough stalks. The bed is full of plants and each is brushing and elbowing the other for another inch of breathing space. Marigolds being the majority, really grab the advantage and show their prominence. Their green foliage is becoming even greener.
Their differences are becoming very obvious; tomato are producing nice little fruits in the top half portion of the plant whereas  radishes are showing their big bulbs half hidden at the bottom of the plants.  
Marigolds will continue growing until they get tired and get too old that yellow flowers will come out
probably as a standard item preparing the death bed of the mother plants.  
Peanuts are growing steadily and these plants are most secretive,
hiding all the nuts or fruits underground...  
Zinnia is as lovely as ever, putting up the most exotic dance with its fashionable purple
colour each time little breeze comes.
The four ulam rajas are the most civilised specie,
bringing the foliage together like a cone as the sun slides down,
covering the secret of growth away from midnight pests and ghosts

But our caged tomato is like the king, 

towering over the rest, 

showing off their fruits.

bangchik

Peanuts dancing with flowers

Sixteen peanuts are growing nicely within Batas Walkway.... But on Kakdah insistence, I inserted one plant in the middle and now is blooming. The way peanuts are growing, with lots of branches and weak stems, they really dance with the wind. The flowering plant in the middle creates a focal feature. Keen gardener would probably remember the name of that blooming plant, but I cant. Growing flowering plants is my new adventure, therefore not many click in the mind.

photo
was taken very early in the morning, thus giving flower a darker tone

the little yellow flower
at the top right corner belongs to peanuts!

A review of our Batas Walkway

Batas Walkway

A little section, just about 4 by 7 and its a metre away from the pedestrian walkway. The soil is fairly sandy here. We plan it to be like this. We just name this little section as Batas Walkway or Walkway Bed in English.

This sketch was done sometime in March... We were committed with it, and the bed was prepared. We were so disheartened when none of the seeds germinate in little pots. We were lucky when seeds strewn onto the soil germinated. Marigolds among others. We were playing hide and seek with snails over marigolds. We lost most of them to snails. The recently bought poison baits pallets proved very effective in controlling the overflowing appetite of snails. Whats left of marigolds are free to grow, not here where it was earlier planned, but over on other batas or bed, where tomatoes were once blooming and fruiting...

Only peanuts remain as the only surviving mascots for Batas Walkway and another blooming plant.

is this celosia plumosa?

So, shall we agree that even the greatest idea and plan will need some adjustment as we move along implementing them.... haha...

Peanuts update: flowering

Now all 16 peanut plants are fighting for water, air and nutrients ... they are showing some interesting character ... leaves will open widely as if welcoming the sun, but when it rains, the leaves fold themselves, like saying "No, i dont like getting wet!" They also fold themselves as the sun goes down, and completing their fold when the night falls ....

There is a tree by the name raintree, a massive tree with canopy as large as a football field which exhibit the same resting manner.... Our little ulam raja also curls up and folds into a nice little cone saying goodnite to the moon and sun... very interesting.

flower
tiny yellow flower

Peanut is an interesting plant,

because after flowering, roots will develop and push downward into the ground, taking along all the genetic elements from polination process. The seeds develop in the ground whereas flowering takes place up in the air.

My sixteen peanuts, the shoots and leaves

Sixteen little plants altogether, with a very tight spacing of 6 inches either way. We tried some of these last year, tucked in underneath the chillies or cili padi, producing reasonably good peanuts.

Peanuts are growing fast, in the sense that the moment shoots emerge out of the soil, there are already a couple of leaves.

Some are growing faster than others. We cut drinking straw in short lengths and put into the soil as marker..... But Kakdah did caution about the open straw may collect water and become aedes mosquitoes breeding ground!..

Kakdah regularly buy peanuts, for her chillied peanut paste or popularly known as Sambal Kacang in Malaysia. We just put aside 20 seeds from a kilo bag of peanuts she bought from Carrefour Alamanda Putrajaya for this adventure.

big brother
earliest to shoot out from the soil

little brother
come out late.
Look at the blue striped white straw
as marker that Kakdah worry about collecting water
for mosquitoes to breed!!

PEANUTS (Kacang Tanah): The notes

I put notes on peanut growing as a reference, in preparation for the next gardening adventure, Peanuts. Last week we just cleared up our five brinjals, and the place just nice for peanuts where the soil is very much sandy and about a metre from the pedestrian walk. I just have a feeling that, the next project on peanuts has to be of highest quality, because alot of people will be walking by the pedestrian walk. Poor quality plants will be an eyesore! We call that little plot, batas walkway.

The planning is to put 4 different plants in batas walkway namely; Peanuts, Celosia Plumosa, Sun Flower and French Marigold. We wouldnt know how it will look like yet until they blossom!

But with this heavy rain, we may just have to delay a bit.

2. Summary of Peanuts growing.

Spacing: 6-8 inches
Sow seeds: 1-1 1/2 in deep
Bloom time: 30-40 days after emergence
Fruit/nut maturity: 9-10 weeks

3. The notes on growing peanuts

Peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) are an important field crop in the southeastern United States. In 1995, peanuts were grown on 1.5 million acres in the United States. and produced a crop of 3.5 billion pounds. Peanut seeds (kernels) are used for peanut butter, oil, flour, roasted peanuts, and other food products. While they are not widely grown in Iowa, their unique growth habit makes them a fun addition to the home garden.

Peanuts are also known as goobers, goober peas, groundpeas, ground nuts, and earth nuts. The peanut is a legume with compound leaves similar to clover and yellow, pea-like flowers. Peanut varieties can be classified by growth habit (bunch or runner) and nut type (Virginia or Spanish). Virginia types are large podded and usually contain 1 or 2 large kernels per pod. Spanish types are smaller podded and contain 2 or 3 small kernels per pod.

Peanuts grow best in loose, well-drained soils. Avoid poorly drained, clay type soils. Plant peanuts after the danger of frost is past. Peanuts require a soil temperature of 65 F for germination. Sow peanut seeds 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart. Row spacing for bunch types should be 24 inches and 36 inches for runner types. Suggested varieties for home gardens include 'Spanish,' 'Early Spanish,' 'Virginia Improved,' and 'Jumbo Virginia.' Peanuts are warm-season annuals that require a minimum of 120 frost free days to reach maturity.

The flowering and fruiting of peanuts are unique. Plants flower above ground, but the pods develop below ground. Peanut plants begin to bloom about 30 to 40 days after emergence. The flowers are small, bright yellow, and pea-like in appearance. After pollination and fertilization occurs, the stalk (peg) below the fertilized ovary elongates and curves downward. It takes about 10 days for the peg to penetrate into the soil. A week after soil penetration, the peg tip enlarges and pod and seed development begin. The fruit mature in 9 to 10 weeks with favorable temperatures and moisture conditions. Since the peanut plant flowers over several weeks, all the pods do not mature at the same time.

Cultivate the soil around peanut plants to control weeds and to keep the soil loose so the pegs can easily penetrate the soil surface. Cultivate shallowly to prevent damage to the peanut roots. Stop cultivation in the immediate vicinity of the plants when the pegs begin to penetrate into the soil. A 1 or 2 inch layer of mulch can be placed around plants in early June to control weeds. Any weeds that do appear can be hand pulled.

Harvest the peanuts when the foliage begins to yellow in late summer or early fall. Dig up the plants with a spading fork and carefully shake off the loose soil. Cure the peanuts by hanging the plants in a warm, dry shed or garage. Beware of mice. After the plants have dried for 1 or 2 weeks, shake off any remaining soil and pull the peanut pods from the plants. Continue to air dry the peanuts for an additional 1 or 2 weeks. Once dried, place the peanuts in mesh bags and store them in cool, well-ventilated place until roasted.

4. Other source of info on peanuts growing:

1. How to Grow Peanuts Outdoors
2. The Peanut Van - Growing Peanuts
3. Peanuts in the Home Garden (DBIRD_NT)
4. Peanut ~ Thailand
5. The Incredible Peanut
6. Growing Guide Peanuts

Kakdah's Updates:

The day is gloomy and rainy.

Kakdah showing the flower of one of the six tomato plants.