Tuesday, December 21, 2010

vegetables on raised bed

Rhythm of life is somewhat different now , more because it is only two of us staying in Tanah Merah home. Whenever I have to go outstation, kakdah has to join, leaving the whole garden to fend themselves. Two days without rain is enough to yellow any delicate plants. For now, I really have to go slow with vegetable gardening.... But some plants are enjoying secluded spot, with just a few hours of sun . So no watering for a couple of days wont hurt them.....

Angled Luffa or Petola is something new to me. They germinated fast, with 100 percent success. Now they are crawling up the white stakes. The solitary bitter gourd seems to be doing fine. Honey dew seedlings are not so lucky. Bugs mutilated their tender leaves to the veins. No choice, they have to be pulled out.

Trellis. I have to thank Ahmad, Anwar and PakNgah for their help, in setting up the structure. Trellis is something we cant happily do alone.... I have come to a point where, whatever I do with vegetable gardening should satisfy certain criteria. Tanah Merah is not used to seeing white painted bamboo stakes as trellis...... I suppose Tanah Merah is about to see new things...

angled luffa or petola
green and healthy.

petola climbing up

another petola climbing up

trellis for angled luffa or petola,
all painted white.

bitter gourd, 
same age as petola on another trellis


both trellis, 
one for six angled luffa or petola and another one for bitter gourd. Bamboo stakes for bitter gourd are not painted.


Sand was earlier added and mixed thoroughly with the clayey red soil. Peat soil was also added to soften the soil. Fertiliser has always been poultry pellets. Occasionally I will spray liquid fertiliser to the leaves.


 bangchik and kakdah
home vegetable gardening, Tanah Merah

14 comments:

  1. How will you use a fruits of your Angled Luffa? We usually dry it and make them a bath sponge in Japan.

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  2. Too cool on the luffa. A friend gave me a bitter gourd and it was pretty bitter. I hope yours does well and you can harvest it all.

    Your roses are so elegant. Just beautiful.

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  3. Luffa is an interesting plant...being able to use it for a bath sponge is very nice. I like your white painted bamboo trellis...so attractive in your garden. All your pictures show quite healthy plants, wonderfully green and growing well!

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  4. Your Petola and bitter gourd are so green and healthy. Your land is so organised :)

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  5. Bangchik your garden so well organised and cantek! My petola and labu seeds didnt germinate at all...so have to plant them again and again until they do since I love to eat them! Happy gardening Bangchik Kak Dah!

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  6. ~ takaeko
    stir-fried or boiled as soup. Some let them mature and dry as sponge for bathing and dish washing.

    ~ Tina
    we can soften the bitterness by soaking gourd slices in water mixed with tamarind. I hope the plants survive through monsoon time.

    ~ Theanne.
    First time we grow luffa. We intend to use them for cooking and probably one or two left old as bath/dish sponge. White trellis, yes unusual but attractive and neat.

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  7. ~ milka
    They are green and healthy for now...., but wait until the bugs, beetles and grasshoppers pick up their sweet and fresh leaves!!

    ~ p3chandan
    We never know if a seed will germinate at all. It's really luck if they germinate when we have prepared potting soil well. But it is always important to use fresh seeds.

    bangchik and kakdah
    Tanah Merah, Kelantan

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  8. The vegetables, the garden, and the trellises look great! You are lucky to be able to grow all these vegetables. I don't think many of them would do well in the Seattle area, except in a greenhouse!

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  9. ~ Aerie-el
    Yes, some plants are meant for tropical climate. We can't grow celery and lettuce successfully over here.

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  10. Wow Bangchik, it has just been a few weeks since you transfered and your vegies are already taking off. We call that ridged gourd as 'patola', haha. What do you call the bitter gourd? Ours is 'ampalaya'. They all look healthy. Happy gardening and Merry Christmas.

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  11. ~ Andrea.
    bitter gourd is PERIA.. as we blog along, many common words will surface, after all, we come from the same roots.... I am quite surprised actually to see petola and peria coming up nicely against monsoon rains.

    bangchik

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  12. Your petola look so green and healthy. Ours are being shaded by sweet corns and sunflowers because its having some setback with the cold weather we having this summer. Always a fan of bitter gourd foliage.

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  13. ~Tabib
    Roses as always are about beauty and fragrance... Thanks for visiting.

    ~Malay-Kadazan girl
    Petola is healthy and green for now. We never know what lies ahead. I like the way bitter gourd climb..., so delicate. Petola is all about rough and tough. Best of luck with your plants...

    bangchik

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