I thought within the overflowing enthusiasm with no ending spirit of dare to dream, one ought to be cautious about these limiting factors: TIME and STAMINA. I only have weekends to really go into gardening. After-work is so short, that by the time I moved two or three loads of topsoil, sun has gone down. So, how much I can do with garden work, is very much time dependent. STAMINA is another factor. I have no intention to outsource garden work to deal with the two limiting factors.... in a way very much accepting the current rate of progress. Someone said, the journey up the mountain is long and memorable. Preparing vegetable garden plot is almost like hiking up the tallest mountain.... tough, tiring and yet memorable.
Now is December. I thought the vegetable garden plot is almost there, taking basic shape, enticing creative energy to recreate, reformulate and to keep redefining the eventual look of the whole garden. I would settle for loose overall concept which effectively allows flexibility on the final look.
Material
- Top Soil 1 lorry load
- Sand 2 lorry load
- Bricks: 500 pieces
- Compost 30 bags
- Burnt Soil 30 bags
- (Tanah Bakar)
Equipment
- Wheelbarrow 1
- Spade 1
- Straw hat 2 (one for me, one for kakdah)
- Gloves 2 pairs
- Watering hose 50 m length
Timeline
- Arrive in Johor: 5 nov 2011
- Start garden work: 7 nov 2011
- Finish garden work: 7 jan 2012
- Automated watering system : 15 jan 2012
Plants/Vegetables
- Roselle
- Ladys Finger
- Kangkung
- Ulam Raja
- Pak Choy
- hibiscus
- three sisters
- clitoria ternatea
- cili centil
- cekur
- keladi tetawi
- ubi kemili
- ubi badak
- ubi itik
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| Three rows of vegetable bed 80% ready (22 nov 2011) |
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| the vegetable plot, in a different view (27 November 2011) |
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| vegetable garden plot: another view (30 Nov 2011) |
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| vegetable garden plot: another view (30 Nov 2011) |
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| vegetable garden plot: a bigger view (30 Nov 2011) |
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vegetable garden plot: a low view. (30 Nov 2011)
Quite visible, kangkung, tiny lady's fingers and roselle |
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| Lady's fingers and kangkung (27 November 2011) |
Watering
For the moment it's going to be manual, by watering hose. We are considering an automated watering system sometime in January when weather starts to get hotter. Our vegetable garden is designed in grid form to ease shifting to automated system. The target is to get the vegetable beds, "three sisters" plots, and flowers corner for kakdah, ready within a month.
- November: manual
- December: manual
- January 2012: automated system.
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| the other side of the house (27 November 2011) |
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| Lovely sunrise, a good sign to start a day. (30 Nov 2011) |
I should have asked materials to be delivered in batches....
rather than the whole lot. It is disheartening to see
mountain high heaps of soil and sand. It doesn't seem to get lesser
bangchik and kakdah
little vegetable garden Johor Malaysia
wow! i'm impressed...i betcha it's gonna be one beautiful garden....i do wish i have the time to do this...but like u, my gardening time is also limited to weekend only....all the best to both of u, Bangchik &Kakdah...i'm sure things will turn out great for both of u...insyaallah,aamiin..:)
ReplyDeleteThat looks great! Your so wise to get something growing straight away to keep your spirits up while you work on the rest.
ReplyDeleteWah! This looks impressive. I am amazed with your persistence not to outsource when outsourcing is tempting. Since I get approached by the foreign workers, I guess you would have been approached too.
ReplyDeleteYou are very inspiring Bangchik and Kakdah! But if i have that expanse of land with plenty of sun, I might as well do what you are doing. And you have a wide area in all directions, it is very tempting really to make it lush and beautiful. If i am Kakdah i will make an ornamental patch in front which will rival the beauty of your back vegetable plots. God bless Bangchik.
ReplyDeleteVery impressive! You think out everything so nicely...you have a plan and a goal...these are the reasons you have great success in your gardens! Already you have Lady's Fingers growing, I'm always excited when a gardener grows this, as it is one of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your photos of progress and the beautiful dawn light!
A real hard work! Impressive! You really inspire other gardener like me !
ReplyDeleteHangKebon
ReplyDelete- thanks HK...., life is never easy, so is gardening. But we can squeeze time somehow..., in fact time is inflatable, so elastic that 24hr can sometimes be very long..., when we are very busy, time is never enough.
Mal's Allotment
ReplyDelete- yes, it's nice to see roselle, lady's fingers and kangkung growing, while getting the rest of plot ready.
One
ReplyDelete- I guess the feeling is different, between doing garden work yourself and by someone else. Like going up Mount Kinabalu by yourself or carried by someone else all the way up. The feeling is never the same. I love to whistle to the song "we are the champions" everyday....
Andrea
- Kakdah is busy putting things back to where they should, some still in boxes. Curtains have to be altered, yea her hands tied up. However I have reserved a few spots for her flower patch, at the front and at the back of the house.
Your veg patch is progressing nicely! A lot of work for sure, but then double the satisfaction too :D
ReplyDeleteTheanne and Baron
ReplyDelete- lady's fingers will take a while to develop and flower. Roselle are already grown-ups when I put them in, brought all the way from Tanah Merah.
Malar...
- I dont have millions to share, I only have gardening experience to share.... haha.
tanntoot....
ReplyDelete- gardening is not too hard, just like jogging for 5 kilometers or playing 18hole golf.
WOW! This look like a big project. I am truly impress!
ReplyDeleteDewi
ReplyDelete- not too big, only 6 rows of vegetable bed.
It certainly takes time and stamina. And you have tons, like the mountains of earth!!I'm sure your sweet labour will see you and kakdah through.
ReplyDeletekeats.
ReplyDelete- problems here could be different. weatherwise, it looks ok, but too many small pests....