Pretty Ajwain, back in form...!

 Pretty pretty Ajwain, back in form...!

A beautiful Sunday absolutely well spent...!

“The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. ”
Michael Pollan

A beautiful Sunday absolutely well spent...!

My Little green patch came with it's share of limitations galore. And I was challenged at every step to come up with innovative ways to satisfy my need to grow more. Though, when I look at the picture of my harvests from my LGP, I can't believe all that beautiful and bountiful produce came from that little space, I was a tad disappointed I couldn't grow fruit bearing vegetables and had to somewhere curb my desire.

The new place is a prayer answered, but comes with it's share of limitations too. Monkeys and the fact that I can't go haywire with my planting all over the place. The challenge is to be wise and grow all fruit bearing plants inside the caged portion and plan greens and some other non monkey loving vegetables at other select and safe spots. For, I recently discovered, some miscreants in the neighbourhood climb over gates/compound walls and steal petty stuff lying outside and flowers too. I lost two well grown brinjals a couple of days back. I though it was the monkeys. But I've kept the plant in a safe place where they don't visit.

Now, despite that, yesterday, as I pottered about among my plants, a fantastic feeling took over me... The fact that I could still grow much much more and I could now have more surplus to gift, made me smile and feel happy... Now, I just hope all my transplanted plants settle down well and all the seeds sown germinate well and by the time they are ready to be transplanted, my caged portion is ready and I've gotten my beds going too...

Folks, a request as always. Fingers crossed please... I know you always do it and your wishes have always helped motivate me to go for more. Thanks a tonne dear friends...

 Dill and coriander...







More dill and coriander...

 Capsicums...

 Chillies...

 Cabbage...

 Lemon balm...

 Sage...








Beetroot, ladies finger/bhendi, knol khol. peas, cluster beans, yard long beans, cauliflower, pencil beans...

One piddly potato plant...

Aaaah... Haaah...! Is khoobsoorat khushi ka hum kare to kaise varnan kare...?
Ek piddly si aalu ke pohde ne mujhe itni khoobsoorati aur udarata se itne saare sundar aalu tohfe mein de diye...

This was probably my fifth potato harvest in a year and a half, but this has undoubtedly been my best ! Like I said, this time, one, just one piddly plant, decided to give me so many and such beautiful spuds.

And how are my plants doing in their new home?

A little peep to see how some of my plants are doing in their new home...
The new open environment, more sunlight and breeze, seems to have done a world of good to my plants. Old capsicum and chilli stumps, that I didn't have the heart to uproot, have sprouted new leaves and flowers. My two year old brinjal veteran, has gotten a new leash to life with fresh new leaves all over. The greens seem to have gotten a greener lusher appearance and are growing distinctly larger leaves. The seeds I sow are germinating faster that they did in my LGP. My teeny weeny marigold seedlings have grown well and full of flowers. The strawberry plants gifted me 12 more strawberries in the past fortnight... Right now all my plants are just informally grouped along a wall in the front yard and are yet to find proper places.

But then, there's always has to be a hitch, isn’t it ? For what's life without a few challenges thrown in. If the monkeys at the earlier place came in joint family packs, the ones here, seem to come with their extended families in tow. Disco did have loads of fun barking his head off and chasing them. But now, they seem to have gotten used to him. Whilst some of them scamper onto the neighbouring compound walls, quite a few of them perched high up on the mango and chikoo trees, seem to continue relaxing, oblivious to Disco's antics... Monkeys apart, my dear friend, the fabricator, seems to have taken a long break and shows no signs of resuming work in the immediate future. Seems to be a true-blue Dharwadkar, with the leisurely laid back attitude enbedded in his DNA...

Well, all my friends keep saying, don't worry, slow and steady wins the race. I do agree with you guys. But for starters, I'm in no race... I'm on a beautiful green journey and I always believe in letting nature take it's course at it's own pace... And I'm doing what best I can in my capacity. Taking care of the existing greens transferred from my Little green patch and slowly adding a few plants at my convenience... I'm kinda putting my gardening a relaxed mode till the end of this term. And once I get free from both schools, I'll begin in right earnest. Hopefully my meshed up portion too should be ready by then and I can even start adding fruit bearing vegetables at last...

My first sapling in my new green patch !

There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling.
Mirabel Osler

Yipeeeee and double yipeeeee !! I planted my first sapling in the backyard !!

The existing curry leaf plant was dead. My almost dying sapling, took off after coming here. Transplanted it beside the old stump this evening. Feeling beautiful all over again...

Fingers crossed for it please...