Dear Gardening chums!
i know this doesnt have anything to do with gardening but we have just adopted a new puppy! his name is Lintang, we got him from the SSPCA and he is adorable. i will post some pictures when i get the chance.
I would always urge people if they want to get a pet cat or dog, always go to the SSPCA first, no one cares if your dog is pure breed, it's still a dog that gets sick and eats the same food as every other local dog. so dont show off by spending loads of money on a pure breed, help this charity to take care of our local pets, sermon over!! i promise to post some pics when i can and i will also post some gardening stuff too, oh here is one.. never use dog poo as fertiliser, it has too much nitrogen in it and will burn plants.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
How to grow tomatoes
Good Morning my gardening chums!,
This article today is for my friend Sharon Wong, she is wanting to start to grow Tomatoes and i like to try and help, but of course its for you guys out there as well.
For many people tomatoes are one of the first food crops that they try to grow. It is an excellent choice!
High in vitamins, low in calories and homegrown tomatoes taste great! much sweeter than those tasteless supermarket ones. Tomatoes are used in a wide number of recipes, too. You can use your tomatoes to eat fresh, or make salsas, sauces, ketchup, juice, casseroles and soups. Tomatoes are also easily stored frozen. Simply rinse them off, lightly dry and place in a freezer bag. Frozen tomatoes are easy to peel by simply running warm water over them and then rubbing off the peels. Frozen tomatoes are great for use in cooking; however they become too watery for slicing after being frozen.
The long standing argument about whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable is an easy one to solve. If it comes from a flower... it is a fruit. Yes, even a green bean is biologically a fruit. Of course everyone always classifies it as a vegetable, so.... I guess we can continue to debate about the tomato as well.
Tomatoes are very productive plants capable of producing 8 pounds of fruit or even more on each plant. This makes them even more attractive to people with limited time on their hands. Tomatoes are easy to grow here in Malaysia. They are very adaptable, being productive whether grown in a garden setting or in a large pot on a balcony in the town.
Tomatoes prefer a rich loamy soil to grow. (Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration about 40-40-20% concentration respectively)
They like plenty of water, but only on the roots. When watering a tomatoe, in fact any big leafy plant generally, always water at the root source rather than the leaf as this will reduce rotting, fungus infections and also will not burn the leaves when tthe sun is on them. Mentioning their leaves brings up the point that many people suffer from dermatitis and itching if they touch a tomatoes leaves. If you are sensitive to them protect your self by wearing long sleeves and gloves while handling them.
Tomatoes may be planted by starting with either seeds or small plants. Starting you tomatoes from started plants is the easiest and most common way. The first thing to do when planting tomatoes is make sure that the soil is ready for success. Mixing compost or well composted manure into the soil will help provide for your tomato. Rabbit manure, or barnyard manure like cow or chicken composted with bedding like straw or shavings is the best. Tomatoes can be rushed by using black plastic, row covers, water jug forts, etc... But it is not recommended for the beginner. Usually plants started in the normal fashion catch up with the rushed ones soon and often surpass them in productivity.
If you need to keep the plants a while before planting them into your permanent location, be sure to give them as much sun as possible and water them by standing their container in a shallow pan and watering from the bottom. You have your plants, the soil is warm and ready,Try to plant your tomatoes in the evening. This prevents the newly planted transplants from being scorched by the sun while they are first recovering from the shock of being up rooted. Prepare the spot for your tomato by digging a hole wider than the plant's root ball and deep enough to bury the plant up to the second set of leaves. By planting the tomato deep in this way it will sprout roots along the entire buried stem bringing the plant more nutrients. Gently remove the plant and all of its soil from the original container. Give a gentle squeeze to slightly loosen the root ball, and then add the plant with the roots stretching down. Fill the hole around the plant. Press the soil in gently, but firmly. Be sure to leave plenty of greenery above soil level. After planting give the plants a drink of water and water thoroughly.
Starting your own transplants from seed can be fun and rewarding as well. Start the seeds in a small peat pot 6 weeks before your planting time.
If more than one seed sprouts in your pot simple snip off the weakest one. As the plants grow and get spindly place the peat pot inside of a larger pot and slowly add more potting soil. Give your transplants plenty of light and keep them moist, but not wet. Placing them in a breezy area or pointing a fan at them will make them more sturdy as well. When they are big enough, simply set them out as instructed above.
If more than one seed sprouts in your pot simple snip off the weakest one. As the plants grow and get spindly place the peat pot inside of a larger pot and slowly add more potting soil. Give your transplants plenty of light and keep them moist, but not wet. Placing them in a breezy area or pointing a fan at them will make them more sturdy as well. When they are big enough, simply set them out as instructed above.
Caring for tomatoes is not hard. Eating homegrown tomatoes is easy! enjoy the fruits of your labour
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Good morning my gardening chums!
I am thinking of adding some new pages to our website, so any ideas let me know ok? what would you like to see and i will try and implement them. happy gardening!! oh and post some pictures on the facebook group and facebook page ok? let others see your strawberry, vanilla or any other plants you want us to see! cheers
for those who forgot here is a link to our website!
http://kuchingfruitsandherbs.webstarts.com/index.html
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Growing your vegetables from seed.
Good morning my gardening chums,
Growing your own vegetables from seed is so easy. It is great fun to watch the tiny seedlings emerge from the soil and of course is a great deal cheaper than buying from the market. It is not as quick though. The reason why it is cheaper is that you are doing all the work yourself.
There is no reason why you cannot re-use your pots year after year, and in today’s Reduce, Re-use, Recycle world we live in it is a good idea. I use some pots year after year, not because I am too cheap to buy new ones but simply because there is nothing wrong with the old pots that have been cleaned and sterilized. I simply soak them in a tub of water to loosen any old dirt, wash them in warm soapy water using a stiff bristled brush, rinse in clean water and finally soak in a disinfectant solution. I use very diluted bleach,this usually works, but remember to wear waterproof gloves for this last stage as many of these chemicals are strong and could do some damage your skin.
I also buy new cheap disposable pots each year as I can more or less assume these are sterile so there can be no danger of transferring diseases from old dirty pots to new seedlings. There are not just pots though, I also use trays, little plug trays where the seedling can grow in its own cell. I have even started larger seeds off in the discarded middles of toilet rolls. These are planted out as they are into your soil mix and the roots grow through the cardboard. The toilet roll eventually degrades into the soil.
Let’s start off by assuming we are sowing into trays. Fill the tray with whatever compost you are using and gently firm this down until you have a fairly level surface. At this stage you need to water this so that the seed will be surrounded by moisture. You then need to sow the seed. Very small seeds should be gently sprinkled, not too thickly, on to the surface of the compost. Larger seeds such as tomatoes can be placed individually on the surface of the compost. A tip here, to help you get them in the correct place, is that you can move them with a small artists paint brush. Cover the seed to the correct depth. The back of the seed pack will let you know what depth to cover with, it will also help you with sunlight requirements, if you need to plant it in full sun or shade. This is important as too much compost will make life difficult for your seedling. a good measure is to look at the seed, the length of the seed is the depth you need to plant it at, so tiny seeds simply leave in the surface, larger seeds like pumpkin for example, plant them 4 or 5 mm deep. Gently water the surface of this compost. That’s it. Just keep the tray somewhere at the best temperature for the seed. I usually find that my kitchen window is fine.
If you need to water the seed tray, I usually do this by standing it in a small saucer of water and letting the compost act like a sponge and soak that water up. I find this does not disturb things as much as using a watering can does. Let this water drain away though as the compost needs to be moist but not wet. Finally, when the seedling is large enough to handle and has developed some true leaves not just seed leaves, I transfer it to its own pot of compost and let it grow larger. When you do this you need to be gentle and only hold the seedling by a leaf. Holding by the stem can crush it as the stem is very fragile and this crushing will kill the seedling.
A final point, remember that many seeds can be sown direct into the ground where they are to grow. This is so you don't disturb the root system and especially the tap root that can be very prone to damage.
Growing your own vegetables from seed is so easy. It is great fun to watch the tiny seedlings emerge from the soil and of course is a great deal cheaper than buying from the market. It is not as quick though. The reason why it is cheaper is that you are doing all the work yourself.
There is no reason why you cannot re-use your pots year after year, and in today’s Reduce, Re-use, Recycle world we live in it is a good idea. I use some pots year after year, not because I am too cheap to buy new ones but simply because there is nothing wrong with the old pots that have been cleaned and sterilized. I simply soak them in a tub of water to loosen any old dirt, wash them in warm soapy water using a stiff bristled brush, rinse in clean water and finally soak in a disinfectant solution. I use very diluted bleach,this usually works, but remember to wear waterproof gloves for this last stage as many of these chemicals are strong and could do some damage your skin.
I also buy new cheap disposable pots each year as I can more or less assume these are sterile so there can be no danger of transferring diseases from old dirty pots to new seedlings. There are not just pots though, I also use trays, little plug trays where the seedling can grow in its own cell. I have even started larger seeds off in the discarded middles of toilet rolls. These are planted out as they are into your soil mix and the roots grow through the cardboard. The toilet roll eventually degrades into the soil.
Let’s start off by assuming we are sowing into trays. Fill the tray with whatever compost you are using and gently firm this down until you have a fairly level surface. At this stage you need to water this so that the seed will be surrounded by moisture. You then need to sow the seed. Very small seeds should be gently sprinkled, not too thickly, on to the surface of the compost. Larger seeds such as tomatoes can be placed individually on the surface of the compost. A tip here, to help you get them in the correct place, is that you can move them with a small artists paint brush. Cover the seed to the correct depth. The back of the seed pack will let you know what depth to cover with, it will also help you with sunlight requirements, if you need to plant it in full sun or shade. This is important as too much compost will make life difficult for your seedling. a good measure is to look at the seed, the length of the seed is the depth you need to plant it at, so tiny seeds simply leave in the surface, larger seeds like pumpkin for example, plant them 4 or 5 mm deep. Gently water the surface of this compost. That’s it. Just keep the tray somewhere at the best temperature for the seed. I usually find that my kitchen window is fine.
If you need to water the seed tray, I usually do this by standing it in a small saucer of water and letting the compost act like a sponge and soak that water up. I find this does not disturb things as much as using a watering can does. Let this water drain away though as the compost needs to be moist but not wet. Finally, when the seedling is large enough to handle and has developed some true leaves not just seed leaves, I transfer it to its own pot of compost and let it grow larger. When you do this you need to be gentle and only hold the seedling by a leaf. Holding by the stem can crush it as the stem is very fragile and this crushing will kill the seedling.
A final point, remember that many seeds can be sown direct into the ground where they are to grow. This is so you don't disturb the root system and especially the tap root that can be very prone to damage.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Preparing soil for growing fruits and vegetables.
Good day my gardening Chums!
Nothing is more satisfying than producing your own fresh garden vegetables. The tastiest veg and fruits comes from your garden.
The most important part of successful gardening is to properly prepare the soil. Heavy clay soils are fairly rich in nutrients but very poor in aeration and drainage. An ideal garden soil will contain at least 20% organic matter to improve aeration and drainage as well as to hold nutrients until plants can use them. Chicken manure or compost can all be added.
To prepare the soil, first wait until the soil is ready to work. If the soil is too wet, clay will pack into hard clods. To check the soil, squeeze a handful into a ball, then press on it. If it crumbles, the soil is ready. If the soil dents like modeling clay, it is too wet to use. If the soil is too dry, it will shatter into dust, then turn to mud when it is watered. Water dry soil and let it soak in for a day or two and with our constant rain that wont take long! I recommend two or three inches of compost.
Raised beds provide better drainage and aeration. i will soon be posting some ideas on how to make them with step by step guides. The beds should be narrow enough so the middle can be reached from the side where you built it. A four feet wide bed with a one-foot wide walking area works well. Even better, surround the soil with 2" by 12" long wooden planks. Make sure the wood preservative used is non-toxic.
Nothing is more satisfying than producing your own fresh garden vegetables. The tastiest veg and fruits comes from your garden.
The most important part of successful gardening is to properly prepare the soil. Heavy clay soils are fairly rich in nutrients but very poor in aeration and drainage. An ideal garden soil will contain at least 20% organic matter to improve aeration and drainage as well as to hold nutrients until plants can use them. Chicken manure or compost can all be added.
To prepare the soil, first wait until the soil is ready to work. If the soil is too wet, clay will pack into hard clods. To check the soil, squeeze a handful into a ball, then press on it. If it crumbles, the soil is ready. If the soil dents like modeling clay, it is too wet to use. If the soil is too dry, it will shatter into dust, then turn to mud when it is watered. Water dry soil and let it soak in for a day or two and with our constant rain that wont take long! I recommend two or three inches of compost.
Raised beds provide better drainage and aeration. i will soon be posting some ideas on how to make them with step by step guides. The beds should be narrow enough so the middle can be reached from the side where you built it. A four feet wide bed with a one-foot wide walking area works well. Even better, surround the soil with 2" by 12" long wooden planks. Make sure the wood preservative used is non-toxic.
Friday, August 13, 2010
New stock in
Good morning my gardening chums!
We have some new Strawberry plants today, loads of fruit on them, also i started to individually pot up some herbs, i have five or six pots of Basil now, and i think 4 pots of Majoram. the mint and Rosemary are still a little small yet.
i will post some pictures next week.
We have some new Strawberry plants today, loads of fruit on them, also i started to individually pot up some herbs, i have five or six pots of Basil now, and i think 4 pots of Majoram. the mint and Rosemary are still a little small yet.
i will post some pictures next week.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Taking care of your plants in hot weather
As we all know, there is no respite from the sun here in Kuching, we seem to have two kinds of weather, hot or hot and wet, that's about it!
so, when the sun has been especially hot we need to pay extra attention to our garden and how we water the plants. I would always, always advise against doing any sort of work that involves exposing plant roots during the hottest parts of the day. The roots are especially vulnerable to heat. if you water the plants during this time of day, also you may kill the plant as the water will literally cook the plant.
So, when watering your plant, or transferring it to or from a pot or ground make sure you do it first thing in the morning, or very late in the afternoon around 6 or 7pm, that way your plant has a better chance of survival.
so, when the sun has been especially hot we need to pay extra attention to our garden and how we water the plants. I would always, always advise against doing any sort of work that involves exposing plant roots during the hottest parts of the day. The roots are especially vulnerable to heat. if you water the plants during this time of day, also you may kill the plant as the water will literally cook the plant.
So, when watering your plant, or transferring it to or from a pot or ground make sure you do it first thing in the morning, or very late in the afternoon around 6 or 7pm, that way your plant has a better chance of survival.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Rosemary germinating
Good news, the first two rosemary seedlings have germinated after a week and a half of being planted, i also planted a nwe batch last week so fingers crossed!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Strawberry pot flowering
One of our pots which is for sale has just started to flower, now i wanted you to see that in a real strawberry, the flowers are white, not yellow like in a false strawberry.
i have also took some pictures of one of our false strawberry, as you can see, they look so similar with the leaf structure but the flowers are yellow, so dont let anyone fool you into buying the wrong one!
also our Vanilla plants are doing really well, going very fast and boy are they growing fast, they love shade so if you buy them keep them in the shade ok?
1st pic is the blooming strawberry
2nd pic is the false strawberry
And last but not least is our Vanilla plants
i have also took some pictures of one of our false strawberry, as you can see, they look so similar with the leaf structure but the flowers are yellow, so dont let anyone fool you into buying the wrong one!
also our Vanilla plants are doing really well, going very fast and boy are they growing fast, they love shade so if you buy them keep them in the shade ok?
1st pic is the blooming strawberry
2nd pic is the false strawberry
And last but not least is our Vanilla plants
Welcome to our new Blog
Hi there my fellow gardening chums, let me start by welcoming you to our new blog, i will try when possible to add new and interesting articles from the world of gardening in here to help us all become better gardeners.
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