Good afternoon my gardening chums,
we have decided to create some new pots for gardeners to choose what plants they want to grow. Each pot is RM50 and will have four herbs in it, as each plant is normally RM15 thats a saving already.
So you can choose from 4 basil, or 4 dill, or maybe 2 basil one sage and one dill, you get the idea.
right now i have Mint, Sage, Majoram, Dill, Basil available for you to choose from, so drop me an email or pop over to get your herbs.
I also have some cat's whisker plants available to buy too. They are RM20 and the leaves are very good in traditional chinese medicine, the tea you make with it is very good for diabetes and also kidney problems.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Some new herbs
Good morning my gardening chums,
I have some new herbs growing now to add to the collection i have some cats whisker cuttings, used as a medicinal herb, the leaves are used to make tea. But the flower looks so pretty and they attract alot of butterflies too.
I also have some Dill now, very good with fish, put some in the cavity of the fish and makes it taste great. Also i have some Sage, a very old and traditional western herb, wonderful with chicken and also pork too.
as well as those i still have two rosemary left, loads of mint and loads of basil plus some new majoram, so pop over to say to say hello!
I have some new herbs growing now to add to the collection i have some cats whisker cuttings, used as a medicinal herb, the leaves are used to make tea. But the flower looks so pretty and they attract alot of butterflies too.
I also have some Dill now, very good with fish, put some in the cavity of the fish and makes it taste great. Also i have some Sage, a very old and traditional western herb, wonderful with chicken and also pork too.
as well as those i still have two rosemary left, loads of mint and loads of basil plus some new majoram, so pop over to say to say hello!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Growing Pumpkins
Good day my gardening chums and happy Malaysia day!
I thought i would continue my advice on growing fruit and vegetables by giving some hints and tips on growing pumpkins, very easy to grow but they do take up some room with the long runners.
Here are some tips to follow when growing pumpkins in your garden.
1
Choose a type of pumpkin to plant that is designed for what you want the pumpkin for. You can also choose from a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes with pumpkin seeds. You can also grow pumpkins of different sizes or a single size. Once you have made the decisions about what type of pumpkin you want to grow you will need to start the seeds off that you can get from inside the pumpkin fruit.
2
When planting pumpkins make sure you choose an area that gets plenty of sunlight. You want to have the area receive at least eight hours of sunlight a day, ten hours a day is even better. If the pumpkins are grown in the shade, they will refuse to fruit, which means you will not have any pumpkins to harvest. If they do manage to produce, pumpkins that are raised in the shade are small, distorted, and off colour.
3
After you have planted, the pumpkin seeds to be sure that they get the best growth possible they should be watered on a daily basis. When it comes to watering you want to make sure that you don't over water the pumpkins, in other words you don't want the ground to be soggy as this can cause your pumpkins to rot. They should also be fertilized regularly with a quality vegetable fertilizer or with some chicken manure, the small coloured balls of fertiliser for fruiting plants are best and follow the amount required on the label.
4
Once your pumpkins have begun to sprout, you are going to need to prune back your plants. When planting the seeds you will end up with more plants sprouting than what you need. On average, what you need to do is begin pulling some of the extra plants when they are about three inches in height. You want to have only three plants for every three feet. When spacing your plants you also want to think about how wide pumpkin plants grow. Rows should be about three feet apart, or if you have an overhang for pumpkins to grow over on that would work out well.
I hope you find some of these hints and tips handy, enjoy your pumpkins!
I thought i would continue my advice on growing fruit and vegetables by giving some hints and tips on growing pumpkins, very easy to grow but they do take up some room with the long runners.
Here are some tips to follow when growing pumpkins in your garden.
1
Choose a type of pumpkin to plant that is designed for what you want the pumpkin for. You can also choose from a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes with pumpkin seeds. You can also grow pumpkins of different sizes or a single size. Once you have made the decisions about what type of pumpkin you want to grow you will need to start the seeds off that you can get from inside the pumpkin fruit.
2
When planting pumpkins make sure you choose an area that gets plenty of sunlight. You want to have the area receive at least eight hours of sunlight a day, ten hours a day is even better. If the pumpkins are grown in the shade, they will refuse to fruit, which means you will not have any pumpkins to harvest. If they do manage to produce, pumpkins that are raised in the shade are small, distorted, and off colour.
3
After you have planted, the pumpkin seeds to be sure that they get the best growth possible they should be watered on a daily basis. When it comes to watering you want to make sure that you don't over water the pumpkins, in other words you don't want the ground to be soggy as this can cause your pumpkins to rot. They should also be fertilized regularly with a quality vegetable fertilizer or with some chicken manure, the small coloured balls of fertiliser for fruiting plants are best and follow the amount required on the label.
4
Once your pumpkins have begun to sprout, you are going to need to prune back your plants. When planting the seeds you will end up with more plants sprouting than what you need. On average, what you need to do is begin pulling some of the extra plants when they are about three inches in height. You want to have only three plants for every three feet. When spacing your plants you also want to think about how wide pumpkin plants grow. Rows should be about three feet apart, or if you have an overhang for pumpkins to grow over on that would work out well.
I hope you find some of these hints and tips handy, enjoy your pumpkins!
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Hari raya Sale!!
Dear gardening chums,
first may i take the opportunity to wish all a Selemat Hari Raya, and to mark the start of this i am having a sale here on the strawberry plants and the vanilla plants, only for this weekend so pop over and say hi.
first may i take the opportunity to wish all a Selemat Hari Raya, and to mark the start of this i am having a sale here on the strawberry plants and the vanilla plants, only for this weekend so pop over and say hi.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Strawberry planter, check it out
Good morning my gardening chums,
Each week i will give my views on some products that you can get from my Amazon Kuching Fruits and Herbs store. Today i woudl like to talk about the Felknor Ventures topsy turvy strawberrry planter. its an awesome display product for showing off your plants. Not only is it for strawberry but can be used for growing parsley, basil, rosemary, mint, and other tasty herbs too. why not check it out, its pretty awesome.
Oh and speaking of herbs, i now have four rosemary plants germinated and looking good, plus about six Basil and about thirty mint. the mint are tiny but they are available for sale, as is the rosemary and also the Basil which has larger leaves. pop over to view.
Each week i will give my views on some products that you can get from my Amazon Kuching Fruits and Herbs store. Today i woudl like to talk about the Felknor Ventures topsy turvy strawberrry planter. its an awesome display product for showing off your plants. Not only is it for strawberry but can be used for growing parsley, basil, rosemary, mint, and other tasty herbs too. why not check it out, its pretty awesome.
Oh and speaking of herbs, i now have four rosemary plants germinated and looking good, plus about six Basil and about thirty mint. the mint are tiny but they are available for sale, as is the rosemary and also the Basil which has larger leaves. pop over to view.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Growing plants and vegetables in our hot weather
Good morning my gardening chums!
When the weather is hot and humid like here in Malaysia, some special growing techniques help vegetable gardeners to keep their cool.
Asian gardeners are blessed with some real advantages. We have a long growing season, fertile soils rich in organic matter and plenty of sunshine. We also face some real challenges: heat high humidity, excessive rainfall...and drought, often in the same year. Oh yes, and there are insects, diseases and strong winds.
How can you live with these problems and still enjoy growing vegetables here? One way is with careful scheduling. Wet season crops are easy if they are planted in October to March, but they are a disaster in summer dry season. Dry season vegetables are planted in April or May and again in August or September. To grow your own transplants, sow seeds six to eight weeks before the setting-out dates. For example, broccoli and cauliflower (wet season crops) should be seeded in late July for late transplant; tomatoes (a dry season crop) should be seeded in late January for spring transplanting.
To deal with excessive rainfall, and the resulting waterlogged soil, gardeners often plant in raised beds. Construct beds 8 to 12 inches high using recycled timber or broken concrete. Reduce soil loss from raised beds by lining the inside with a weed barrier fabric.
As an alternative to raised beds. vegetable crops can be planted on ridges of soil worked up in the garden. Use a tiller to form the ridges or do it the old-fashioned way with a shovel. First dig a trench 6 inches deep. Put down a band of fertilizer (one pound of 15-5-10 per 100 feet of row, or use an organic like chicken manure). then replace the soil and heap on more soil from each side of the row. You now have a ridge of soil on which to plant, your crops should be sale from all but the worst of floods.
High humidity makes outdoor work unpleasant when the weeds are growing fastest: it can also contribute to problems with fungal diseases. Wider spacing can help with the diseases. For instance. put tomato plants 4 feet apart instead of 3 feet. The humidity level won't change, but the improved air circulation will reduce disease problems and make it easier to spray if necessary. There is really no relief for gardeners except to get up early and work in the garden before the temperature and humidity become excessive.
At other times, usually early in the dry season and perhaps late in the season, high winds can damage tender transplants.
Actually, the bright sun and heat offer some pest control opportunities. Nematodes, those microscopic roundworms that attack plant roots, need soil moisture to survive. If you "dry till" the soil several times while it is hot and dry you can significantly reduce nematode populations.
Solarisation of soil does even more: it helps to control nematodes, weeds, soil-borne diseases and insects. Till the soil while it is slightly moist; water it if necessary. Then cover the area with a double layer of clear plastic for about six weeks during July, August or September. A single layer will do if it is resistant to ultraviolet light. Be sure the edges are tucked in a trench around the perimeter and leave the plastic a little floppy so tough weeds can't poke through.
Malaysian gardeners, like gardeners everywhere, are faced with certain climatic challenges and limitations. Meet the challenges with creative solutions and you'll find that vegetable gardening here can be fun and fulfilling.
Regardless of where you are planting, from the front yard to the vegetable garden, it is important to select plant varieties that are adapted to your climate. This advice is especially true in humid Malaysian gardens.
Dry season vegetables: ladies fingers, long beans, hot peppers, eggplant, chilli's, Strawberry plants, sweet corn,
Wet season vegetables: broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, multiplying onions, Vanilla, golden bringel, garlic
Pick the right fruits,herbs and vegetables to suit the right time of year and you will enjoy fresh produce all year round, its all about planning your garden, creating the right crop rotations to reduce disease and to allow the soil time to recover from the previous growth.
When the weather is hot and humid like here in Malaysia, some special growing techniques help vegetable gardeners to keep their cool.
Asian gardeners are blessed with some real advantages. We have a long growing season, fertile soils rich in organic matter and plenty of sunshine. We also face some real challenges: heat high humidity, excessive rainfall...and drought, often in the same year. Oh yes, and there are insects, diseases and strong winds.
How can you live with these problems and still enjoy growing vegetables here? One way is with careful scheduling. Wet season crops are easy if they are planted in October to March, but they are a disaster in summer dry season. Dry season vegetables are planted in April or May and again in August or September. To grow your own transplants, sow seeds six to eight weeks before the setting-out dates. For example, broccoli and cauliflower (wet season crops) should be seeded in late July for late transplant; tomatoes (a dry season crop) should be seeded in late January for spring transplanting.
To deal with excessive rainfall, and the resulting waterlogged soil, gardeners often plant in raised beds. Construct beds 8 to 12 inches high using recycled timber or broken concrete. Reduce soil loss from raised beds by lining the inside with a weed barrier fabric.
As an alternative to raised beds. vegetable crops can be planted on ridges of soil worked up in the garden. Use a tiller to form the ridges or do it the old-fashioned way with a shovel. First dig a trench 6 inches deep. Put down a band of fertilizer (one pound of 15-5-10 per 100 feet of row, or use an organic like chicken manure). then replace the soil and heap on more soil from each side of the row. You now have a ridge of soil on which to plant, your crops should be sale from all but the worst of floods.
High humidity makes outdoor work unpleasant when the weeds are growing fastest: it can also contribute to problems with fungal diseases. Wider spacing can help with the diseases. For instance. put tomato plants 4 feet apart instead of 3 feet. The humidity level won't change, but the improved air circulation will reduce disease problems and make it easier to spray if necessary. There is really no relief for gardeners except to get up early and work in the garden before the temperature and humidity become excessive.
At other times, usually early in the dry season and perhaps late in the season, high winds can damage tender transplants.
Actually, the bright sun and heat offer some pest control opportunities. Nematodes, those microscopic roundworms that attack plant roots, need soil moisture to survive. If you "dry till" the soil several times while it is hot and dry you can significantly reduce nematode populations.
Solarisation of soil does even more: it helps to control nematodes, weeds, soil-borne diseases and insects. Till the soil while it is slightly moist; water it if necessary. Then cover the area with a double layer of clear plastic for about six weeks during July, August or September. A single layer will do if it is resistant to ultraviolet light. Be sure the edges are tucked in a trench around the perimeter and leave the plastic a little floppy so tough weeds can't poke through.
Malaysian gardeners, like gardeners everywhere, are faced with certain climatic challenges and limitations. Meet the challenges with creative solutions and you'll find that vegetable gardening here can be fun and fulfilling.
Regardless of where you are planting, from the front yard to the vegetable garden, it is important to select plant varieties that are adapted to your climate. This advice is especially true in humid Malaysian gardens.
Dry season vegetables: ladies fingers, long beans, hot peppers, eggplant, chilli's, Strawberry plants, sweet corn,
Wet season vegetables: broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, multiplying onions, Vanilla, golden bringel, garlic
Pick the right fruits,herbs and vegetables to suit the right time of year and you will enjoy fresh produce all year round, its all about planning your garden, creating the right crop rotations to reduce disease and to allow the soil time to recover from the previous growth.
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