Potato Trial

Its gonna be a quick post , Just took a Potato , Dug a bit of soil in the pot say an inch and dumped the little man into it .
Just to see his heads , if you know what i mean .

Its been 4 days since i did this - just to keep a track noting down this in ma blog ..Will post a pic soon !

A quick Google to this link http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/how-to-plant-potatoes/ and i realized i'm doing something wrong , same as what the blogger has done , gonna see if i can pull it out and replant !

Hoping its gonna cope ! laughing loud when i wrote the statement ! Don't know why , thinking of Dh ..

Ok as usual will keep you updated !

Update : 

Yesterday , pulled it out carefully , see this is how it looks , its having a lot of roots already .

You can see the Heads/Eyes popping up , So divided this in to 2 and re-potted it into 2 different pots , gonna see if its gonna work .

Update : March 02 -2014

So excited to see the leaves coming up , yahoo looks like the transplant was successful .Both the pot have the leaves popping up today , waving a Hi ! They look so Delicate and vulnerable to the sun's heat , But natures will take care , haven't given any protection ,let see how this goes.

Update :March 09 -2014

My little man seems to be growing strong . Have added a handful of compost to the pot .
See how he looks , So green and Lively .Need ideas how to add a fence or a grill to add more when he grows ! Thinking ...

Update :March 25 -2014

Both are growing super strong until now , hilling them up with soil .

I can see some buds coming up as well, so its a good indicator that the tubers are forming .
The experts say once its flowered , wait for 2 week and check .Then tip the upper portion off and leave it in the dry soil for a week to ensure the skin is kept intact . Hmm lot of work you see , its worth growing your own plants , you see how they grow and all the effort you have put in , and yeah not to mention food gonna taste double tasty and i'm sure you wont think about wasting any food ! 

Update :April 10 -2014

Ok so i pulled out one of the plants in the pots to check , was disappointed to see nothing tuned up , just roots .Have kept the other one , the leaves are dieing down , but i have no hope . May be i didn't hill up much and also the pot might be small , But lets see .

Koorka - Lovely

Koorka /Koorkai called Chinese potato , which is often used at home . Its one of the favorites i could say for Dh .I can see him eating it with all his heart, if you know what i mean  ! 
Koorka Mezhukkupuratti or Stir fried , its taste yummy , and not to mention the moolagutal hmmm i can taste ! Super yummy . But the job of cleaning it, is time consuming  ! Have found a work around thou , just place it in the pressure cooker and just 2 whistles and the skin peels off easily !

ok not deviating , To keep it short , Last time when FIL came from Kerala , he got a bag of koorka and it was consumed , Just saved one , which i repent could have kept some more.
Just stored it in a Moist area , and then i could see there's some growth on it ,  Dug the soil and placed it in a sunny spot . Taada and here i can see some green popping up . Looks lovely , Wikki says its a part of the mint family , oh yeah its resembles it ? but don't smell anything yet , not sure if the source is correct thou .

Anyways It worth growing anything green ! Its a pleasure to see it early in the morning ! its more like a stress buster which give you a lot of positive vibes.

More Experiments More Surprises

Last week was hectic , guess what dh had gone to Amsterdam for some business visit . But for sure it was worth it , haha (laughfing loud ) I'm sure youv guessed it , yeah seeds . I can't just write the amount of blessing and love I have from him , yeah he can so understand what I need . Ok I know I'm blogging relating to gardening , but he's a part of all my experiments yeah ?. 

You need some one to encourage you , say its ok for failures etc etc . And pull you back to the same level of enthuse , anyways so he had visited the floral market for me , called me from there, reading out the list , it was flowers and not vegges , so I didn't need it for the time being . Trust me vegge plants have flowers that look so beautiful equivalent to the ornamental ones .

Anyways once he reached the airport , he could get hold of some vegges for me .He purchased some Yellow cherry tomatoes seeds that had some cute little seed tray or cups , a green house and some cocopeat presskit or tablets which bulged when we poured some water on it . 

Then some purple flower seeds as well don't remember the name check the picture,jalapeno variety, cayenne pepper ,sugar baby variety, cosmos..

 So today was the day when I came back home in the afternoon , little h helped me to put in the above seeds , just wishing them germinate soon , my last batch or the last blogged seeds are still yet to germinate , its quite cold here and nature is taking its sweet time . Waiting patiently checking everyday if there's anything up !

Later thought of testing the soil on the ground , have sowed some spinach , last week aerated the soil and added some manure and compost , hoping these will germinate as well.

Also would Like to add , don't remember or can't track when I sowed the carrot that came from India in a small plastic container , yeah and didn't expect all to germinate . 

I have transplanted it to other small reused bisleri bottles , yeah you heard it right Transplanted , lets see how that goes , but usually the experts don't suggest a transplant , its a direct sow ..but this looks successful.Naming it Aparna ! you know why if you have read my post !

Last but not the least , some greens had come up and was thinking its coriander , but nature never ceases to surprise me , those were carrot saplings, they are growing tall , guess I disposed some seeds there after sowing it in some container , since it didn't turn up I threw it , so nature continues to tell me to sit tight and wait , patience is virtue .

Good nite , will update you'll with more saplings , its spring now as per the festivals celebrated here in Qatar , haven't heard of it in a desert ha , I feel its more of winter , its cold , germination is taking long. Tata.

- Update : Feb 24 . 

Ok so the Green house helped to germinate fast - its less than 4 days ! Wohoo - Im learning !

- Update : Feb 25

Yahoo  sugar babies are up ! 

-March 08 2014

See who's here to see Aparna , a little green wormie. With all the emotions running here and there , with my little one not keeping well , caught a glimpse of this naughty boy .
Don't know how he got here , May be since i added a little compost to the bottle or is it from the Air ! just amazed . Didn't take the effort to check if he was helpful or a pest , just flushed him down , feel so guilty/Sad , he looks amazing .Feeling Sad.

April 13 2014

Remember the green on the ground , They turned up well .
OK the fact was that i was to dam lazy to work in the garden for a couple of days , due to several issues , I don't know if i can say it was laziness, or actually distracted from the main targets i had . OK so after some time i decided that i need to get back , and i have deviated a lot , its time i wake up , have some positive vibes etc , ok i'm overreacting now lol , So yesterday went back to the backyard , and started cleaning up all the mess , which stopped in the middle anyways :) ill do it Soon.
I pulled out the carrots on the ground , i didn't expect this surprise , CARROTS ! WOHOO.
So that didn't stop me , in a sheer excitement pulled out the others in the bisleri bottle , but it failed , they were dam small . Had i given them a chance to grow , they could have grown more big thou there were space constraints .That's the time i realized , it needed more time , The ones that were big were almost 3 month old , while this was lesser .
So what i learnt from the carrots , yeah i can see the same thing in relationships , The more time you give , The more you don't expect , Excitement is not everything , Patience is needed , Sometimes you get deviated , its ok , as long as you get back knowing your wrong and ready to accept that fact that there more things to be looked upon , its OK to start over again , your learning the hard way at least ! 

Beetroot, Zucchini and Others

One of the reasons to grow beet was because of the leaf , I had thrown some left over beet caps in the compost, which had some beautiful leaves later .
Secondly i saw one of the QG members growing it - Alas can we really grow beets here ! is it the right weather etc etc ..Went out quickly to the near by Nursery and picked the beet seeds .. OK that didn't stop there , purchased some zucchini also . 

Usually heard a lot a liners saying grow what you eat ! here i am growing something that i haven't tasted and going to eat since i grew them ! Ayoo ..

But This has in turn helped me to learn new recipes as well. One of the examples were the broccoli .
I have never ever eaten it all my life , Don't know why the look of it made me stop . Ordered a couple of sizzlers many times but have kept this veggie aside . Here i am growing broccoli from the seeds sent from India . 

Ok so what i did purchased a broccoli to give it a try before in hand , and of course as i said in my earlier post My BIL Gandhi boy being a reason as well, it was a super hit in the family , a mild spiced dish of Dal and broccoli , it went so well and i was surprised my Lil devil liking it . Tried some broccoli and cheese tikki - its was ok not the best thou , wouldn't recommend ..
Other Reasons for growing a beet was , we all loved it at home and it pumped in so much of blood as per my in law , Ahim Ahim ..

 Zuchini , Is one of the them i'm growing for the first time as well, It called as the summer Squash or Semai Sorakkai in Tamil , i could grow a winter Squash , so why not a summer squash in a desert ! what say people . Its technically a fruit not a veggie thou - says wikki .

These are seeds that i purchased and sowed it in small coffee cups , kept it aside for germination 

 Sowed other seeds as well like the Moringa , Brinjal etc Will keep you update with the Mains one soon.

Update Feb13 2014: Out of so many seeds sown - Just 2 poped up

Update Feb 25 2014 : A couple of the zucchini are up and have transplanted it to the pots .

Update March 09 2014:

Zucchinis are growing big and green so far , a lil bit of leaf miners here and there , its been taken care for the time being . Can see some buds sprouting up , not sure if its going to be vegges or just flowers .Whatever it might be , just love them grow. Keep growing babies.

And at-last my beets being transplanted , with so much of mixed emotions . Why i'm saying this ? My little one down with fever and is been struggling to get out of it . I'm tired as well , Dh as usual has given my "Me time " .Transplanted them , but then something doesn't look good here , left them straight under the sun , don't know what i was thinking , haven't taken care transplanting this time . Hopefully the beets are going to recover same like my little one. Have covered them ( semi shade ) now. Parenting is not only for children but for plants as well ! learning to do one task at a time ! 

Update March 17 2014:  

Just while my inspiration levels are going down , this one pops up and me smile . Its been quite tiring , My lil one falling sick and then me with ear infection , Dusty wind etc etc . Just praying hard that my plants survive the natures anger ! O yeah and then comes the drop of rain clearing out the sky and now they seem to be ok again . I been following the zucchini everyday to see when it will bloom ! 
Today was a busy morning , woke up late since i slept late last night after reading a book , its been pending quite some time .
Was rushing to office and the zucchini stopped me , "Hey you there , why didn't you follow me today ! " stood still seeing them without a blink . Ahhh there you go , 4 females and one male , lol . Female population is growing ! hahah loved it , quickly hand pollinated the ladies , didn't want to take a chance , wanted them to conceive ! Not a sight of the pollinators around , hmmp , this is making me think why not grow some flowers as well for the pollinators ! 

Update : March 25 2014

Wohoo Partially the hand pollination worked , 2 out of 4 survived . 
The lady is growing big , she's a teen now , need to take care more ! Hmm now i can sense some cats as well in the backyard , being a pest ! They just dig up the soil and leave it messy , had one of the papaya and tomato uprooted as well ! its ok they are just being them self ! so don't wanna feel bad about it ! they need some Entertainment as well , yeah what say !

Update : April 1 2014

Got the 1st zucchini out of the plant, doesn't seem any closer to the pic on the seed pack , but still tasted good, made some Thoran out of it .