Growing plants at home is one of my favorites. Despite a limited garden space, it did not hinder me from planting various vegetables, and I am delighted that they grow abundantly with a bountiful harvest.
This day is a perfect time to flex the vegetables in my mini garden as the Hive Blog Posting Month or #HiveBloPoMo has embraced this challenge when the world celebrates International Plant Appreciation Day every 13th of April.
Since the space is limited, I am choosing suitable vegetables that will be right for the area. So instead of planting ornamental plants beside our gate, I utilized the space to grow Ladyfinger, Chayote, and Bitter Gourd.
Ladies Finger
It seemed only yesterday when I planted these vegetables. I remembered that I had grown the Ladyfinger or commonly known as Okra, in my locality on the first month of the year.
Inch by inch, it has developed, bloomed, and reaped many harvests.
I planted the seeds of the ladyfingers on the second week of January 2023, and on the second day of February 2023, I noticed its minimal growth.
And then, as days passed by, I noticed that the flowers were blooming, which was a remarkable moment that any time soon, every stalk of the ladyfinger would bear fruit.
The following week, the flowers gradually turned into tiny ladyfinger fruits, and I was amazed. So I was indeed very eager to have my first harvest.
And when the time came for my first harvest, I picked only a few of the ladyfingers and had a try to cook them without buying them from the market. So here is a glimpse of my first harvest.
I only harvested seven ladyfingers on my first try. At first, I placed it in the grass and then later transferred it to the white plate.
I have not put organic fertilizer on the vermicast soil but did not spray the plants. So some ants were enjoying the newly bloomed fruits. However, most of the lady's fingers were healthy produce.
Every day I cultivate the soil and water the plants. And now I am glad that daily I can have an abundant harvest.
With big smiles, I am harvesting the ladyfingers with full eagerness, for these harvests are the fruit of my labor.
And here are the many harvests of the Ladyfingers I placed on my plate. I boiled them to make a vegetable salad and mixed them with spices and vinegar.
So whenever I cook a vegetable at home, I will get a knife to pick some and serve it on the table in any recipe I want.
Chayote
I remember I planted the Chayote when my sister Erika was still alive. Walking down memory lane, it was last August 2022 when I saw an overgrown fruit of Chayote in the refrigerator, so I decided to place it on the side of our water reservoir.
After many months, the one Chayote fruit turned into this that climbed in the tank and then climbed on the coconut tree beside our house.
Although it was so abundant, I was afraid to go near it because there was a time that I had seen a black snake with a red color on it that seemed to make the Chayote vines a habitat.
My neighbors told me to be careful because snakes love to live in this plant because of its relaxed atmosphere that could camouflage them.
So every time I will harvest, I am making it sure that I am very vigilant just in case one pops near me. And here are plenty of Chayote that I gathered last time.
Still, I cannot believe that it all came from one fruit because of having a bountiful harvest. I also shared my harvest with my friends and relatives. And they were all happy to receive vegetables from me.
Bitter Gourd
Bitter gourds are commonly known as Ampalaya here in my place. I also planted it together with the Ladyfinger last January, and I am happy to see that it is also now bearing fruits.
Although the ladyfingers bloomed first, I noticed that my bitter gourds produced more flowers. I so love the colors of its flowers in yellow as it climbs on the straw that I placed near the rails.
So I took quick photos, and suddenly, I noticed the mini fruits that resembled that big ampalaya. The tiny fruits were so cute, and honestly, it was my first time seeing them, as I usually observe the big ones.
I just let the fruits grow without picking them. My aunt suggested wrapping them with paper so no pests would attack them.
But then I tried to let it freely grow on the stem, so I will know if there are natural pests, I am hoping that it will also have healthy and bountiful produce just like my other vegetables.
Here are the bitter gourds I have not harvested yet because they still need time to grow and develop.
And as weeks passed by, I was pleased to pick one.
I cooked it in the morning and mixed it with a beaten egg as the bitter gourd was sauteed by me and mixed with spices.
And that it always feels so good to have my vegetables produced at home without bothering to buy them at the market.
Perhaps planting vegetables at home despite a limited garden space had not only helped me save money but as well as ensuring that the vegetables that I was eating were all healthy and fresh.
Happy International Plant Appreciation Day!
Disclaimer: All texts and pictures are my own unless otherwise stated.
