Okra

THIS EVENING IN THE GARDEN`

| gaiainaction

After dropping Ian at the boatyard today, where he was as happy as a pig in mud (his words), I decided to start with planting out some more Broad Beans, the plants now strong and more than ready to go into the raised beds. I am happy to see how lush everything is starting to look and there is good growth too.  The Turmeric plant is doing very well, and the Bitter Gourds are almost ready to be planted out too, must decide though where to put them! Then there are the Oca tubers, they have sprouted, their leaves look like that of a Clover. The Fenugreek, and the Okra (Lady’s fingers) has sprouted also. All very exciting, and so lots happening right now in the garden.  I mulched the Pea plants as they were drying out too fast during the sunny days, we have not had rain for at least twenty days which is unheard of around here.

Today was so lovely and sunny, all doors and windows open, I was thinking, while having a long drink of Fennel tea outside, that I could easily live outside all the time (temperature allowing).  When we were in Portugal last year, even the sink of the chalet where we were staying was outside and I loved that.  There is nothing as nice and relaxing as feeling the warm sunshine on your body.
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The Strawberry flowers are coming out already!

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Lemon Balm and Comfrey doing great!

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Flower patch, and Beans growing well.

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Part of the garden, and the foliage of the Oca plant.

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The Bitter Gourd seedling, and the Turmeric plant.

BITTER GOURD SEEDLING   TURMERIC PLANT

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HAPPINESS IS SEEING SEEDS SPROUT

| gaiainaction

An exciting and busy day today, went to Deelish Garden Centre, bought organic compost to sow more seeds in, as the cheap soil I was using was literally useless, and I lost some seeds as a result. I also bought safe slug pellets, safe for other wildlife! But I got some surprises today, my Oca (Oxalis tuberosa) tuber has sprouted, for me it is a new vegetable, have not tried it before, so it is very exciting, I believe that it is also called New Zealand Yam though in fact it is not a Yam at all. Other good news is that there is another leaf on the White Bitter Gourd, and that the Green Bitter Gourd which is supposed to be of more worth medicinally is also sprouting. I put down seeds of many other sort, such as Okra, Fenugreek, Cucumber, Courgettes (little round ones), Yellow Cucumber, some French Beans, some Parsley, some Camomile. I am most excited about the Okra as I used to eat this vegetable in India and in Mauritius, and though you have to know how to cook it in order for it to be tasty, I got used to it, it is valuable for health. It gets a bit slimy if you cook it wrong.  And the Yacon root is up too, I planted two but one rotted, the other one has started to make long white roots, I hope that this vegetable will also grow as it is another new one for me.  It is a Peruvian ground apple, sweet apparently, I found loads of information on Wikipedia for both Yacon and Oca tubers.     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yac%C3%B3n     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_tuberosa

Below; the Oca, This plant was cultivated for its tubers, which are then used as a root vegetable, first found in central and south Andes but brought to Europe during the 19th century.  I learnt that the roots contain Vitamin A, Potassium, Vitamin B6, and small amounts of fibre, well that’s good.
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My little Tomato seedlings are now doing very well and growing rapidly.

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This is the seedling of the White Bitter Gourd, and since this morning the secondary leaf has grown and opened up!

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The Turmeric plant doing fine and better everyday, so happy, must start off some more as I use it in cooking everyday.

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The Green Bitter Gourd is only sprouting, needs tender loving care and good warmth.

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I have some seedlings that I cannot remember what they are, can’t believe that this happened to me this year, but it did, so now when the secondary leaves really start to show I can start guessing.

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