My garden delights

winterybella

winterybella

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21 Oct 2014
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When my husband first mentioned he was going to start a garden I was not excited. I said it was just going to be a failed mission. I would soon have to "eat" my words.:)

I would soon be literally eating , sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, beets, tomatoes, hot peppers, water melons, okras, carrots and few more herbs straight from my garden. My lime tree is loaded with limes at present.

Not everything came all at once and there was a time when I thought the mission would really fail. A garden calls for consistent attention and while we had mostly hits, we had a few misses.

Overall I am delighted it got off the "ground" and the fruits and vegetables reached my table. If your climate permits and you have the room for it, go for it. Having a garden can be a real delight.
 
I totally agree. I used to be so not supportive of my brother and father's gardening antics (as I called it then). I thought it's just a waste of energy and it's not like we can benefit from the plants they grew. But I was completely wrong. Now we're enjoying Jack Fruits, avocados, papayas, calamondins, gooseberries, chillis, Moringa leaves, stalks of water spinach and so much more on a regular basis.
 
Today I wanted some limes and it felt really good that I could go outside and pick a couple. I still worry that he might go a bit overboard. He's recently planted a mango tree and another lime tree. Lime trees are not very inviting. You most certainly will get some pricks. While I am happy to shop for free at home I still want enough land left free for my dogs to run wild.
 
Congratulations on your success. Gardening is something you learn by doing. I have friends who have a huge successful garden now and they have just learned by trying thing, reading up on how things grow and fixing problems as they come. If you have the climate for those trees, I think they will be a huge success for you.
 
DancingLady said:
Congratulations on your success. Gardening is something you learn by doing. I have friends who have a huge successful garden now and they have just learned by trying thing, reading up on how things grow and fixing problems as they come. If you have the climate for those trees, I think they will be a huge success for you.
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Thanks Dancing Lady but I can't take any credit for being too involved. I am the "mouther" of the project:). I like to ask what is available or suggest what to plant. I have a slight phobia for crawling or flying things so I am often afraid to go and pick anything from my garden. It has to be a squeaky clean area for me to venture out. Right now the gardener has been away for a week and it's a little bushy.

All the same I am still excited to have access to stuff right outside my door.
 
The idea of having a kitchen garden is a very good one. You have your own herbs and vegetables right there in your own backyard. This is definitely a saving since the prices of some vegetables can be pretty high at the grocery store.

We had a little kitchen garden going some years ago. This consisted mainly of rosemary, oregano, parsley and red peppers. However, that is now a thing of the past. We do have fruit trees though, and these are mangoes, limes, and sugar apples. The mango tree tends to bear about 3 times during the year and it yields quite a lot of mangoes. I may consider starting growing herbs again though. They just take a lot of care and attention, but the end result should be a good one.
 
Caribbean girl said:
The idea of having a kitchen garden is a very good one. You have your own herbs and vegetables right there in your own backyard. This is definitely a saving since the prices of some vegetables can be pretty high at the grocery store.

We had a little kitchen garden going some years ago. This consisted mainly of rosemary, oregano, parsley and red peppers. However, that is now a thing of the past. We do have fruit trees though, and these are mangoes, limes, and sugar apples. The mango tree tends to bear about 3 times during the year and it yields quite a lot of mangoes. I may consider starting growing herbs again though. They just take a lot of care and attention, but the end result should be a good one.
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You have a sugar apple tree? That is awesome. You hardly see those any more. I used to have those trees when I was living in the country. I wonder if any remain. Hopefully you will get back to your herbs soon. You don't have to do it in a big way and you will feel great when you can go from the "ground" to the "table".
 
Congratulations! I used to be not fond of gardening, too. My mom was the only one who was into it before. Luckily, she managed to convince me to try it because now, I really love gardening. I plant mostly vegetables and other edible plants because I feel very happy when I manage to harvest and eat them. :D
 
winterybella said:
You have a sugar apple tree? That is awesome. You hardly see those any more. I used to have those trees when I was living in the country. I wonder if any remain. Hopefully you will get back to your herbs soon. You don't have to do it in a big way and you will feel great when you can go from the "ground" to the "table".
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Actually I have 2 sugar apple trees. They were given by a family member many years ago, and we still have them up to this day. One thing though, the birds tend to like the apples more than we do, so we have to be watchful and get them picked before they can get at them. Also, if they are left on the tree for too long, they tend to dry up. We actually picked some a couple weeks ago, so I recently ate a few of them.

I had forgotten to mention a golden apple tree which we started growing about a year and a half ago. It is a small-breed tree which does not grow big like other golden apple trees, so we are growing it in a large plant pot. From what I have noticed, the apples do not seem to grow very big, but the tree is bearing well. I have never seen such a small golden apple tree before we got this one. There was this lady who was selling them at a farmer's market and I figured it would be a good idea to buy one, since the golden apple is one of my favourite fruits.
 
I still get my golden apples sent for me from the country. I am very big on those. The rain has come in and my garden is getting a little out of control. I still got some tomatoes last weekend and the okras are still producing. I have to get my guy to get on top of things so I won't lose too much of anything.
 
If only I had some outdoor space for growing my own food. Living in an upper floor apartment I don't have that option. However, there are wild herbs, fruits and berries that I have access to and I have to make do with wild foods rather than home grown.
 
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