Yellow peeps, good to be back again. Hope you have had a great week and ready to hit the road over weekends. Have you plan your weekend yet? It’ been windy (and chilly for me, NO – not your typical chilly and cold, it’s still 16-18 degrees and can go 24 degrees during the day; however, for many of us living in a tropical island with the Sun shines all year round – it’s chilly). My body catches cold very easily hence I dislike windy and chilly environment. I kind of like Winter tho, I can wear layers. Just this kind of weather on the island does not allow me to wear layers but still too chilly without one. I always have my jumper on or a cardigan…
So, this week is week 2 of my hydroponic journey. I moved some seedlings to net pots and some remained on my sowing tray as it required more time to mature. What I noticed this week was one out of 12 mini blocks of Gai Lan seeds I sowed, sprouted after 5 days. No clear clue of how I failed the other 11 mini blocks. I followed every step as instructed but I still failed. Then, my red spinach – it seemed they decided to make another list of my failed sowing list. I saw 3 seedlings out of dozens of seeds. What I did not expect was that one coriander seed decided to sprout. I tried so many times sowing coriander seeds, from gently crushed it to help it easier to sprout; soaked it for an hour in seed booster solution, soaked it in tepid water and whatnots – none of them actually worked for me. I saw videos of many gardeners who just threw coriander seeds into the ground, thinly covered it with soil and watered (sprayed) it, then they left it as it was – in a week or so, they grew rapidly. Therefore, I currently kind of baby sitting this single coriander seedling. It’s a lone fighter amongst caisims seedlings. I use coriander leaves a lot on different recipes, buying coriander leaves every time is not my go to considering the price is much more expensive (in several supermarkets in Bali) than other herbs, like regular celery.
On Sunday, 21 July 2024, I sowed 2 mini blocks of water spinach again (each has 6 seeds), hopefully it will grow well this time around. Water spinach is one of my favourite greens; the options are endless that a week with water spinach alone will never get me bored. It’s nutritious – a good source of Iron, Phosphor, Natrium, Vitamin B (1,2 & 6), Calcium and rich of fiber too. From my childhood memory, I always fond of my memory picking up fresh greens from our backyard garden. My late father planted various vegetables that we could pick and cook daily. As a kid, I loved my asparagus (and still do). I would go gather enough shoots dinner. My mother did not know any fancy way to cook asparagus, so she just made stir fried asparagus shoots but it was so delicious and cheap. Back then, I did not I would need to pay extra for a bunch of asparagus because it was always ready in our backyard. Now, if I want Bacon wrapped asparagus, I have to be mindful since I can not eat as much as I would like to just because I am that stingy. LOL!!! More reasons to grow my own vegetables and herbs garden, isn’t it?
Let’s say I want stir fry garlic Bok choy, all I need to do is go to my mini garden and pick up a bunch of Bok choy, how cool is that? Sigh… Hydroponic is not as easy as I thought it would be. But again, I am a novice gardener – hydroponic is totally new for me; knowing and actually going it are totally different. The term is as old as I remember but for me to actually doing it, that’s new.
Gardening aside, I am trying hard to get off writing block. I have pages of story to complete. Although I have the general outline, pouring my idea into written words is not easy. I have to set it right before I hand it over to my friend who acts as my editor and Mr. Bald has been there to give me feedbacks. I know the storyline, I get how the ending would be… putting words into it,… Geez! I would go out of town for a break, once I return I do hope I would have new vigor to complete it. I am hesitant to leave now due to my seedlings. I do not want extra stress and anxiety from my seedlings. Once they are moved to net pots, they’ll be good for a week or two without me caring for them round-the-clock.
Do you have any gardening tips to share? Or any idea to overcome writing block? It will be highly appreciated if you do not mind sharing yours.
xx
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