milka's jishiben

New flower bed

2011-08-12T09:41:00.000+08:00

Komatsuna

2011-07-31T10:14:00.009+08:00

Komatsuna

Sow: 29/06/2011, Harvest: 31/07/2011

A few more komatsuna are left on the veggie bed to flower for seeds.

Also harvested some old cucumbers for making soup. My daughter loves it.

***** ***** *****

Some photos that i took last week.

I wanna make friends with the owners-lah...

Penang.

The signboards directed me to this toilet, which is actually a fridge (-_-!!)

What have you been doing lately?

I have a project going on in the garden... ^^

Happy Sunday.

Grapevine

2011-07-26T23:59:00.003+08:00

I first learnt the word 'grapevine' in my B.Comm class many many years ago and today i learnt that a grapevine also means a vine that bears REAL grapes, lol. It is not new anymore to grow grapes in tropical climate. Now that i have a grapevine growing in the garden (bought from the nursery in mid Feb), my concern is will the vine produce edible fruits?

And today's harvest... to be in the soup for tomorrow

Daikon & old cucumber

sow: 8/05/2011, harvest: 26/07/2011

Good night!

Today's harvest

2011-07-10T09:38:00.001+08:00

Harvested some HK choy sum from the pots this early morning.

Enough for today's fried mee hun.

(whoooooo late to work again!)

HK Choy Sum

Sow: 13/05/2011 Harvest: 10/07/2011

Adding a touch of whimsy to the garden.. hehe

It's actually the blurring effect that you think it is so whimsical haha

Happy Gardening!

Chair planter

2011-07-02T11:05:00.000+08:00

My daughter's broken down chair makes great planter

Wish you a great weekend.

So many heads, so little seeds

2011-07-01T09:22:00.002+08:00

Hang-drying Mammoth sunflowers (multiple blooms)

Spectacular plants, big flowers... but only these i get!!

4/5 of the seeds are hollow and empty!

This head is from single bloom Mammoth.

Unlike those from multiple blooms, the seeds are fat and have great big stripes on them.

I will let the heads dry on the stems this time...

Do you think the kernels will fill up if i keep them on the plants longer?

Trellises

2011-06-27T20:19:00.007+08:00

My ugly but usable trellises

Frame from a broken laundry bag

Sweet corn stalks that serve as trellis

And today's harvest... Kailan (goreng ikan masin, yum!)

Enjoy your evening.

From my garden

2011-06-18T23:39:00.004+08:00

Wish you a happy Sunday and happy gardening.

Mt Fuji morning glory

2011-06-13T10:49:00.002+08:00

Thank you my gardening kaki One for the seeds!

These fast growing vines with colourful big blooms are going to fill my fence and arbor in a flash!

lar lar lar lar~

Did you know morning glories are against the law to grow in Arizona?

Mammoth, minime, milka

2011-06-10T21:11:00.004+08:00

Everybody loves growing sunflowers. We get to enjoy both for visual effect and to snack on later!

Thank you Diana for the seeds. These plants are amazing.

Finding way out... more wooden signs

2011-06-04T14:08:00.013+08:00

Do you regret your profession?

If i had a do over, i would not choose accounting. I don't become an accountant because i love the work, it's because i was only good in numbers and i couldn't figure out what other subject i could further study (sad case), and everything about being an accountant looked pretty damn good to me- the status and especially $$. But as i walked along the path that i'd chosen, i can tell you how much i hate my profession. Because of my profession, i have to hold such post in the company and to be everybody's PA- especially in financial planning, that sometimes involved family issues. Because of my profession, everybody thinks that i get easy money from the business, out from the safe any time and in to my pocket, just like that. Because of my profession, i have to face so many people who are eyeing on my boss's money, and you know that people get close to you for a reason! Because of my profession, i have countless sleepless nights when i discovered something odd in the business that i can not voice out and when i have to do thing that is not according to my wish or against my professional ethics. And because of my profession, i'm everybody's enemy in the office, everyone is hiding something from me... I feel so hopelessness sometimes. I wanted to quit for long but who is going to safeguard the business then? Maybe i'm the only one who thinks that i'm so important to the company but actually i'm not?

Doc said, "Don't stress, it will worsen your eyesight." Don't stress- it's always easy to say. Life is never easy. Sometimes i think it's better if i get blind only then i will learn how to let go. Stupid.

Meanwhile, money is still good to me, but i don't need that much of it to have a fine life. Life is more about doing interesting things and having fun, and spending time with your loved ones at home. So i decided it was time to find something else and started a small business of my own. Some small wood work business. I'm an accountant who prefers to hold a saw. Sigh.

"Leave your worries at the door"

Some wordings were added on the plate i bought.

I need rest.

Daulat Tuanku.

Over fertilization?

2011-05-25T21:04:00.008+08:00

Are these signs of 'over caring'?

Common sunflowers (dwarf type) - stunted growth and curling leaves

Corns- start tasseling 30 days after planting, will they meet the silks?

Have a great evening.

Sorry for my absence!

2011-05-15T12:44:00.003+08:00

LOL. Picture from the internet

I will try to go through everything that i've missed when i'm back...

I... WILL... BE... BACK...

Landscaping with vines: sky flower & sun parasols

2011-04-29T13:00:00.000+08:00

What are the uses of vine plants in your garden?

Sky flower (bengal clock vine)

White sun parasol

Red sun parasol

In my garden...

Sky flower beautifies space, creates a more natural look and brings life and song to the garden.

White sun parasol grows around and covers up the eyesore with green leaves and beautiful flowers.

Hoping the union of red sun parasol and fence (left) will quickly form privacy screen, sheltering my backyard activities from outside attention.

Companion planting: carrot, daikon, lettuce & marigold

2011-04-27T11:05:00.001+08:00

This companion planting is by mere of coincident. I didn't plan what to plant in the raised bed earlier, i just dumped everything in to save space. And surprisingly they grew well together, except that the carrots never fruit, but the foliage was so good. Hmm. Maybe too much nitrogen like what Diana said?

I'm not very sure why these plants like each other and how these plants help each other but you can refer here for companion planting list- See that? Carrots, daikons and lettuces are in one group- how good if i have luck in lottery too haha.

The raised bed

Carrots and daikons

Lettuces, daikons and marigolds at the other side of the bed

Marigolds

I have read many pages on the internet saying that marigolds are famous for companion planting as they exude chemicals from their roots or aerial parts that suppress or repel pests and protect neighbouring plants. I follow to grow them everywhere in the garden for the sayings and to add a touch of colour in the vegetable garden. But so far i'm not aware of any real research were this practice has been proven to be effective?

Do you have anything good or bad to say about your personal experience with marigolds? Are they really a good companion plant? Come let's share with us.

Linking with Kebun Malay-Kadazan girls for Companion Week.

Companion planting: corn & french bean

2011-04-25T11:12:00.003+08:00

I only thought of planting french beans when the corns were almost time for harvest- because i was lack of stakes to make a trellis for the beans. French beans wound themselves very quickly around and used the cornstalks (i.e. the natural trellis) as support.

Later when the cornstalks bent under weight of the beans and became crisp, i added in some stakes and a 4-ring support to hold the weight of the beans. This is how the whole thing looks like now.

I read that the combination of corns and beans work well as the beans pull nitrogen into the soil while the corns use the nitrogen. I'm doing this combination again in another raised bed but this time i added pumpkins in to make a Three Sisters planting. This not only can have a real impact on the health and yield of the plants (as per the articles), but will also save me so much space!

Linking with Kebun Malay-Kadazan girls for Companion Week.

Count my rabbits

2011-04-18T09:26:00.001+08:00

I just realised i've been collecting rabbits.

Marion's bubble blower in the garden

And Peter Rabbit on her pants too, haha.

Happy Monday!

Herb patch

2011-04-16T10:23:00.003+08:00

I'm slowly developing my raised herb patch.

It is small but sufficient right next to the kitchen.

My little herb patch

Coriander

Parsley

Onion- thanks to Diana for the seeds

Basil- I'm not sure how to use this herb but am trying my luck to grow some

I wish you a nice Saturday and a great week ahead!

Carrot & daikon, & my birthday :D

2011-04-11T13:11:00.006+08:00

18 February 2011

Carrots 1.5 months, daikons 2 weeks old.

This patch is so romantic filled with marigold haha.

I used marigold a lot here as general (root) pest deterrent.

3 March 2011

Carrots 2 months, daikons 1 month old.

16 March 2011

Carrots 2.5 months, daikons 1.5 months old.

23 March 2011

Carrots almost 3 months, daikons almost 2 months old.

2 April 2011

Carrots 3 months, daikons 2 months old.

8 April 2011

Harvest time!!

I actually wanted to wait a little bit longer for the daikons to be harvested but my little assistant didn't allow me, lol. All harvest done by her.

It would be good if i waited for another month to harvest the daikons. But ok lar the size at this stage... And you're asking where are my carrots?

Can you see my carrots?

I couldn't believe this, the top parts looked so good but the bottom parts... walamak, we all had a good laugh.

And so the bed is cleared. I buried some chicken manure and some organic fertilizer the same evening. Will start another batch of veggie very soon.

Birthday month

Look at this beautiful nuno felt brooch i received from Terrie. The work is so neat and look at the colour, i immediately fell in love with this beauty. I'm really impressive with all the crafts made by her own. 多谢嗮你啊，Terrie！

I didn't get a bigger saw nor a drill for my birthday. Instead, i got a bouquet of sunflowers and a tea set from my hb- he wants me to enjoy and doesn't want me to work too hard in the garden ;) Thank you honey.

Have a great week ahead!

Capsicum?

2011-04-07T19:50:00.000+08:00

I can't remember what i planted. Do they look like capsicums? Or are they chilies? All 3 plants i have are about 20cm tall, the diameter of the largest fruit produced was only 2cm, fruits are tasteless. Can you help me to identify them?

Lesson learnt: Always remember to label the seeds you sowed!

Garden signs

2011-04-03T22:34:00.003+08:00

2nd project with my new mini wood saw

My hb thought i was joking when i was asked what present i want for my birthday. I said, a bigger wood saw! Errr... or maybe a drill is good too! Oh i can't decide! Haha.

Happy Sunday night!

milka working in the garden

2011-03-30T22:01:00.005+08:00

This is me, haha.

"Tickle the earth with a hoe, it will laugh a harvest" - Douglas William Jerrold

And today's harvest

kailan, timun tua and acerola cherries - all free from eggs :))

Woodworking project reveal- trellis

2011-03-30T10:22:00.010+08:00

If you still remember the trellises that i made for my passion fruit vine... This is another trellis that i made last weekend. I hope this new home makes it happy to bear me some fruits! This time!!

My (very headache) passion fruit vine has become so messy again that i had to prune it botak (bald) before i fit the trellis in.

The idea of making an arbor-like-trellis is actually come from One, she reminded me of how the vines in D-Paradise are beautifully grown where the fruits hung above our heads as we walk in the pathway. But of course, this milka-made trellis is not as pretty and strong as those you see in the market.

A very expensive arbor/trelllis selling in a local store

Sorry for the blur image, i was not allowed to snap any photo here- gotta be quick before being kicked out! Haha.

Happy Wednesday!

Today's harvest

2011-03-29T22:56:00.006+08:00

Pak choy (奶油白菜）

Do you use any cleanser on your harvest?

These veggies may look good to you but the thousands of don't-know-whose-eggs at the back of the leaves sent a cold shiver down my spine... I washed+brushed them with cleanser x5 pails of water (-_-)!! And still i don't feel like eating them...

Woodworking project

2011-03-28T21:50:00.007+08:00

Having too much of these in March, i feel like no life already...

How about a woodworking project today?

Materials/ tools and my working buddies

Wood 1.5" x 0.5"

A mini wood saw that was bought and kept

Hammer and nails

Fave white paint and brush

This will go into shower with me to wash off the paint

Gloves

For my ears

And this is to shoo away the mosquitoes

Work-in-progress

Wanna try guess what is this that i'm working on?

Project reveal will come soon. It's been done but i haven't had time to take a picture on the finished project yet.

To be continued...