To that end, I have begun my gardening endeavours. It is limited mostly to container experimentation (its better that I refrain from using the word 'gardening' until I am sure that that is what I am doing ;-)
Most traditional Indian homes have the holy basil growing profusely...so I decided I would have one in my home too ! I had some seeds from back home and planted them in a container that I already had...left it out where it got plenty of sun and made sure that the soil was always moist.
Well, thankfully one plant is growing and giving out new leaves on a regular basis...hopefully other seeds will follow suit !
I also dreamed of having fruit trees in my backyard and what better than the papaya tree to lend a tropical touch ...I saved some seeds from a fruit that we got from the local supermarket..selected some dark seeds, broke the jelly covering surrounding the seeds and put them in another container...the idea was to let the seedlings grow a little before transplanting them into the garden. A plethora of articles has informed me that there are usually two types of papaya trees..male and female..the male tree is required to pollinate the flowers on the female tree if you expect to harvest the fruits ..A bisexual type of tree is also present, but is supposedly not common in the US
A few weeks passed and there was no sign of any kind of germination in the papaya container..My hopes were close to getting dashed and I was determined to have another go at it (that meant another trip to the supermarket)...Lo and behold, I was spared that trip when I checked the container the next morning and saw a single seedling peeking at me from down under (the soil, i.e) My joy knew no bounds...my little endeavour was succeeding :) Imagine then, my ecstasy when a lapse of a couple of more days provided three more companions to my previous lone sapling !!! I just hope that these are the correct sexes, so that I can have a papaya tree (or two) bursting with fruits !!
No garden is complete without some kind of flowers growing in it ! I purchased a packet of giant sunflower seeds (thats what the packet promises, we will have to wait and see on that one ! ) ..I planted some of the seeds in yet another container..just to give the poor little seeds a head start..just wanted to make sure that the seeds dont get eroded by this spate of rains that our part of the country has been under lately ! The seedlings spouted pretty quickly and grew to a height of a few inches, where upon I decided to set them free from their constraints and planted them out in the yard..I am pleased to report that the plants seem to be doing well...So also some creepy crawlies who seem to be relishing the leaves of my sunflower plants, but thats for another post...
And last but not the least, I also planted the Brahmi plant in yet another little container...More on the uses of this plant later...but suffice it to say that the plant is thriving well and threatening to over run my teeny container...will soon have to find a permanent and expanding place for this little acquisition..
So thats it, folks...that has been my initial foray into, ahem..container gardening...Will keep you updated on the results ..Until the next green thumb endeavour then..may the grass always be greener on your side of the fence :)
Next venture - Growing herbs at home
